We have a had wonderful two days with pastor friends in Starup, Denmark. Google the Starup Kirke to see beautiful pictures of this thousand year-old church.
Today we are off to Luther/Bach land, and I am uncertain what internet access we have in the flat we've booked, but will find it somewhere!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
More Bruges
This is about driving. Great between cities, difficult within. In Bruges, there was a convenient, secure underground parking lot with the entrance right in front of our hotel. (By the way, our hotel was 't Zand - eurostark inside (lots of white and steel) but very comfortable with a great location.) We left the car in the garage for three days! When we were leaving today, we had to get ourselves turned around right after we left the parking garage. Now Bruges has these cool bicycle-only lanes all over the place, including having there own stoplights with little bicycles on the lights! Our illustrious bike-riding Seattle mayor would love it.
So when we went got turned around and ready to head back on the road in the right direction, we thought we were getting into a right-turn lane, but it was the bicycle lane! There were two women on the street who spoke no English - only Flemish - who thought this was hilarious! The other car drivers on the road were very understanding and let Larry back up and get into the car lane.
So when we went got turned around and ready to head back on the road in the right direction, we thought we were getting into a right-turn lane, but it was the bicycle lane! There were two women on the street who spoke no English - only Flemish - who thought this was hilarious! The other car drivers on the road were very understanding and let Larry back up and get into the car lane.
Germany... and Larry's Restaurants!
We have found a wonderful hotel in the little town of Nümbrecht, Germany. The town is in the area from whence Larry's maternal grandfather's family came. We actually found it, following the process we have dubbed "circling the drain." (The same process was applied in Coventry, Coleshill, Portsmouth, and Coventry.) And we had a wonderful dinner in a little old place that is the local pfannkuchen haus - pancake house. Beautiful savory pancakes with various toppings and fillings. Larry had smoked trout with horseradish and cranberries, and I had the local Bergische special - minced beef with herbs, mushrooms. Both were delicious, and we shared a wonderful corn saladwith it. Perfect in every regard. Here is Larry at the Pfannkuchen Haus in Nümbrecht:
Bruges was truly wonderful. We enjoyed walking the city along the canals, and seeing museums and all the sights. The cathedral (well, one of them) had an amazing Stations of the Cross - all photographs of contemporary subjects. Very moving.
We also found a restaurant we liked very much indeed. Excellent cooking, small, quiet, more than pleasant! We ate there twice! It's called De Peppermölen (The Peppermill). If you are ever in Bruges, don't miss it! Here is Larry in front of the De Peppermölen:
We leave from here tomorrow to head north, probably to Hamburg. Then on Saturday we go to Denmark to see friends who are pastors in the little Jutland town of Starup. Well, one is there - the other on the cathedral staff in Hadeslev. In closing, here is one of Larry's night pictures from Bruges:
Bruges was truly wonderful. We enjoyed walking the city along the canals, and seeing museums and all the sights. The cathedral (well, one of them) had an amazing Stations of the Cross - all photographs of contemporary subjects. Very moving.
We also found a restaurant we liked very much indeed. Excellent cooking, small, quiet, more than pleasant! We ate there twice! It's called De Peppermölen (The Peppermill). If you are ever in Bruges, don't miss it! Here is Larry in front of the De Peppermölen:
We leave from here tomorrow to head north, probably to Hamburg. Then on Saturday we go to Denmark to see friends who are pastors in the little Jutland town of Starup. Well, one is there - the other on the cathedral staff in Hadeslev. In closing, here is one of Larry's night pictures from Bruges:
Bruges and Onward!
We've had some internet access limits over the last couple days. We just spent three nights in Bruges, which is wonderful. If you ever have opportunity to come here, do it! I can post some pictures another day. It is a wonderful small city with great sights, friendly, hospitable people, and terrific food! We used it as a base, traveling by train to Brussels yesterday to see the Comic Strip Museum - and a lot of Tin Tin!d
Today we're headed east into Germany to find Stranzenbach, the home origin of Larry's maternal grandfather who was named - ta-da!- Stranzenback! That was Larry's mom's maiden name.
So - more to follow, with pictures! Hope I can get online tonight.
Today we're headed east into Germany to find Stranzenbach, the home origin of Larry's maternal grandfather who was named - ta-da!- Stranzenback! That was Larry's mom's maiden name.
So - more to follow, with pictures! Hope I can get online tonight.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Whizzing through England
The morning we left Ilmington was beautiful. We went for a walk after breakfast, and enjoyed seeing the church and having a lovely conversation with a man out walking dogs. He told us details about The Apple Tapestry in the church that had been made by people in the parish about 10 years ago to highlight how the area had once been full of apple orchards. The man with whom we spoke, David Greenwood, is a calligrapher. He was responsible for putting the names of the 89 apple varieties around the edge. Here's Larry's picture of The Apple Tapestry:
From Ilmighton we drove to Gloucester and thoroughly enjoyed visiting that beautiful cathedral. We were especially enjoyed the tile work in the chancel, or presbytery. You can see good pictures of the biblical scenes therein on the Gloucester Cathedral website: www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk. Click on the Virtual Tour link on the left side and look for "Presbytery."
From Gloucester we went to Portsmouth. On the way we stopped in the little Village of Down Ampney. This is the birthplace of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and he named his beautiful hymn tune to "Come Down, O Love Divine" after this village of his birth. That is my favorite hymn, and it was lovely to visit this simple church.
After a difficult time finding our B and B in Portsmouth (it turned out we were one block away when we thought we were lost!) we had a great Indian meal. On Saturday we headed out into a beautiful day to go see the HMS Victory. It was really cool - much bigger than I had expected, although Larry was well acquainted with the dimensions. It is almost holy ground in England, with a brass plaque on the deck in the exact spot where Nelson died. Kind of reminded me of visiting the Alamo. Here's a picture of the Victory:
We had a wonderful time walking all over Old Portsmouth - lots of walking! - and saw many interesting things. We ended the day with a great meal in a Turkish restaurant.
Today we went east from Portsmouth en route to Canterbury. We stopped at Sissinghurst Castle to see the famous gardens begun by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in the 19030's. It was beautiful even in its winter-spring plainness. We would love to see it in full bloom.
Our day ended with our arrival in Canterbury, with the attendant difficulties of finding anything in a car in the these ancient towns! But we finally figured out how to get into the Cathedral Close where we are staying at the Canterbury Cathedral lodge. It is right next to the Cathedral in the Close, and tonight we have a beautiful view of the lit majesty of this awesome structure. We attended a rather tedious Evensong which included the installation ("collation" they say) for the Archdeacon of a new area of the Diocese. It was rather powerful to see a bishop sitting in his chair in that place that has seen bishops (and archbishops) come and go since the 6th century! We found Larry's putative ancestor, Archbishop of Canterbury John Moore, in the carved wall of the cathedral. And we joined our daughter-in-law Sarah Murdoch who arrived today in England to research Rick Steve's Great Britain. She arranged to begin her journey in Canterbury so we could all meet up. After a tour of the cathedral we had a very good dinner. It was a lot of fun to be together! Here we are in the cloisters of the cathedral:
Across the Channel tomorrow!
From Ilmighton we drove to Gloucester and thoroughly enjoyed visiting that beautiful cathedral. We were especially enjoyed the tile work in the chancel, or presbytery. You can see good pictures of the biblical scenes therein on the Gloucester Cathedral website: www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk. Click on the Virtual Tour link on the left side and look for "Presbytery."
From Gloucester we went to Portsmouth. On the way we stopped in the little Village of Down Ampney. This is the birthplace of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and he named his beautiful hymn tune to "Come Down, O Love Divine" after this village of his birth. That is my favorite hymn, and it was lovely to visit this simple church.
After a difficult time finding our B and B in Portsmouth (it turned out we were one block away when we thought we were lost!) we had a great Indian meal. On Saturday we headed out into a beautiful day to go see the HMS Victory. It was really cool - much bigger than I had expected, although Larry was well acquainted with the dimensions. It is almost holy ground in England, with a brass plaque on the deck in the exact spot where Nelson died. Kind of reminded me of visiting the Alamo. Here's a picture of the Victory:
We had a wonderful time walking all over Old Portsmouth - lots of walking! - and saw many interesting things. We ended the day with a great meal in a Turkish restaurant.Today we went east from Portsmouth en route to Canterbury. We stopped at Sissinghurst Castle to see the famous gardens begun by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in the 19030's. It was beautiful even in its winter-spring plainness. We would love to see it in full bloom.
Our day ended with our arrival in Canterbury, with the attendant difficulties of finding anything in a car in the these ancient towns! But we finally figured out how to get into the Cathedral Close where we are staying at the Canterbury Cathedral lodge. It is right next to the Cathedral in the Close, and tonight we have a beautiful view of the lit majesty of this awesome structure. We attended a rather tedious Evensong which included the installation ("collation" they say) for the Archdeacon of a new area of the Diocese. It was rather powerful to see a bishop sitting in his chair in that place that has seen bishops (and archbishops) come and go since the 6th century! We found Larry's putative ancestor, Archbishop of Canterbury John Moore, in the carved wall of the cathedral. And we joined our daughter-in-law Sarah Murdoch who arrived today in England to research Rick Steve's Great Britain. She arranged to begin her journey in Canterbury so we could all meet up. After a tour of the cathedral we had a very good dinner. It was a lot of fun to be together! Here we are in the cloisters of the cathedral:
Across the Channel tomorrow!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Ilmington and Coventry
There were a couple small internet glitches yesterday, so I post today. We arrived well in London and got our car, which seems to be just fine. We got ourselves to Ilmington without too many snags, and have a wonderful room at The Howard Arms. We've had good dinners both nights, and as I write we are finishing a bottle of wine in front of the fire!
Today we visited Coventry Cathedral, among other things. It was an amazing site to see. It was bombed in 1940, and they decided to leave the bombed-out shell and make it a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is very powerful, especially paired with the new cathedral attached to it. There is truly beautiful and powerful art there, from the stained glass windows to the side pieces and gorgeous tapestry as a reredos curtain. Here are a couple pictures - the first is the bombed out old cathedral, the second is the high altar with the reredos tapestry and the nail cross made in silver. The nail cross was first done of burned timbers after the bombing by a cathedral worker, and it has become the symbol of the cathedral.
After Canterbury, we headed for Coleshill (pronounced Colezull) east of Birmingham. One set of Larry's ancestors came from there. We were very successful in our searches, especially with the help of the local librarians. Let's hear it for libraries! Woo-hoo!
On our way back to Ilmington, we tried again (one try in the morning) to find the little village of Winderton! We had seen it on the map, and found one road sign. But the village itself eluded us, although we think we drove through it once - three houses! But the name was good, and we did take a picture of the road sign!
Tomorrow we head for Gloucester on more Larry ancestor pursuits, and then to Portsmouth for two nights. It is lovely here in England. The climate is much like Seattle, but being farther north the days are longer. And their daffodils are already blooming!
Here's a picture of the Howard Arms:
Today we visited Coventry Cathedral, among other things. It was an amazing site to see. It was bombed in 1940, and they decided to leave the bombed-out shell and make it a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is very powerful, especially paired with the new cathedral attached to it. There is truly beautiful and powerful art there, from the stained glass windows to the side pieces and gorgeous tapestry as a reredos curtain. Here are a couple pictures - the first is the bombed out old cathedral, the second is the high altar with the reredos tapestry and the nail cross made in silver. The nail cross was first done of burned timbers after the bombing by a cathedral worker, and it has become the symbol of the cathedral.
After Canterbury, we headed for Coleshill (pronounced Colezull) east of Birmingham. One set of Larry's ancestors came from there. We were very successful in our searches, especially with the help of the local librarians. Let's hear it for libraries! Woo-hoo!
On our way back to Ilmington, we tried again (one try in the morning) to find the little village of Winderton! We had seen it on the map, and found one road sign. But the village itself eluded us, although we think we drove through it once - three houses! But the name was good, and we did take a picture of the road sign!
Tomorrow we head for Gloucester on more Larry ancestor pursuits, and then to Portsmouth for two nights. It is lovely here in England. The climate is much like Seattle, but being farther north the days are longer. And their daffodils are already blooming!
Here's a picture of the Howard Arms:
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Europe, 2011
I'm going to try and do this with some consistency. I've said it before, but you never know when it might actually take! We're at Sea-Tac Airport waiting for our flight to London to begin a two-month trip in Europe. It will take us from England to Belgium to Germany to Denmark, Hungary, Italy, France, and points in between all those.
I've been thinking the last few days about why people write about travel. The British and the Germans really started the trend in the 19th century and greatly increased the yen to travel in others. But, when you think of it, the main story of the Old Testament is a travel narrative, from Abraham's journey through the wilderness wanderings. And much of the rest of the OT is commentary on that travel. When we move into new territory we start seeing and thinking differently. It may that the travel narrative helps us focus that sight and those thoughts.
So here is a more back-at-home piece. I'm currently reading Driftless by David Rhodes and it is a wonderful novel. These people in Words, Wisconsin are like a new community of friends, making their way through hazard and hope and finding new ways of being from old Amish ways to the perils of modern farming. It's not just about the Amish - in fact, they are like a background piece in the story - but it is about how a small community finds its way in the 21st century. I can't recommend it more highly. Get the book and meet Winifred the pastor, and Grahm and July the farmers, Gail the aspiring country singer, the widower Jacob, the annoyingly real Maxine, and many more. It is a great read! I hope to finish it on the plan ride tonight.
Blessings for the day wherever you own travels take you, near and far.
I've been thinking the last few days about why people write about travel. The British and the Germans really started the trend in the 19th century and greatly increased the yen to travel in others. But, when you think of it, the main story of the Old Testament is a travel narrative, from Abraham's journey through the wilderness wanderings. And much of the rest of the OT is commentary on that travel. When we move into new territory we start seeing and thinking differently. It may that the travel narrative helps us focus that sight and those thoughts.
So here is a more back-at-home piece. I'm currently reading Driftless by David Rhodes and it is a wonderful novel. These people in Words, Wisconsin are like a new community of friends, making their way through hazard and hope and finding new ways of being from old Amish ways to the perils of modern farming. It's not just about the Amish - in fact, they are like a background piece in the story - but it is about how a small community finds its way in the 21st century. I can't recommend it more highly. Get the book and meet Winifred the pastor, and Grahm and July the farmers, Gail the aspiring country singer, the widower Jacob, the annoyingly real Maxine, and many more. It is a great read! I hope to finish it on the plan ride tonight.
Blessings for the day wherever you own travels take you, near and far.
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