St. George’s Day

We hit 70 degrees today! Yippee! It was the first day since perhaps September when we didn’t need to wear at least a sweatshirt to go outside. It was sunny all day, no clouds, and the warmth felt wonderful. It was also St. George’s Day.

St. George is the patron saint of England and today it is celebrated across the country. Isn’t it amazing to think that a country has a patron saint that everyone can name and is happy to celebrate. I recently watched a game show on TV that asked who were the patron saints of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and all of the contestants knew the answer!

Who was St. George and why is he the patron saint? St. George was a Roman soldier who protested against the torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. The popularity of St. George in England stems from the time of the early Crusades when it is said that the Normans saw him in a vision and were victorious. As the Crusaders returned to England from foreign shores, they brought with them tales of St. George, and his reputation grew. One of the best-known stories about St. George is his fight with a dragon. It is highly unlikely that he ever fought a dragon, and even more unlikely that he ever actually visited England. Despite this, St. George is known throughout the world as the dragon-slaying patron saint of England. His emblem is a red cross on a white background. It is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St. George’s emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king’s soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.

In recent years the popularity of St. George’s Day as been increasing and it soon may be a national holiday. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, encourages the celebration of St. George’s Day with anything English from Morris dancing and medieval jousting to Punch and Judy shows. A traditional custom on St. George’s day is to wear a red rose. Another custom is to fly the St. George’s Cross flag in some way; pubs in particular can be seen decorated with garlands of St. George’s crosses. It is a day to show pride in being British.

April 23rd is also the birthday and death anniversary of William Shakespeare. I am just filling you up with trivia today!

College Town Visit

We finished up our Easter break with a visit to the town and University of Oxford. It is only about an hour drive from our house and on the way I did a little research on the University. I knew it was structured differently than universities in the U.S. but I didn’t know exactly how. The University of Oxford is made up of 38 colleges – with names like Christ Church, Magdalen, Trinity and Wycliffe – and six private Christian Halls. Each College and Hall is independent and self-governing. They each have their own buildings, and provide classrooms, housing, dining and social activities for their students. They are independent entities united as the University of Oxford. When a student is accepted to Oxford, they can apply to a specific college or they can just asked to be assigned. Some of the colleges are very small and accept fewer than 20 new students each year. Each has their own personality, traditions and style. They offer multiple degrees so you do not need to choose a college solely on your course of study.

When British students take their “A” level exams at the end of their Sixth Form or Secondary School education, they list their university choices in order of preference. A large number of students list Oxford and Cambridge, but only 20% of applicants are accepted.

The town of Oxford is a perfect example of old meets new. Some of the Colleges have been in place since the 1300s, yet the town centre offers all the modern shopping and dining any university student could want. Initially as we wandered the town we noticed the beautiful old architecture, but did not know exactly where the colleges were located. Most of the buildings are imposing stone structures on the outside with interesting thick wood doors. Some of the colleges leave the doors open to welcome visitors and with a peek inside, the beautiful courtyards and gardens are revealed. Near the doors are the coat of arms for the college and sometimes that is the only signage telling you where you are. It has the feel of a secret and protected world.

Most colleges have their own beautiful chapels on their grounds. New College, which was found in 1379, was used as the setting for some of the Harry Potter films.

You will notice in these pictures a rare and beautiful sight – blue sky and sunshine! It was still cold enough to wear a coat, but we enjoyed every minute of the sunshine and quickly realize how much more beautiful everything is without grey clouds above.

Fit for a Princess

There are hundreds of castles and palaces in England and it would be impossible for us to visit them all. Castles are particularly interesting to us as they were built with stone walls, secret rooms, and early defense systems (think boiling oil, falling boulders and painful surprises) to protect the inhabitants from invasion; palaces are simply royal residences. Some castles are still owned by the royal family, others as part of national parks and still others as private residences. There is a great TV show in England called Grand Designs showcasing people who are building unique residences around the U.K. Some of these are castles that have fallen to ruin and are being restored as modern homes. It’s interesting to watch the process and the finished products are really beautiful. They almost make you want to live in an old castle.

Kensington Palace from the side doesn’t look too impressive.

We are trying to make an effort to visit castles and palaces as we can since they are something we don’t have in the U.S. This week we visited Kensington Palace which has been and is home to some of the world’s most famous princesses. Princess Diana lived there from the time she first married until her death, as did Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth’s sister). It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria, England’s longest reigning monarch. Now part of the property is under reconstruction to be a new home for Prince William and Kate.

The palace sits on the edge of Hyde park just west of central London and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. A large section is open to the public, but much of the grounds and many buildings are behind tall stone walls to provide privacy and protect the royal family that current live there. The public portions are not ornately presented like Windsor Castle. They are sparsely decorated and tell the historical stories of William III and Mary II (who died of small pox), King George I and Queen Victoria.

It is easy to think of all the lives and history that have occupied this building as we wander the limited space available to the public. This was truly a family home full of births and deaths, majesty, joy and also great sorrow.

Beachy Keen

Two weeks of vacation for Easter break gives us lots on time to explore the country. The news media tells us that 1.7 million Brits will leave the UK in search of sun this holiday. Maybe that will mean fewer crowds for us.

First stop Brighton. This is a fun beach community due south of us and only about an hour train ride. Several people have told us it’s a nice place to visit, so off we went. The day started cold and overcast, but we were not deterred. By the time our train pulled into the Brighton station the sun was shining, which was fantastic, because the wind was freezing. The easiest description of Brighton is “a nicer version of Santa Cruz.” The streets along the water are lined with fish and chip shops and boutique clothing stores. A long pier heads out over the water and is packed with rides, snack shacks and multiple arcades filled with hundreds of 2-penny machines. Some of the rides are positioned close to the edge so it fells like you’ll fly off into the water.

This is a place that holds a lot of memories for many British families. Lance broke out these familiar lyrics. Do you remember these?

Ever since I was a young boy,
I’ve played the silver ball.
From Soho down to Brighton
I must have played them all.
But I ain’t seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pin ball!

I’m dreaming of 80 degree weather and wandering the pier on a summer evening. That would be nice. Like the majority of places we have visited in England, we put this on our visit again when the weather is nicer list. This list is getting long … and the weather is not getting warmer.

Go ZAGS!

This is a special request from Natalie. She says I just have to blog about Gonzaga. Her exact message was “You should blog about Gonzaga because your AMAZING daughter not only goes to the best school ever but we are #1 in the nation and have the potential to win the tournament!”

For a small Jesuit college in the upper north west they are having a fantastic year. The students are so excited and proud of their team. First the men’s basketball team is named number one in the nation for the first time in the school’s history. Then they win the WCC championship along with the women’s team. They’re good too. Next we get a Jesuit Pope – that has to be a good sign – and the men’s team remains ranked #1 going into the NCAA tournament.

Their best performance in the tournament has been a spot in the elite eight and this year they are hoping for the final four or better if you ask the crazy fans in the Gonzaga Kennel.

Nat says you’ve got to watch this video. Enjoy and let the games begin!

Young and Adventurous

The European backpack trip (similar to the gap year for European kids) has become a right of passage. Recently I attended an event with a group of American women and they were asked to share their favorite memory of Italian food. Wierd question I know, but it was a cooking class. I was surprised that nearly half the group recounted a trip to Italy with friends during their college years and how fabulous those first few meals were. How many of you headed out during or after college to explore another country and can still today remember nearly every detail?

My niece Maddy and two of her good friends spent the last week with us preparing for their European adventure. They have BIG plans and will be touring for the next four months. The arrived in London, found a good place to sleep (here), adjusted to the time difference and learned to master the European train system. Now they are off to Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and then …… They will see where it takes them.

A trip like this has to take place while you’re young. By the time the late-twenties arrive we start to worry about too many things to just take off and seek adventure. All of my college-age travels were focused in the U.S., down the East Coast and up to Washington state. I didn’t venture over the Atlantic until I hit 40, and now look what has happened! You have to be young to travel with an unstructured itinerary, not quite sure where you’ll be sleeping, and not really too concerned about it all.

We tried to provide a few gentle suggestions especially concerning safety and the weather. The first full day they were here Lance and I took them into London. The sun was peeking through the clouds, so these California girls wore a t-shirt and a sweatshirt or light jacket. They didn’t seem to notice that the two old people had on three layers of clothes, a big jacket, gloves and a scarf. Once we headed out on foot in London and crossed the bridge over the Thames, the cold wind starting blowing and even though we could see the sun, warm it was not. Their hands tucked inside their sweatshirts and by the end of the day they announced that they had never been so cold. By day two we saw the jackets, gloves and scarfs come out.

They are true optimists. As they packed their backpacks on the last day, they decided to leave their “winter clothes” at our house. They felt confident that Portugal and Spain would be warm and sunny even in March. I hope they’re right as I would love to know how far we need to travel to thaw out.

I took this picture as we headed off to the train station explaining that this was for a before and after. They’ll be back in June for a day or two before returning home. I hope to see them a lot tanner, perhaps a bit tired, but still as optimistic and full of adventure.

Many prayers for a safe and memorable journey.

Rainy Day Sunday… Again

Wow, as I write this post I see that I have not blogged for exactly one month. Not sure why that is. I think regular life has settled in. That combined with the cold weather means we are not out exploring as much. I am really looking forward to Spring. When it actually arrives here in England, I’m not sure. I’m hoping the temps will warm up just a bit by April.

Last Sunday we did get brave and decided to head into London despite the falling rain. We visited the lovely National Portrait Gallery whose newest addition is the Duchess of Cambridge portrait. It definitely looks like her and is well done, although she looks at least 10-15 years older. It is a bit too soft-focused and her laugh lines are over accentuated. That’s my official art reviewer opinion.

I love that so many of the world-class museums in London are free. Not just because they are free, but because it means the museums are bustling and well attended. There was a crowd admiring the hundreds of portraits on display and it made for a very enjoyable experience.

Afterwards we spilled out into the neighborhood which is right in Covent Garden. Love it, love it! When you come to visit us (hint) we will be sure to take you there. It has a wonderful energy with many people strolling around shops, restaurants, food and art/craft booths. There are street performers and musicians and the mood is festive. It’s a fun place to visit both day and night with some fantastic food to enjoy.

We helped ourselves to a little gelato and promised we’d be back one warm evening to sit outside and enjoy dinner.