Oxford: Land of the Scholar

And so today my train journey came to an end with a visit to Oxford, which is home to the top university in the world. After dropping off my backpack at a local hostel, I headed into town. thinkers, and leaders and will continue to do so for years to come. During the English Civil War, the city was the capital for the royalists, and there are several markers commemorating the King’s cause. Despite being a center of learning, the town also has a history of violence. Like many college towns, relations between student and townie haven’t always been great, but unlike most other places citizens and students in Oxford have fought several civil wars with each other. Indeed, Cambridge University was originally formed by oxford professors who fled the town so they could teach without the threat of violence. All this combines into a city that has enough history in its walls to satisfy the requirements for a history degree.

Now Oxford University is made up of several colleges, and the first one I visited was Trinity. Each college acts as a self0contained unit and Trinity is no different. Its price of admission was lower than Christ College, which I would visit later and its atmosphere seemed more relaxed. The chapel on the college was partly designed by Christopher wren, a noted architect who designed the Wren Building in William and Mary. Yes, there’s some controversy about how actually designed it, but they called it the Wren building so I’m sticking with that.

After leaving Trinity College, I headed over to the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. The steeple of the church offers a stunning view of the city and is worth the 3 pound asking price. From there I visited the Radcliffe Camera, a reading room and one of the cities architectural marvels. From there I walked the grounds of the Boden Library complex, one of the largest libraries in the world. While the public isn’t admitted into the buildings since it’s considered “disruptive,” I still got a sense of the vast amount of information and knowledge hidden within the walls. Indeed, I had to restrain myself from storming in and demanding a library card.

Following a leisurely walk around the city, during which I passed by several other colleges (sadly, closed ot the public) and Oxford’s 1,000 year old castle, I headed over to Christ Church College, aka Hogwarts. Several filming locations are present at the site and the Great Hall here was the model for the dining hall in the films. Founded by Cardinal Wolsey during the reign of Henry VIII , the college is the biggest of the schools in Oxford and contains both magnificent grardens and, political graffiti. The “No-Peel” graffiti refers to PM Peel (an oxford grad) who worked to give English Catholics the right to vote. Apparently, a student wasn’t too fond of this idea, and the graffit stands as a reminder that a college degree doesn’t equate to tolerance. Oxford grad Christopher Wren’s handiwork can be found here as well, in its magnificent bell tower.

Also present at Christ church was the magnificent Chapel, which serves as the Cathedral for the city. Thee site actually predates the university and despite being attacked during the Reformation the Chapel remains a site to be seen. One of the oldest examples of medieval stained glass can be found in a depiction of the Murder of Beckett. Nearby, the sister of Alice Liddell, who inspired Christ Church professor Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland, can be found in a stained glass depiction of St. Alexandria. During the English Civil War Charles I prayed here, but it turns out that God was Parliamentarian so the king’s prayers went unheard. The site also boasts a beatiufl collection of Renaissance Art.

My second to last stop was Exeter College. While small this college still boosts a lot of charm (although the attempt to match medieval and modern architecture in several buildings looked weird). The Chapel contains a memorial to all those who died during WWI. A gentlemen leaving the building noted that of the 3,00 Oxford students who left to fight only 1000 came back, with the resting dying in the trenches of Europe. My final stop was the museum of the History of the Sciences. Here were the scientific instruments of the centuries, astrolabes, telescopes, microscopes all donated to the museum. One can only think of the wonderful discoveries made by the scientists using these instruments.

After leaving Oxford I headed back to Exeter, but my travels were only just beginning…

In the Land of Shakespeare

Unlike many other great authors, Shakespeare's life was fairly normal compared with the works that he produced. While others such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Kate Chopin have lives that could form the basis for books and films, Shakespeare's life is more mundane. The son of a middle-class father and mother, he married young and went to London to seek his fortune. He wrote plays, achieved acclaim, lost one child (a common occurrence during those days), and then retired. Indeed, most of the attention on Shakespeare's life has to do with the question of whether or not he actually wrote his plays, considering his lack of formal education (my guess: yes he did). However, the plays that he wrote are some of the greatest works of literature the world has ever seen, and it was quite a privilege to visit the town where his story began.

I arrived in the evening, and took a leisurely walk through this quiet town full of small canals. For you Shakespeare fans, I have to say that this place is heaven. The central square is filled with statues of the Bard and his many creations. The streets are filled with places named after the plays and characters. Indeed, the boats on the river are named after the Shakespearian character (although naming a boat after Ophelia seems like a recipe for bad luck). Are they trying to milk the legacy for everything they can? Yes, but the overall affect is pleasant rather than tacky, at least in my opinion.

The next morning, I left the B&B (no hostels available in Stratford, so I got to have a proper English breakfast) and headed off to my first stop, Shakespeare’s birthplace. In this house, which is mostly original, is the room where Shakespeare was born. It also contains the graffiti of the many people who have visited to pay tribute to the bard. The house itself was fairly modest by today’s standards, but for the time would have been considered middle-class. Shakespeare’s father was an enterprising man who made a fair amount of money on the wool-trade. That being said, Shakespeare received only a basic education, but that didn’t stop him from writing some of the greatest dramatic works that the world has ever seen.

Having visited the site of the Bard’s birth, I visited the place where his journey came to an end, New Place. The original house where Shakespeare spent his last days and wrote such plays as The Tempest is no longer there, instead a small garden and some foundations mark residence. Next to the foundations is Nash’s House, the home of Shakespeare’s granddaughter, which has been restored to its original appearance.

After Nash’s House, I paid a visit to Hall’s Croft. This was the house of Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna and her husband, John. Like Nash’s house, this residence was an exceptional example of Tudor architecture. In addition, it also contained an excellent exhibit on medicine during Shakespeare’s day. Needless to say, one did not want to become ill back then.

My next stop was the Church of the Holy Trinity, Shakespeare’s final resting place. The tombstone is located within the church, near the alter, with the words, “Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,/ And cvrst be he yt moves my bones”. This curse is the reason that Shakespeare’s remains have not be moved to a more magnificent tomb. On the nearby wall hang a bust of Shakespeare. Sculpted while his wife Anne Hathaway was still alive, this is probably the best likeness there is of him. When Shakespeare died, the poet Ben Johnson stated that, “he was not of this age, but for all time!” A fitting epithet.

My last stop of the day was at Anne Hathaway’s cottage. It was here that Shakespeare met and courted his wife. The cottage contains several beautiful gardens and, like the other houses, is a an excellent example of Tudor architecture. However, I was a little confused by the fact that the place was billed as an extremely romantic spot. The story of Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway was not what one would call a storybook romance. The two met, kinda dated, she got knocked up, he had to marry her, and then he went to London and didn’t see her for years on end. The house is a top-notch attraction to be sure, but I wouldn’t call it romantic.

That evening, I headed to the theatre. The Royal Shakespeare Company, one of the finest theatre companies in the world, is based in Stratford and I had tickets. Unfortunately, they weren’t showing any Shakespeare shows that week, but the the performance I saw, The Empress, was quite good. Telling the story of a group of Indian immigrants to Great Britain during the time of Queen Victoria, the story started out a little slow, but had me, and the audience, completely memorized by the final scene. It was interesting to compare the reactions of the mostly British audience with the reactions of myself and a group of Canadian tourists. We all laughed at different parts (although a joke about English weather had the entire audience in stitches), responded to the characters differently, but in the end we all enjoyed the performance, which speaks to ability of theatre to reach across borders. As I headed back to my B&B after the performance, I had one last stop ahead of me, the famous college town of Oxford.

Carlisle and Hadrian's Wall

I came to Carlisle with the sole purpose of seeing Hadrian's Wall, but the city has a lot more to offer. Upon arrival, I took the bus to reach the Bunkhouse (a converted barn) where I was staying. Now, the thing I realized about the rural buses in England is that there are no clearly defined stops nor are the roads well marked. Considering that I didn't know the area nor knew what the bunkhouse looked like this could have been a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, a fellow traveler, who was hiking the Wall, was staying at the campsite on the property and knew where it was. Of all the places where I've stayed so far, despite not having heat on the second floor, this place was really cool. The Wi-Fi was good, free tea was available, the owner, a delightful woman by the name of Sandra, was nice and provided useful advice, and it had a very chill atmosphere. The first night I had the whole place to myself (my guess; despite it being April it was freezing cold) and, despite the chill outside, I was able to keep myself warm with several hot water bottles. The second night, I was joined by some very fun Australians and French travelers.
Of course, I know that you all don't read this to hear about my hostel experience. My first port of call in Carlisle was the local cathedral, whose origins date back to Norman times. Some of the building's stained glass windows have been in place since the 14th century, while the stalls for the choir have been in the building for over 900 years. In addition, on the lower levels there's a treasury of objects detailing the history of Christians in Cumbria.
After a delicious meal of lasagna and chips in a pub whose existence can also be traced to the Middle Ages, I headed off to Carlisle Castle. As the gentleman at the cathedral explained Carlisle Castle is 'a proper castle' and it’s hard not to see why. Built on the site of a roman fort, the castle, sitting on the border of England and Scotland, the castle holds the record for being the most besieged place in Britain, with English kings, Parliamentarian Roundheads, and Scottish Jacobites all laying siege to the site at some point. The castle was the court for the Scottish king David I who died in the small chapel. Later Edward I, the Hammer of the Scots, and his second wife Margaret stayed her. In fact, Margaret’s tower can still be seen. Later on, Mary Queen of Scots was held captive here after she fled Scotland. While the tower she stayed in has been destroyed, the site is clearly marked. After a siege that saw the civilians and soldiers eat their own horses, the city surrendered to the forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Later, in the aftermath of Culloden, Jacobite prisoners were held in its lower cells. The rooms in this prison are pitch-black and several Jacobites died in here before they could face trial. The rest were forced to suck moisture from the stone walls in order to keep from dehydrating. There was no relief for the Jacobites. After being convicted they were led out of the castle, hung by the neck for a few minutes, and then taken down and cut open while they were forced to watch. Despite having been besieged by the rebels a few months earlier, the citizens of Carlisle were so disgusted by this treatment that they returned to their homes in protest of  'Butcher' Cumberland’s' draconian methods. It’s believed that the song 'Loch Lomond' was written by a Jacobite rebel after receiving a last visit from his girlfriend. The low road he sings of is 'death' which will finally allow him to return to Scotland.
In more recent years, the Castle was a training ground and barracks for the British army, which is commemorated by the very good Cumberland military museum. Today it stands as a monument to the regions legacy as a frontier. This theme was further elaborated upon at my next destination, the Tully Museum. The museum, which unfortunately didn't allow photography, with a few exceptions, had wonderful exhibits on Hadrian's Wall, the Reivers, Carlisle, pre-Raphaelite painters, and artists with disabilities. The Hadrian's Wall exhibit featured an expansive collection of Roman artifacts, costumes, info about Roman history, and info about the Roman soldiers themselves. Another exhibit focused on the Reivers, English and Scottish raiders who kept events on the border interesting. I saw quite a few names I recognized on a list of Reivers families. Quite an interesting claim to fame. Outside lies a faux monument to them, with a bishop’s curse printed on stone and the names carved on the pathway for visitors to trample underfoot.
The artwork in the museum is difficult to describe, but needless to say it was stunning. I was immensely impressed by the beauty of the figures and landscapes of the pre-Raphaelite painters and while I wasn't impressed by the artwork in the Tate Modern Museum, I felt that the modern art in the Tullie Gallery was very evocative and thought provoking (the museum attendant and I had quite a discussion about whether a particular peace had been inspired by a Monty Python sketch). The final part of the Gallery which focused on works of art with either physical or mental impairments was also quite good. Like many galleries, the paintings were accompanied by short blurbs by the authors themselves. For many pieces, these blurbs were nothing more than 'I like to paint' which when juxtaposed against the stunning works of art effectively demonstrated that there are other forms of communication besides written and verbal.
My final stop in Carlisle was the Guild House. This medieval building was the home of the main trade guild during the Middle Ages and has survived to this day.
The next morning, I headed out to Hadrian's Wall. My destination was Housestead's fort, the most well preserved fort on the site. To review, the wall was built by the Emperor Hadrian as a way of marking the border of the Roman Empire in Britain (although roman troops did march as far North as Edinburgh and another wall, Antoine's Wall marks lies a little farther to the North. The fort supported a nearby town in addition to its garrison. Standing at the North Wall of the fort one gets a sense of Roman power. The fort was built at the top of a hill and any approaching army would have had hard time taking it. At other points along the way the crossing would have been a little easier. The portions of the wall I saw were roughly 5 feet tall and while part of it was located along cliffs, elsewhere a small band could have easily crossed over the the Roman side. However, the wall was so well guarded and designed that a force of Roman troops would have been in pursuit of them shortly. It’s said that author George R. R. Martin was inspired to write Game of Thrones while visiting the Wall, and given the forbidding landscape I can understand why. Of course, the Romans were facing something far worse than White Walkers and Wildlings, my ancestors (Picts and Caledonians). Today many people like to hike the wall from the point it began to where it ended. While I didn't have the time to do that this trip, it has been added to my bucket list. If it ever happens, maybe I'll write a blog about it...

Scott's Scottish Adventures: Largs

In my last post, I mentioned that I visited the tiny town of Largs. Why? At the turn of the 20th century, a girl was born in this town. Orphaned at a young age, she grew up without a mother and father, but was surrounded by friends. She attended school and church, though up stories, and joked with her friends about the cute boys in town. She was also involved in theatre, and played a few roles in the dramatic society. Eventually she and her friend (named after the church where she was baptized), decided to leave their little village and make the journey to America. She never returned to Scotland, but it is said that she loved the Jersey shore and its beaches reminded her of the oceanfront in Largs. As you might've guess this woman was my great-grandmother
The town of Largs was settled by Vikings who later intermarried with the local population. Today, that legacy can be felt in the many stores lining the waterfront which did remind me of the shops along the Jersey shore (though not nearly as expansive). I visited the church where my great-grandmother's friend was baptized, and walked along the river front that she so fondly remembered. The town itself was quite nice. It was Sunday so most of the shops were closed, but I still got a sense of the town's identity. The people were friendly, the houses were well elept, and while I never got the sense that the people were particularly wealthy, neither did I get the sense that they were poor. With the ocean nearby and tall hills behind it, the place seemed like a very nice place to live.
When some people visit their ancestral home, they say they get the feeling of belonging even though they've never been there before. I never got that feeling, but that doesn’t mean I didn't feel connect to my roots. For me, home is where your friends, family, and memories are. There are several places that I could call home, the College of William and Mary, Exeter University, Lee Hall in North Carolina, and of course, Skyline Drive PA. But unless I actually lived in Largs, I don't think I could call it home. However, similar to the feeling I received standing at Liverpool Docks, I felt the connection of the journeys that we were both on. For her it was travelling to an unknown land to achieve the American Dream. For me it was travelling to a new place to learn about the world. Which one is the more important? Hers... definitely hers, but while my travels in England won't lead to a whole new chapter of my family’s story, it’s another page in my story and I"m glad I'm taking it. Even though I might not feel a particularly strong connection to the town, I defiantly feel more connected with my ancestors which, for this history major, is pretty darn cool.

Scott's Scottish Adventure: Glasgow

In many respects Glasgow is similar to Liverpool in that both were major industrial centers before suffering a serious economic decline in the postwar years. Like Liverpool, Glasgow has similarly rebounded, and I was surrounded by construction and signs of urban renewal throughout my stay. Unlike the rest of my travels, I took the bus to reach Glasgow and overall it was quite enjoyable. Unlike the bus ride to Liverpool, where my 6 foot 1 frame was granted little leg room, I had plenty of space to stretch my legs, and plenty of beautiful Scottish scenery to look at. Upon arriving in the city I took the bus... got lost... asked for directions... got lost again... before finally finding my way to the budget Hotel where I was staying. After checking in, I took the bus to the city center and headed off towards the Cathedral. I should note that despite being in the UK for roughly 3 1/2 months this was my first time riding in a double-decker bus. Better late than never.
The Glasgow Cathedral was significant for being the only mainland Scottish Cathedral to survive the reformation. While a protestant mob did attack and loot the building, they were prevented from destroying it by the town's guild. Even before this, the site was significant as being the burial place of the Scottish saint, Mungo. Below the main Cathedral, there lies a second area, where the saint is buried In addition, the lower Cathedral also contains the body of a bishop who supported Robert de Bruce in the fight for Scottish Independence and was deported to England as a result.
Behind the Cathedral lies the Necropolis. Built during the Industrial Revollution in the midst of rapid population growth within the city, the necropolis is the final resting place from many of the cities’ leading figures. Including the guy who wrote Wee Willie Winky. Atop the cemetery is a monument to the Protestant reformer John Know, who helped convert the people of Scotland from Catholicism to Calvinism. From this monument one can get a beautiful view of the city.
The next day, I started with a trip to the small town of Largs, more on that in another post, before returning to Glasgow. I had some delicious French toast in a small tea house, but, I must admit, that I found its efforts to be as cutesy as possible rather off-putting. Ladies, there's a reason that men don't want to come to these places. Saying 'tut-a-loo as you piddle out the door' is an insult to our masculinity. After leaving, I made my way to the Mackintosh tea rooms. For those who don't know, Mackintosh was an architect and interior designer whose style helped define the artistic world of the 20th century. While not as popular in Scotland, Mackintosh's influence is scattered about the city. As recommend by Lonely Planet, the Willow Tea Rooms were second only to his house (which was closed on Sundays) in terms of his brilliance. Located right above a jewerly store (that was going out of business) the rooms provided a marvelous introduction to his work. Having never seen his work before, I wasnt qutie sure what to expect, but I immediately recognized his influence when I stepped inside. Needless to say, many building today would look very different if not for him.
after taking a gander at Mackintosh's work, I headed to St. Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art. Inside I was greeted by a wide array of artifacts from both Ancient and modern faiths. Things such as crosses, prayer shaws, prayer rugs, and Buddha statues were all placed near each other, perhaps as a subtle plea for interfaith dialogue. Despite being run by the Cathedral the museum isn't afraid to highlight some of the darker aspects of religon such as persecutions, intolerance, 7 am services etc. Nor is it unwilling to tackle the decline of faith in the UK. Whatever your thoughts on religion are, the museum stands as a fascinating glimpse into a mystery familiar to all people, and mankind's efforts to solve, or at least make peace, with what that mystery.
My second to last stop of the day was in Provand's Landship. This small house is one of the few surviving examples of medieval architecture around. Originally constructed as part of the elaborate residence known as the Bishops Castle, it survived the reformation intact, mostly because it was a well-built house, Protestants as well as Catholics would want to live in. Over the years, it served as an inn before eventually being taken over by the city. The building is in remarkable condition (although why the ground level floor is over in linoleum tiles is beyond me). It is rumored that Mary, Queen of Scots stayed hear after being forced to abdicate the thrown, which adds another feather to this houses' cap. Outside is a delightful  (but modern) garden in which herbs are grown ias a monument to the monks who frequented the houses' service to the poor and sick. On the wall are 19th century tables originally designed to decorate the city hall.
My final stop was Queen's Park which was right outside the budget hotel/ hostel where I was staying. The site of the Battle of Langside, today it’s a peaceful area of recreation, one that affords excellent views of the city. The fact that once a place of such destruction is now so peaceful, I think, acts as a type of closure , as most of the world is moving on but acknowledging the place is significant. In much the same way, I'm leaving Scotland, but there's no denying that the country has become very significant in my heart.