Darent Valley Walk in Kent

England has many splendid walking paths. The old stake president of my ward in London, President Chitock, took a bunch of us on a country walk on the Darent Valley path in Kent (about 60 miles SE of London). The beauty of the Darent Valley has inspired generations of artists and writers eager to capture the essence of this classic English countryside with its rolling hills, luxuriant meadows and picturesque riverside villages. We stopped at one of the country farms on our walk. I ate the best tasting apple that I have ever had along with pure apple juice freshly made from the orchard. My taste buds will never be the same. All of the pumpkins and squash that had just been harvested made me feel more of the autumn spirit. It was a fantastic midweek outing.   

 

The Royal Ballet

Our professors had been working hard to try and get tickets to the Royal Ballet so we all had our fingers crossed that it would happen. I am a lover of the ballet. Since a little girl I have been attending ballets. As a dancer that took ballet everyday for over ten years I appreciate and love the art. It was different than any other ballet I have been to because it was four short segments of separate ballets. I have heard so much about the George Balanchine inspired company of the world renowned Royal Ballet and was not disappointed in the amazing performance they put on. 

Liverpool

Liverpool Harbor

The last stop of our north trip was Liverpool. I had been anticipating this stop because I have many ancestors who left the Liverpool harbors to come to America. Six generations back my Great (6 times) Grandma and her husband were married in the church of St. Nicolas in Liverpool. I didn’t have time to go and find this church, but as I looked around at all the steeples I thought of them and the courage that was necessary in their marriage and in their journey to the new world. 

Legacy Sculpture

Next to the docks is the Legacy Sculpture that was given to the people of Liverpool by the LDS church. The statue is of a young family that commemorates migration from Liverpool to the new world. It was a tribute to the many families from all over Europe who embarked on a brave and pioneering voyage from Liverpool to start a new life in America. It was estimated that a total of 9 million people immigrated to America through that port (portion of them being Mormons). The bronze sculpture had significance: the child holding his mother’s hand and stepping forward symbolizes migration to the unknown world whilst the child playing with the crab behind his father indicates a deep association with the sea. Being able to stand and look out over the ocean that led my family to America was a neat experience and great way to end the north trip. 

Preston

In Preston we took a LDS church history tour through the city to see the sites from the apostolic mission of 1838. We stood in the market square where the missionaries preached to the crowds of people. President Hinckley also preached from the same spot on his mission. We were told a story about the market square: One time when the apostles were preaching a man came out of the crowd and started yelling false doctrine about infant baptism. The crowd of people let him finish and then led him off of the platform and out of the square so that they could continue to listen to the missionaries with out disturbance. This one event was one of many that showed how receptive the people of Preston were to the gospel.

We took a stroll through a park in Preston that was built during the time of the American Revolution. The cotton mills in Preston no longer received cotton from the states so many English people became unemployed. They were given work by building the park. In the park there were two plaques honoring the first latter-day saints in Great Britain. It was neat to see first hand that the church influence was noticed in Preston.  

Since we were in Preston we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go and see the Preston Temple. We are constantly visiting cathedrals in England so it was wonderful to finally see the true House of the Lord. 

Ambleside

The Youth Hostel

Ambleside is a beautiful town. It sits within the Lake District and borders the largest lake in Britain, Lake Windermere. The window from my hostel bedroom overlooked the charming scenery and lake. Ambleside was my favorite part of the North Trip because it was so tranquil and for lack of a better word, gorgeous. We took a boat ride across the entire lake while someone read the poetry of Wordsworth and a story from one of Beatrix Potter’s books. While we were listening two fighter jets flew right over us. They were extremely loud and flew really close to ground level. Our boat driver said that they must have been either the German or English air force just out practicing.

While in Ambleside we took a hike up to Dove Cottage. Dove Cottage was the home to the English poet William Wordsworth. Wordsworth has a lot of work that reflects upon nature and now I understand why.

We also made it to Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm. She is famous for writing children books. The most popular in her collection was Peter Rabbit. She became wealthy independently from her work as an author. She purchased Hill Top Farm and a couple others near it to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside. I admire her because she ran the farms herself hiring people to withhold all the necessary tasks and involving herself in the work. I’m sure she also received a lot of inspiration for her animal talking stories at Hill Top Farm.  

Hadrian's Wall

Just 20 miles shy of Scotland we stopped to touch the large Roman wall that was built in 120 AD. The wall stretches over 73 miles of land and is the most impressive monument to the Roman Empire in Britain. The wall was abandoned at the fall of the Roman Empire, but much of it still stands. We found it to be in pretty good shape and suitable to walk on. 

Durham Cathedral & Bede's World

Durham Cathedral

Durham sits between York and Edinburgh (Scotland) and stands on a bold peninsula of rock almost encircled by the Wear, it’s great cathedral and castle towering above the steep and richly wooded banks. Durham cathedral appeared to be the beacon on the hill in literal sense.

Bede's World

We visited Bede’s World- an entire museum about Bede and the history of Durham Cathedral. It was quite interesting. Bede was an archbishop of the Durham cathedral. He was an infamous teacher, historian, and theologian. Bishop Biscop traveled the world and brought back art and books from Rome and other large cities. Bede would study all of the material that was brought back along with the scriptures making himself a learned man. He took it upon himself to teach the people, especially the children. His greatest contribution was translating part of the Bible into English.

Inside the Mind of Bede himself

“No one in this life is so wise that his own wisdom cannot increase.”

-Bede

Shambles Ghost Walk

Scared Out of My Pants

It’s funny because York stays busy at night because of the many ghost hunts, walks, and tours around the old city. We chose to do the shambles ghost walk because we knew those buildings were the oldest in the city. Our ghost walk guide was a funny guy. He cracked more jokes than scary stories. He told us a story about a young girl that was locked in her home to die by her parents because she had been infected with the Black Plague. It was really sad because he said that one was a true story. The other stories were of murdered children that were put into meat pies, and haunting ghosts of Roman warriors. York is an old, eerie city that has a past so a lot of us were scared just roaming the shambles late at night. 

Yorkshire Museums

We had a fun day exploring the many museums of York. The Yorkshire Museum was really neat because it showed the evolution of the city starting at prehistoric times, to Roman times, to the medieval period, all the way to present day York. The museum was really interactive making things more interesting. The Castle Museum also did the same thing with different exhibits. This museum was kind of creepy because the building was used as a prison from 1718 until 1900 and then transformed into the museum. Some of the original cells are a part of the museum.

Typical 1960's Advertisement

Look the Part of a House Wife?

One of the coolest parts was the exhibit on the 1950’s and 60’s. A lot of the things that were represented reminded me of the same things that were going on in the U.S. Some of the highlights were the missions to space, the Beatles, Peace, Love, and the good old Hoover vacuum. I was dying because they had an entire exhibit on the housewife of the 60’s.  

York Minster

In the 14^th century York and London were the two capitals of Rome. York Minster took 215 years to build. Outside of the cathedral there is a statue of Constantine, the Roman Emperor who wanted Christianity to be spread. The cathedral was built with large vivid stain glass windows that all had the same theme of martyrdom. In those days people were illiterate so the shock factor of martyrdom was more relatable to them. When I sat down and looked at them I was sort of frightened. I saw pictures of the gaping jaws of hell, men being grilled alive, stones, crucified etc…

English School Children

When I came out of the cathedral doors during the afternoon I saw a group of school kids that were visiting York Minster for a field trip. I was dying over their adorable school uniforms; the little boys wearing their ties and blazers and the little girls with their skirts and tights.

We attended the evensong service that was held at York Minster the evening. The choir’s always consist of 13-year-old boys that are selected out of hundreds for their musical abilities. They attend school together at the monastery and study music within their religious education. York Minster now allows little girls at the age of 13 to join the choir as well. The music was beautiful. I couldn’t believe that it was young children singing, they sounded like a choir of grown women.  

York

One of the finest cities in Europe, York has buildings and architectural details spanning every age from Roman times up to the present day. History is brought to life in many ways in the city- the sights and smells of Viking times have been recreated, unsurpassed medieval stained glass flickers and glows in the Minster and many of the churches, and shoppers walk along medieval streets to buy goods in Tudor, Georgian, and Victorian shops. 

Herding Cows through the Streets?

As we were driving through the English country side we approached something that would never be seen in the metropolitan city of London. The coach came to a halt and waited for a few minutes while local herders moved their cows from one field to the next. It was like we had never seen livestock. The bus went crazy and was  more intrigued by the animals out the window than the monumental buildings we were going to see. This also happened when we drove past herds of sheep. Commical. 

Chatsworth

Garden Shrubery

Chatsworth Estate

It was like a taste of fall as we drove up to the Chatsworth Estate. All of the leaves were changing colors to the cool tones of autumn. Surrounding the estate is 200 acres of care taken gardens lined with fountains, statues, and cobblestone paths. The Chatsworth Estate is the grandest country house in all of England. It has 170 rooms in the entire house and only 60 of them are open to the public on a daily basis. The Duke and his wife live in the ridiculously majestic home, just the two of them. I loved roaming the mansion and gardens, just in awe the entire time.  

Great Dining Hall

The Great Dining Room was one of my favorite rooms. In the 1900’s wealthy families hosted elaborate and expensive house parties, lasting for several days. This dining hall was infamous for accommodating meals to large crowds. The china that was set on the table was in the exact same formation and design as it was when the Queen Elizabeth was over for dinner. This particular dining hall alone had six paintings of family members done by Van Eyck, but none of the paintings are labeled for the security of their worth.  

One  of the grooming rooms of the house had some costumes to show the traditional dress from past centuries. I felt like I was eight years old again playing dress-ups with the old vintage clothing. I have always loved dressing up, so I was in heaven. There were some really funny wigs that we all took turns trying on and laughing at how ridiculous we looked. It was great fun.     

The library hall is one of the rooms that is frequently used by the Duke and Dutchess. The guide told us that the night before they had the U.S. Ambassador over for dinner and after they had conversation in the library hall. The curtains were drawn for him and that rarely happens. The carpets in this particular room were special ordered from the Middle East to directly mirror the ceiling designs.

Fun Fact about Chatsworth:

The Kira Knightly film, Pride and Prejudice, has a scene that was filmed here at Chatsworth. It is Mr. Darsey’s family Estate in the movie.

Northern England

I had been looking forward to traveling to other locations in England, so when the north trip finally came around I was ecstatic. Getting outside of the fast paced city of London for a week to roam the countryside sounded refreshing. I felt like this trip to the North was like a second fall break (second to our trip to Paris). People that live here in England say that the northern and southern parts of the country are completely different. The north and south are so different that the British people have different accents; the northern accents being the more heavier and harder to understand. Our journey started in London and traveled north hitting Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Newcastle upon Tyne, Carlisle, and descended back south to Carlisle, Ambleside & Grasmere, Lancaster, Preston, and Liverpool. 

Roman Baths

Roman Baths

The Roman Baths consisted of the sacred spring, the roman temple and the roman bathhouse. The water that comes into these baths is similar to a natural hot spring (hot pot). The Romans would bath and socialize in the spa like environment. Today that water is so contaminated that if you touched it and then put your fingers in your mouth you would for sure get sick.

The Georgian Pump Room was built centuries later continuing the name of the most fashionable spa in the country. The pump room was a place where visitors gathered to taste the waters and to meet each other. Jane Austen so eloquently described this social scene in Northanger Abbey. When we were there we drank the waters of the Bath. I am not sure where they get the waters from, but there must still be a natural spring that is not contaminated like the Roman Baths just outside the Pump room. 

Stourhead

Stourhead Gardens

Stourhead is one of the finest 18^th Century gardens. It is centered with a lake and is surrounded with classical temples, bridges, grottoes, sculptures, monuments and rare types of trees and plants. Our visit to Stourhead gardens was largely in part to the recent Pride and Prejudice film. Stourhead is the location of the proposal scene that happens in the movie. Standing on top of the Temple of Apollo and looking out over the gardens I understood why they chose such a stunning landscape for an important movie scene. 

Glastonbury

Glastonbury Abbey

La Tor

Glastonbury Abbey is traditionally the earliest Christian sanctuary in Britain. Through the sequence of time, 3 stone Abbey churches have stood on the very same ground one after another. The first Christian structure was built some time in 1184. All that is left today are the ruins that remain from the most recent structure in 1539. Thanks to King Henry VIII and his streak of destruction, formally called “dissolution” monasteries of the time were destroyed like this one or given to alternative purposes. It is said that King Arthur and his wife Guinevere were buried under the ground of Glastonbury Abbey making it a place of pilgrimage.

While in Glastonbury we hiked up to the holy hill, La Tor. On top of the hill is a tower of some sort that appears to be an ancient temple of some kind. The view was breathtaking.

My Visitor In London

Big Ben

On top of St. Paul's Cathedral 

Westminster Abbey

My conference weekend was made a thousand times better than I ever thought it would have been! I had a visitor come in town from back home. Danny was sweet enough to take an entire weekend to fly out and spend some time together. It was a delight to be with him and take him around London. :-)

Shakespeare

Typical Cottage in Shakespearean Age

crypt of William Shakespeare

at The Shakespeare Globe Theatre in London

The last week of November was a week of William Shakespeare at the center. In preparation for our visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare, we took a night to see a Shakespearean play at the one and only Globe Theatre in London. Shakespeare himself used the Globe Theatre back in his day of theatre production. The show that we saw was Merry Wives of Windsor. We stood on our feet the entire show, but it was so intriguing and entertaining that I didn’t mind. Shakespeare was not only a smart guy, but he was a clever man that loved getting a reaction out of the audience. Keeping up with the Shakespearean language was a bit difficult at times. I thought it was funny that they’d say things like, “I pray thee to come with me” etc..

The afternoon spent in Stratford-Upon-Avon was an interesting one. It was amusing to learn about Shakespeare’s life and see the different things that shaped him into the person that he became. One thing I found really interesting was that when Shakespeare was a young boy there were many superstitions in his home. His mother dressed him in a little green dress as a baby and toddler. The reasoning for this was because the devil sought after the souls and salvation of the little boys more than the little girls. To protect William she dressed him in a dress to try and fool the devil. It’s kind of ridiculous to think people believed all of the small superstitions. 

We visited the Holy Trinity Church that Shakespeare grew up attending. He is now buried in that church. The neat thing about this church was that it had the first King James Bible in a case from 1611. 

In Remembrance of World War I

WWI Monument

Along the journey from Amiens back to the France boarding dock at the coast, we stopped at a few Great War sights. I think I’m speaking for everyone in saying the visits to the World War I sites at Albert, La Boisselle, Beaumont-Hamel, Thiepval, and Serre were sentimental and touching.

We stopped at a few memorial sights of both graves and monuments. In one of the battles that lasted one day 60,000 men died. That is about how many LDS missionaries are serving in the entire world right now. There was a monument erected with the names of the 60,000 men on it. I searched through the memorial registry documentation and found 7 Whitworths. I am not sure if any of them are in my direct ancestry, but I was interested and surprised to see my surname (last name) on the wall of the large monument. At one of the grave sights we were given a cross with a poppy flower on it to place in the soil next to a head stone we connected with to show respect. I chose a headstone of a man that died at my age (20 years). On his headstone it said something interesting: “He saved others himself he could not save”. It was really thought provoking in relation to the Savior and this mans great work on earth. Rudyard Kipling (English Poet) designed the inscriptions on the headstones of unidentified men. They all say “Unknown Soldiers, Known Unto God.” 

Perfectly organized crosses over the soil where
bodies lie mixed and mangled twenty feet under.

"Known Unto God" --Rudyard Kipling

Amiens

Small town of Amiens, France

After a few days in Paris we traveled out of the city to experience the small town France. We stayed in a quaint little town called Amiens. The third Notre Dame cathedral is housed in the center of the town and brings tourists to the location. (The other claim to fame for Amiens is the invention of the macaroon cookie). I was really lucky to have a view of the Amiens cathedral right out my window. When we arrived the first evening I just stood against the railing of my hotel balcony and starred at the cathedral as the bells were chiming. It was lovely.

On a normal night in the summer time as soon as the sun sets and it gets dark the people of the town put on a light show. The original colors that were painted on the cathedral when it was built project up onto the white stone building appearing to the audience with full color. We thought that the projection show would still be going, but it had ended a few weeks before. We saw some pictures of the lit up cathedral and that seemed to be just fine. After experiencing both the city of Paris and small town of Amiens I think that all travelers to France need to experience both.

Notre Dame Amiens

Opera Garnier

The Garnier Opera House, a great landmark of Paris, has been entertaining the people of France for over a hundred years. I was excited to see this architectural wonder because I had heard that it was the place that contributed to the inspiration of The Phantom of the Opera. I was trying to cut down on the spending in Paris and almost forwent the interior tour of the opera house. When I went inside I saw videos of ballets, shows, and operas that are performed on the infamous stage. I was sold and knew that I had to take a tour. Looking back on it now, I am so glad that I didn’t miss out on such a stunning concert hall. It was the most glamorous concert hall that I have ever seen. I can only imagine how it would be to see an opera or ballet perform on the stage of the 2,200 seat auditorium.

As one of the girls and I waited in line to purchase a ticket, we made friends with a fellow international student. She was from Germany and spoke English very well. After we all got our tickets she asked if she could go with us through the opera house. We talked and laughed together as we walked through the opera house. I learned that she was studying Interior architecture (Interior Design equivalent) as her master’s degree. She was explaining how in Germany they just changed educational rules and you can only get a master’s degree in the same field of study that your undergraduate was in. Her and I both talked about how that is very limiting on your education and it seems logical for them to want a well-rounded student rather than a one area specific education. Anyway she was explaining to me how necessary it is to get a master’s degree for any type of employment these days. She told me about all of her friends that are now working in large cities like New York, London, Paris, and Beijing. It was fun to get to know her and answer all of her questions about me. Before she left she asked a stranger to take a picture for her of her new American friends. I had him take one with my camera as well.

Friend from Germany

Interior Concert Hall

Musee Rodin

This museum was unique because the location of the displayed art was a beautiful home and fabulous surrounding gardens. I appreciate painting and artwork on canvas, but there is something special about sculpture that I appreciate. Creating the 3D form of anything takes a lot of skill and difficulty in my mind.  The entire museum was to showcase the work of Auguste Rodin (my favorite sculptor). I can’t identify many sculptures, but I enjoy his subjects of work. 

The Waltz

One of my favorite Rodin pieces of mine is, The Waltz. The couple dancing together in true love and tenderness. It’s very romantic and was intended to be that way. Rodin has many other sculptures that show the passion and burning love between man and women. I find them very moving and emotion provoking.  

The Thinker

The most identifiable sculpture of Rodin’s is The Thinker (or The Thinking Man). It’s a great depiction of a man in deep thought. I like the intellectual side of Rodin that shows through in this specific sculpture. This sculpture was originally called the poet and was going to be a man thinking of his next composition. The current name later developed as it changed function and location.

Food in France

Baguette for Lunch

The great thing about traveling is that you can allow yourself to eat whatever you’d like because it’s considered a part of the cultural experience. Besides you must enjoy all aspects of exploration. In France, it is definitely a part of the experience and I did not hold back.

The bread in France was delightful. The corner bakeries and cafes all have little sandwiches called baguettes. We figured that the term came because they place them in bags for you to eat. I was in love and had one each day for lunch. We couldn’t leave France with out eating a croissant. Before we left the country we all bought bags hoping to save some for later. My intent was good to save one for later, but I couldn’t help myself and they were gone in a few minutes. They seemed to melt in my mouth, that’s how wonderful they tasted.

The little town of Amiens that we stayed in for a couple of days was the place where macaroon cookies were invented. They are a different taste than the macaroon cookies I am used to, but they were delicious. 

My Crepe: Honey Almond
Lisa & Olivia's Crepe: Nutella, Banana, and Ice Cream

The final thing that France provided to our food success was the Crepes. creperies were to be found all over Paris. They weren’t just average crepes that you could find anywhere. They were thick, flavorful, sweet tasting crepes. I would order a Nutella & banana/strawberries or a honey and almond crepe. Both were delectable. To sum up this post, I was pleasantly satisfied with the cultural experience of food in France.