Travelogue |
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There was no mistaking this person; complete with coonskin cap and Al Bowlly Fan Club sign. I have this sign sitting on a shelf in my den, and it always reminds me of the great fun I had on my trip. |
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This picture was taken at Heathrow Airport shortly after my arrival. We had just reached Ig's car in the parking garage. I said, "Quick Ig, let me get a shot of you." We were waiting for Alison, who was delayed paying for the parking slot. |
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I had brought three disposable cameras with me, and I put them to good use throughout my visit. Here I am just arrived at St Albans street. I noticed the narrower streets and lighter traffic. Across the street from us is the home of the "daughter". hehe. |
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This door is more important to me than No. 10 Downing Street! This is Ig and Alison's home in Sherwood. Ig is holding Tycho the cat. It was cloudy and cool that day - - as it was during my entire stay. |
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Here we have Tommi! He is one of a select group of cats; Fleetwood, Tyhco, Perry, and Bridget. Ok, who did I leave out? Oh yeah, Guinness. These kitties know that this house is as much theirs as their owners. :) |
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This is a very nice picture of my gracious host and hostess! Behind them on the wall is a very artsy portrait of Ig. This picture was taken in their very cozy and warm front room. Off to the left is a glimpse of Ig's very impressive music collection - - - all in alphabetical order! And I thought I was the only one who did that. :) |
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This is a street scene that struck me as beautiful. It is exactly what I had imagined those shires would look like. Although there are many cars to be seen, the traffic is pretty light. This is in contrast to the Seattle area where traffic noise and congestion are everpresent. |
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This is a magnificant old church! I looked at this and said, "Boy, I bet that dates back to the 1600's!" Ig was quick to point out that it dated more like to the 1100's. It is awe inspiring to be in the presence of such ancient landmarks. |  |
This is a very official building, right in the heart of Nottingham. I remember especially that it was dedicated by the young Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) sometime in the early 1920's. This structure is, to my memory, the most massive piece of work in the City. |
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A terrific bookstore in Nottingham! It has several levels - - and this was the biography/historical section. I bought this book I'm holding as well as a book about Hermann Goering. There was some difficulty in having my Visa Card accepted. The clerk was very contrite as the line was backing up behind me, but the approval finally went through. |
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This is a canal that runs right throught the heart of Nottingham. This picture doesn't do justice to the beauty of the scene that I saw that Sunday morning. The image of this river is equally nice when viewed from the other side of the bridge. |
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This shot is of the ancient earthen works at the foot of Nottingham Castle. The walk to the Castle is quite steep, and not for those with weak lungs! I believe that this is near "Mortimer's Hole" (Ig, correct me if I'm wrong)where an early English King was slain. |
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Here is a statue of Robin Hood, situated near the Castle. There is other statuary, but this one is the best. It is one thing to see Robin Hood movies but to be standing in the very places that these legends took place is much more rousing - -- at least to me! |
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This is a shot of me, standing next to the Robin Hood Statue. The walk up hill evidently made my hair go completely white. It regained it's color a little time later when we stopped in a small cafe for some coffee and hot chocolate! ;) |
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This is a wonderful plaque that is set into the wall (seen in the previous picture). This plaque depicts the Robin Hoods final arrow. The workmanship on all of the plaques is tops. |
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"Halt! Who goes there!" shouted the guards at the gates of Nottingham Castle. "Brian of Seattle", I answered! These guys really put their "all" into their parts. This kind of thing made my trip to Nottingham Castle a real stand-out for me. Later that afternoon, Ig and I went to the oldest pub in England; "Trip To Jerusalem". Ig had Steak and Kidney Pie, and I had a meat pie. We both had 2 pints of beer! :) |
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Ig and I had just had a pastry and coffee at the Castle. Here I am sitting on the edge of the ramparts. You can get an idea of how this was built on the high ground. I had a wonderful time at Nottingham Castle, visiting display of English armaments and uniforms. There was also a 3 minute (seemed more like 10 minute) video on some candlesticks that suggested British involvement in the Slave trade. |
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This is a shot out of the windshield of Ig's Rover, on the way to Newstead Abbey (Lord Byron's Ancestral home). We had been digging around for a tape to play, and at last came up with an Al Bowlly tape which made the trip just perfect. |
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Newstead Abbey. This is a truly an enormous and breathtaking place to visit. We were there a tad bit early and, for a while, the only people at this huge place. It made the following trip throught the grounds a little eerie and foreboding - - - very Byronesque! |
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The Japanese Gardens - - ducks and rabbits everywhere! It was getting quite dark and a little rain began to fall. The best way to describe this setting is just one word: lush. |
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A waterfall that one just happens upon. Notice the opening in the brick wall directly behind the fall - - - we walked around and went into the passage that leads to that opening. |
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Here is a picture taken from within the cave behind the waterfall. This shot is one of the prettiest ones that I took during my trip. There was a lot of moss clinging to just about everything in this spot of the garden. |
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Ig and I stopped at the rose garden - - - everything was ominously still and quiet. We sat down on a bench for a while and just listened. The peacocks wander around the place with complete disinterest in the visitors. I've never seen peacocks outside of Zoos. I remember that to pick up their feathers brings back luck! |
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Ig shot this picture of me, which turned out to be the most complimentary of the bunch. I'll never forget this visit to Newstead Abbey. It had a mysterious and gloomy feel to it that only those there that morning would understand; just me, Ig and the ghost of Byron. |
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We ran into an oriental man while beside this pool. He kindly shot this picture of us. The pool was suffering from some kind of pond scum, so they'd placed bundles of barley straw into the water to kill it. |  |
This shot was taken of the Abbey from near the monument to Byron's dog; Boatswain. What you can't see here are workmen atop the building to our left. One was singing and I said something to Ig about "hearty English workmen enjoying their work". Ig said something like, "They are probably enjoying the memory of what they did the night before! ;) |
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This is the most ghostly part of the Abbey; the hollow facade of the oldest part of the building. This is quite a large structure, and staggering to think of the effort it must have taken to build something like this, so many centuries ago. |
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There isn't a picture in the entire brochure that I bought at Newstead Abbey that can compare to this picture I took. There pictures are always with blue sky - - - this one is gloomy and sinister. |
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This is the only interior shot that I took of Newstead (I ran out of film!). This is of stained glass windows on a stairwell. Such work can't be replicated today, and that knowledge made me want to whisper. |
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Later that day the mood became festive, and what better place for festivity than the Mallard Pub! The husky guy sitting at the barstool is Peter, Alison's brother. I enjoyed Peter very much. He had a larger than life gusto about things. There was a lot of local people at the Pub, including some guy who cornered me and talked nothing but cricket. |
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My favorite picture. We were about four pints full, here. I was just beaming with good cheer! Later that afternoon we drove to a nice little place in Worksop called Patching's Farm, and had a tasty meal. I was very impressed with the food in England, contrary to what I'd heard from people back home. |
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Here is a picture of Ig in his kitchen. They kindly had a good stout brand of coffee for me while I was with them. I think that this is a great picture of Ig that captures his great sense of fun. |
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Here is the famous Edward VIII cup - - - indentical to the one that I have in my own home. I gave this cup to Ig and Alison as a "hands across the waters" gesture. The set my be separated - - - but not really. |
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This picture was taken after our shopping trip to Nottingham on Tuesday. Ig is thumbing through "Pepys Diary" - - - a copy of which he also bought for me! :) On the table is Guinness. All the cats in Ig's charge are very comfortable at home - - - even around strangers. |
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Ah! The Raclette dinner! My final night was a big treat because we inaugurated Alison's raclette. I got to meet the famous Sarah and Geoff, and liked them both. This stands out as one of the most elegant dinners that I've ever had. Noel Coward would have been proud! |
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I don't know what we were talking about here, but Geoff and I were deep into something. There was wonderful dinner music playing in the background and I had more than my usual share of wine. What fun! |
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Sarah and Geoff posed for this picture, glasses raised. Geoff is an expert on Noel Coward, but I was able to quote some lines from "Private Lives" myself! :) |
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In a couple of hours I would be on my way back to Heathrow Airport. :( I can't think of a better send-off than the one I received that night. This whole trip was truly "Brian's Big Adventure". I was treated extremely well and, I hope, left a wiser and better person. Thanks Ig! |
