« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 »
March 03, 2006
O Britainnia!
Hello, dear readers. It's been a while. How are you? The Sweetness and I have been doing relatively well, aside from a post-vacation cold. Thanks for asking. You'll be happy to know we got all that tax stuff taken care of -- or at least in the mail, which is all we can hope for at this early date.
We recently got back from a whirlwind eight-day tour of Britain, during which we visited London and its environs, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and York. As we'd both spent considerable time in London before, we resolved to get our money's worth from the BritRail train pass and see the country. Here are some of the trip highlights:
- Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh's Royal Mile is home to important buildings both majestic (Holyrood Palace, summer residence of the Queen) and monstrous (the Scottish Parliament) but its most picturesque address sits at the top of the street.
The castle has been the fortified home of Scottish monarchs since the 11th century, though I doubt Elizabeth II has had occasion to take cover here. But if she did, Her Majesty could bedeck herself in the crown jewels of Scotland and clutch the legendary Stone of Scone, whilst paying respects to Scotland's war dead at the Memorial or visiting the Norman-esque chapel at the top. The history impresses, but the vista astounds; as a well placed fort, it naturally has the most commanding views of Edinburgh and its lowland surroundings. - Yorkminster - This cathedral in the heart of York is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and contains the world's largest medieval glass window. There must be a panel in this church for every chapter of the Bible!
Below the main level of the church, excavations can be toured that show off the deep roots of this house of worship, through the bedrock to Norman, Saxon, and Roman times. They've even unveiled the Roman road and some of the wall coverings. By the way, Constantine was proclaimed emperor on this spot in 306 AD, after his father unexpectedly took ill and died. (Also worth seeing in York: the marvelous York Castle Museum, chock full of 18th- and 19th-century items of ordinary life.) - The British Library - Okay, so this one's in London, but we couldn't completely ignore the first city of the UK, could we? We stood astride the Prime Meridian at Greenwich. We leisurely observed a dreary, rain-soaked skyline on the London Eye. We caught "The Producers" at the theatre in Covent Garden -- jolly good fun. But for my money (in this case, free, which makes it all the sweeter), the biggest thrill was looking at the actual pages of the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest New Testaments in existence. You can't snap photos of the codex, but you can stand overtop of it and put your nose right against the top glass if you want. Or maybe you'd prefer to examine the 2nd-century fragment of John. Or the Gutenberg Bible. Or if Christian manuscripts aren't your thing, how about a First Folio of Shakespeare? The "Treasures of the British Library" could not be more aptly named.
Posted by The Greatness at 12:18 PM | Comments (2)