Recuperating from the travel day seems to be getting harder and harder so today got off to a slow start. Clark got coffee going for everyone and we all seemed to lounge around for a while. Margaret, Clark and I went back to the grocery store to get some paper product and ended up with more bread,cheese and meat. I bought the prosciutto from the deli counter and he just sliced me about 8 pieces and packed it up. Not sure if that was the usual amount but didn’t question it. The price was 26 euro per kilo so I knew it wouldn’t be too much. Turns out it wasn’t even 1 euro. Had I known that I would have asked for way more.

We did put out a little bread and cheese for a breakfast snack but didn’t eat too much because our first stop of the day was an Italian panini. We headed out to the popular one that everyone talks about and is all over instagram. It was about 11:15 when we arrived and the line was already too long. We decided not to wait and went down the street a little ways to another option. Kelle and Jeff had eaten there before so we knew it was good. The sandwiches were delicious. The bread was crunchy but not hard, mine had a truffle spread which went well with the prosciutto and cheese. I am glad we didn’t wait.

After the sandwiches we headed for gelato. We were in the Santa Croce area so my favorite from my solo trip was around the corner. It did not disappoint. The chocolate was fabulous. It was dark but not too dark and so creamy. I will definitely be back for another before we leave Florence.

There was a small little church we hopped into after we finished our gelato that was worth the quick view. The ceiling reminded me of the Tudor ceilings I see in England. It was built about the same time so I guess ideas and styles crossed the seas.

From this church we headed to Santa Croce. It is not big enough to be overwhelming but has a few things that make it worth the entrance fee. Both Michelangelo and Dante are buried there. They claim to have a piece of the cross and Francis of Assisi’s robe. Also among their relics is Saint Umiliana. Most of her bones are there but her skull is somewhere else. Among the art they have a Donatello plaque monument and the glazed terra cottas in the chapel. The courtyard is very peaceful and we had beautiful weather while we were there which really showed it off to its best.

From the church we headed across the Arno to a wine shop. However we paused for a cocktail at a rooftop bar long the way too windy to sit outside but the view through the picture windows was still lovely.

We crossed the Arno by way of the Ponto Vechio shopping all the way. I bought a David charm but otherwise we did not invest in Italian gold.

Surprisingly or not the wine store also had some seats so we had another couple of bottles while Jeff perused the store. By this time we were all a bit tipsy and ended up buying several additional bottles. One because it was a pretty pink color and some prosecco that was on sale. Margaret also got a bottle of limoncello so that we could make spritzes.

The long walk back to the place with the bottles was almost enough to do us in but we passed several restaurants so we knew we could get food without much effort. We ended up picking the closest option and it was delicious and the waiter was very fun so we had a great time. Everyone loved their selection and we passed around so most of us tried others and were happy enough to do it again if we needed to.

A good day that ended with more wine and stories at the apartment.

Many of you know I planned to retire in January but that that didn’t happen, for reasons I am still trying to figure out. Anyway I didn’t change my Italy vacation plans. So I have 3 full weeks in Italy with Kelle, Jeff, Margaret, Clark, Faye and Bob and this is day one.

Or really this is day 2, day one was nothing but flights so I am not really counting that. However, the media had us all believing that the airports were a nightmare so we all got to the airport hours early but there were no lines so it was nothing but waiting around. We did get to wait in the admirals lounges so it wasnt actually too bad.

I started the day with Faye and Bob at the Austin airport. Two mimosas and a few hours later I headed off to DFW and they went to Philly. At DFW I met up with Kelle and Jeff in the very fancy flagship lounge. We had a bite to eat a glass of champagne and an Aperol spritz to kick off our Italian vacation.

The whole group met up in London before flying on to Florence. Sadly only Faye and Bob figured out how to use the lounge so the rest of us just mingled with the masses waiting for our flight gate number. Heathrow is an odd airport. It has some good shopping, food leaves a lot to be desired and everyone waits in one central area before heading to a gate right before boarding. I don’t know why they cram everyone into one area and leave multiple floors pretty vacant. But we eventually all met up at the gate and headed off on the last leg together.

The Florence airport is tiny. The pilot warned us that the runway was short and it would be a fast break event but I was not prepared for exactly what that meant. One minute you are in the air and the next you are at a dead stop, pulling on your seatbelt and shocked that it was over. We had to wait on stairs then to get on a bus that drove us no more than 50 yards to the airport door. The plane beside us got to walk but we had to pile into the bus then wait to only exit to get in customs line. This was basically my first line of the trip and it was long and slow. They had 4 agents and only 2 working the main line. They were testing a new system and if you guinea pigged that you got to move ahead in line. But that was slow and unreliable and eventually got as many people as the other line so we just waited in the sure bet line. We finally made it through, our luggage already waiting on us so we headed out.

The tram from the airport was super easy. Very crowded but easy. For less than 2 euros you can get into town in 15 minutes. The walk to our Airbnb not so much. No matter how well I want to pack, my suitcase is still always heavy. As I sit here in my new pajamas and robe I really shouldn’t be surprised that my luggage is heavy but I am. Anyway we had to lug our luggage through the center of Florence past the Duomo to our place. The sun was out, it was hot and we were all tired but we made it.

The place is as good as its pictures. There is plenty of room to spread out. The living spaces are huge the bedrooms are good size and all but one of the bathrooms are good. Sadly one little bathroom is tiny but then that room has a tub right by the bed so you do have options. Kelle and Jeff graciously took the tub room but will likely share the shower in my luxurious master bath.

After regrouping we headed out for dinner and a few groceries. We ended up just buying snacks and wine at the grocery store and heading back to the place for a light dinner and an early night.

We didn’t see much of Florence but our trip is off to a good start and we are ready for the adventure to begin.

Saw three very different castles today. One restored and used as a family home in the last century, one complete medieval ruins and the third being used as a hotel.

First stop Bamburgh Castle. It is right on the coast and back up close to the Holy Island which we could see in the distance. It is not quite as large as Alnwick but with the outer fortifications it seems quite large.

The location has been a home for some sort of fortification since the 4th century and used by King Oswald and King Oswui both early kings on Northumbria, which we heard a lot about in the trip. They were part of the Cuthbert time period during early period of Christianity and Viking raids. Oswui was a big believer in relics and collected many during his kingship including various body parts of his brother Oswald and supposedly relics from the Apostle John and a gold cross made from the chains of Peter and Paul both of the latter gifts from Pope Vitalian around 665. The Venerable Bede wrote quite a lot about Oswui which why there is so much documentation on him and his brother.

Back to the castle, a small part of what is still there dares to 1095 and was built to defend the border from the Scottish during William the Conqueror’s time. The keep or the large square building is all that really survives from that time.

The castle was an important defense up through the 1500 and at one time held the king of Scotland as a prisoner. It was also subject to a 9 month siege by Richard Neville during the war of the roses. Richard known as the kingmaker and the Neville family were quite important during this time period and along with the Percy family pretty much controlled the north.

After the Elizabeth the castle was less important and was held by the Forester family until the 1700 and fell into ruins. The castle was sold to the Bishop of Durham whose wife was the sister to the last Forester who owned it. Unlike her brother she pushed for the repair of the castle and the bishop created a board of trustees to use the castle for local services like a hospital and school. Repairs began and the original keep was restored. It was sold to William Armstrong the owner of Cragside which now made that visit make sense. Armstrong rebuilt the great hall and other buildings that were built during the 1400.

We had a tour through the castle and you started in the newer portions and worked our way to the old keep. The castle is also the site for the TV show the Last Kingdom and there were exhibits of the costumes in the great hall.

The keep held the treasure of the castle as far as the historians believed, a part of a sword from the seventh century. The sword was found in 1960 lost for 40 years and discovered again in 2001 in a suitcase in a garage. The sword was made by 6 strands of iron welded together into the blade. It is unusual for a sword of that time period and thought to be owned by a king. Mike is sure it was King Oswald’s sword.

Castle 2 – Warkworth- built in the 12 century by King Henry II and given to Roger fitz Richard. Roger’s son Robert inherited the castle and made improvements with his backing by King John, who stayed in the castle in 1213. King Edward I stayed in 1292. So quite a lot of use for those state bedrooms that they all seem to have but never use. Edward II put resources into increasing the defenses which was a good thing. The Scot’s laid siege twice but never got in.

The Percy family got hold of the castle 1345 while they were still mere barons. They added to it as their importance grew. Eventually the Barons became Dukes and they held the castle or what is left of it until 1922 when they gave it to the Office of Works which was the precursor to the English Heritage, which oversees ruins. (The National Trust of Historic Houses does places with furnishing English Heritage does ruins.)

Needless to say the castle is in ruins and has been for centuries. However, this allowed us to see it as it was and how life went on then. The main keep was still pretty much intact. Seems a later duke restored it to use for guys weekends sometime in the 1800. So the floors, ceilings and everything in there were still good. The roof was off all of the other buildings but parts of it still stood. The keep was pretty fascinating with all these little tight staircases that led up to the second floor great hall and solars (where the Duke and his family hung out) there were stairs from the kitchen up to the buttery and the ale house up to the back of the great hall where the high table would have been located. That way they could get their wine and ale quickly. Stairs around to little hidden rooms where the bailiff and stewards worked and kept records. Pretty much every where you looked there was some little nook or cranny.

Julian walked us through with his dramatic story telling setting the scene for a day at the castle during the height of the Percy dominance. Had I walked through it in my own and read the posted descriptions of the room it would have been good but I am so glad that we Julian there to describe everything.

I generally like to see castles that are still being used today by the family and not just open for display. I like to see how they have been adapted over the years to accommodate the way we now live. However, there was something to be said about seeing something pretty much unchanged (except for deterioration due to the no roof in some places) as to how it was during the medieval era.

After touring the ruins we headed back to Maften Hall to dress for dinner and head to our final castle of the day – Langly Castle. Langley has been converted to a hotel so not much left of its original interior.

It was a great end to a great day. My 3 castle day was fantastic and everything I could have hoped for. Can’t wait to have another one.

We started our day in Alnwick Castle which is the seat of the Duke of Northumberland. They live in the castle from October through the spring and it is quite a home. It is by far the biggest enclosed castle that we have visited on this trip and is likely comparable in size to Windsor.

The castle was started in 1096 and expanded through the years. It was purchased by Henry Percy in 1309 and he made significant upgrades to improve its defenses. It is in an important location on the old north road and a big part of the border defenses. The barbican was added in 1475 which provided a more fortified way into the castle ground.

Once gunpowder became more accessible the castle is not quite as impregnable as once thought and they started falling into to disrepair. Alnwick was not taken by force but due to the changing times the family just moved around to other houses. The castles were not as comfortable as more modern manor houses so the aristocracy started leaving their castles behind.

In 1776 (an easy date to remember) George III elevates the Percy family from Earls to a Dukedom. It is at this time they restore the castle and make it a palatial home in the Italian palisade style popular at the time.

Inside the castle we were able to walk through the Victorian kitchen and several downstairs areas such as the larder and scullery. interesting but nothing compared to the state apartments. Sadly they did not allow photos in the upstairs rooms. They were completely over the top. I borrowed the pictures from the website so you could see what I mean.

The gardens were also added when the dukedom was created. The gardens were created by Capability Brown the leading garden designer of the day. He also designed the gardens at Highclere (downtown Abby), Blenheim and Chatsworth.

The gardens included water features, formal hedge gardens, a tree lined bower (which was my favorite part) and a walled flower garden. All were beautiful. There were little hidden paths and out of the way benches just begging to be used. I would have loved to had time to sit in the garden and read a book.

We also had a bit of time in town. We headed up to a great second hand bookstore which is housed in the old rail station. Sadly I already have too many books to just buy anything. I had hoped to find some wonderful first edition that I couldn’t live without or worthy of the space in my luggage but no such luck. I did enjoy looking nonetheless.

We didn’t do well managing our time and grabbed sandwiches at Greggs again. Super easy to grab and go but I do wish they were just a bit better.

From Alnwick we headed to Cragside, which was the most unusual stop on the trip. Cragside is a late 19th century house built by Lord William Armstrong and it is billed as England’s original smart home. Julien referred to Armstrong as an international arms dealer but he was an engineer who worked with hydraulic lifts (including the one used by the Tower Bridge in London) and ship building and cannon making. Several of his ships were still in use by the Japanese during WWII.

The house is built into a cliff hence the name and weirdly set up. So again an odd stop for an Alison Weir tour. It did make more sense after touring Bamburg Castle the next day which was bought, restored, repaired and updated by the Armstrong family.

The grounds were more impressive than the house. A stream ran through it and the grounds were lined with rock steps up and down from the stream. They were not easy trails but they were nice and secluded. I have never worked so hard to visit formal gardens at any other estate. You went down to the stream from the house and then back up and up and up the other side to the gardens. I was very glad they were worth it or I would have been completely disappointed with our Cragside stop. The gardens were lovely with both well laid out floral designs and then areas with just hodgepodge flowers. Well worth the effort. We voided the up and down by walking along the road.

After Cragside we headed back to the hotel for a buffet dinner, historian debate and our end of trip quiz. The historians debated who was the best monarch of England. Julian put in a good argument for William the Conquerer, however Tracy had talked about the harrowing of the north in which William killed thousands in revenge for how they fought against him becoming king. Mike did a good job for his king but sadly I can’t remember who he was but he championed the common man. Nicola had Edward IV and even threw out how hot the actor playing him in the White Queen trying to drum up support for her efforts. Alison took it very serious and read several pages of notes on all the good things about Henry VIII. Sarah had Elizabeth and in a group of women that was a sure thing. Mike had bribed some from him table to vote for him. I voted for Nicola out of solidarity for our shared love and of Margaret Beaufort even though she had nothing to do with Edward IV. However, Sarah of course won by a landslide championing Queen Elizabeth.

The group of five at my table did well on the quiz (embarrassingly we forgot about the Neville family) and came in 2nd. Just missing out on the prizes by two questions. I am pretty sure I listen to all the talks but I think I might nap more than I think. Win or lose the quiz is good fun.

Today we had to start out early to make the tide so we could drive across to Holy island. This is where St. Cuthbert and St. Aidan brought Christianity to England. As Julian says Cuthbert gets more of the credit but he was basically a hermit who dealt with the administration of the abbey where Aidan did the outreach. But Cuthbert has been the hero for centuries and likely no changing it now.

It was a long drive but we had several talks both about life Lindisfarne Priory and Flodden field which is a later stop this afternoon.

Our first stop once on the island was the Priory. Of course it is in ruins like every other priory/ monastery or convent in England (unless converted to the local church like in Hexham). The church was right next door so I guess they didn’t need another one. This priory was set up for pilgrimages so it had a large outer vault great hall that was used before entering the refectory. There are also some design styles that are repeated from Durham. The zigzag pattern up the columns which I thought was strange for a church.

There is one incredible arch that still survives in the ruins that is called the rainbow arch. Not sure how it is still up but it made me a little nervous to be under it.

There was also a museum that had some of the illuminations from the gospels done by the monks at Lindisfarne but sadly no pictures. I bought a book so I might add some later.

There is also castle on the island that sets up on a large promontory. It looks quite impressive from the town but the closer you get to it,not so much. Quite impressive of how they got all the stone up there but it is just a big block. The English added defenses to it during WWII so there is really no hope for it now. We walked up to the bottom of the hill before deciding it wasn’t worth it to go any further. I do wish we had gone over to the walled garden but we missed that.

The trek up to the castle took us over the beach and through the fishing port where enterprising fishermen have turned their old boats into homes.

I did get to try some mead while we were on the island. It wasn’t bad but I prefer the gin. Sadly they were not tasting that. Rum seems to be a big alcohol in this area. The hotel served us rum punch when we arrived and the mead place also had rums out to try. I don’t associate England with rum but I guess they like it.

After we said goodbye to Lindisfarne and the holy island we headed out to The Black Bull pub for lunch. It is now me of the few thatched pups left in England. We just had simple sandwiches and a drink before walking down to Etal Castle. It to is in ruins and was a pretty simple castle to begin with. Julian gave us a bit of a tour and talked about life out in the border marches where the reivers and raiders made for a dangerous life. This castle is also close to Flodden field so it held some of the capture Scottish artillery before they could move it down to London.

The next stop was Lady Waterford Hall which is an old school where lady Waterford painting murals around the classroom. This might seem like an odd stop for this day but it was very close to a church that sets up on a hill overlooking the fields where the battle of Flodden was fought. Anyway Lady Waterford was a widow who had no children and loved to paint. She did all the murals herself and used towns people as her models. It was quite beautiful in a simple kind of way.

From here we walked up to the parish church overlooking the field. I think this church had more gravestones than I have seen at a church before. They were everywhere. There were also some stone grave markers inside the church that date to the 14/15 century.

Back on the bus to head over to the battle site. Unlike Culloden or even Bannonbrock, there is nothing at Flodden field. The English have set up nothing. Supposedly a local (a friend of Julian’s) bought an old red telephone booth and set up some flyers and explanation sheets in it. He also put up the two guide signs that we saw. But basically Flodden is just an empty field for cows, sheep or crops with a memorial statute up on the high ground. Julian walked us through the battle desribibg how King James IV felt the need to lead from the front instead of dictating safely from the back. In doing this is also meant all the nobles had to fight in the front lines. No one seemed to be trained in using the new pike weapons so they proved to be ineffectual. Although the Scots out numbered the English at least 2 to 1 they did not carry the day. Not only did King James not survive the battle but a lot of the noblemen also perished in the battle. Julian set up the scene and acted out the use of the weapons. It was lively discussion out on a path between two fields. I think we scared the sheep.

We weren’t too far off from being there on the actual date of the battle. the battle took place on September 9, 1513. King James was the last monarch of Great Britain to die in battle.

After the visit to the battle site we headed back to the hotel for a night in our own. Val and I had dinner in the casual club house restaurant. I had the fish and chips which was good but I need to remember that I can eat something other than fish and chips in England. Something makes me think when I’m in England I have to eat the fish and chips or the steak and ale pies when what I really want is a hamburger.

Also I am quite proud of myself for catching back up on my posting. Hopefully I can stay on top of it the rest of the trip.

Today we checked out of the Grand to move on closer to the England/Scotland border and our next hotel Maften Hall. Check out went smoothly and we loaded up the bus for our longest ride of the trip. Or was the longest planned of the trip but last nights return from Howard Castle was surprisingly long.

We had a few talks including Alison discussing her new book about Mary Bolyn and her children and Tracy discussing William the Conquerer’s taking control of the north. Thankfully we also had time for a long nap.

Our first stop was Hexham and the Hexham Abbey. Hexham is a nice little town with the Abbey right in the middle. The Abbey survived both Henry’s dissolution and Cromwell’s reformation. The thoughts are that it was just too far from London for anyone to make the effort to destroy the art and also the village bought the abbey and turned it into their village church and practiced Henry’s new religion.

The abbey had painted quire and knave screens. These also preached morality by showing gaming and laziness leading to hell and the devil and godly living getting you to heaven. The devils in these paintings have more a nightmare before Christmas look than real devils or monsters. Kind of sock puppet like. I did not know they had dice in the medieval time but they look just like dice today.

The church also had a crypt that we could go down into. Nothing down there but it was somewhat creepy. Also it looked like they just used odd and end stones there were carved stones in the middle of the walls that didn’t match anything around it. They also still had the night stairs that the monks would come down for night prayers. Generally when the abbeys were removed the stairs vanished during some update or another. However they survived here. We also got to sneak into the old storeroom where they held the gold and silver sacraments. What that showed was how thick the walls of the church are.

We walked around the town a bit but not too exciting. We grabbed a ham sandwich in butcher shop and ate it in the park beside the church. Other than the beginning of the trip and then Saturday we have had beautiful weather. Chilly enough for a scarf or sweater but sunny. Weather we seldom have at home.

We left Hexham for Hadrians Wall and the Chester’s Roman Fort. The wall sadly not that impressive as Julian said it is no Great Wall of china but I was quite surprised with all the building ruins in the area. The Roman’s built forts along the walls to patrol the border. Where we were was a Calvary unit. You could make out the layout of the barracks, the officer quarters the gates and the baths. You could see where the water flowed through and where the gates were placed. We did have the opportunity to sit on the wall. Which was surprisingly pretty cool.

There was also a small museum attached to the fort where basically they had pillars, markers and other statuary along with small things they had found at the site. It was all just kind of crammed in a room. It reminded me of the old natural history museum attached to Harvard but not as extensive.

After the Wall we headed to our hotel the Maften Hall. It is a beautiful country manor hotel out in the middle of nowhere. There is a nice golf course, bars and restaurants so it is a nice place for a retreat. Our room is lovely with a view of the gardens and I nice large bathroom. It will be nice to be here for a few days.

We had a nice dinner at the hotel and Tracy spoke over coffee about Thomas Cromwell. We sat with Sarah and discussed her current book and what she is working on and various other topics. It was a good night.

Today started with a lovely drive through the moors. It is hard to describe but it was beautiful. It changed from tall grass to low heather on rolling hills. I wish I had been better with pictures out the bus window. Think completely unkept nothing bright green more yellow, brown and more of a dark khaki. It doesn’t look dead like our grass but alive and moving.

We heard about royal weddings at York Minster, Whitby Abbey and Dracula (Bram Stokers set the novel at the Abbey). The drive was lovely and informative.

It was a beautiful day. No rain but being on the coast the wind was crazy and it was cold. Whitby Abbey sets up high above town right on the edge of the sea. It was a beautiful setting. I can only imagine how impressive it was when it was standing tall. Now it is a romantic ruin. Not sure when or why we have romanticized ruins but just walking through them always seems lovely. These were no exception.

The sun shining, the wind whipping and rolling waves highlighted our time at Whitby. The Whitby Abbey was built in the 7th century and became a Benedictine monastery and remained that way until the dissolution by Henry III.

There was also a small museum associated with the abbey.

After our windy time on the cliff we headed inland through Scarborough which is a lovely seaside town with some nice resorts. I will keep this in mind for future adventures. Our destination for the afternoon is Burton Agnes Hall, an Elizabethan manor house. It was built by Sir Henry Griffith between 1601-1610. It was full of carved screens, paneling and fireplaces. We had an excellent guide who pointed out all the highlights. Most of the carvings depicted moral consequences. They depicted the good and hard working going up to heaven and those who were frivolous left in hell to dance with the devil. There were also carvings of the four graces in the Queens room and the four continents. The ceilings were extravagantly carved geometric in the kings room and floral in the queens.

There is some sort of a ghost story associated with the hall. In the 16th century there were three Griffith daughters. Walking home from friend’s house one afternoon the youngest was attacked and robbed. The family found her and got her home but she did not live long. She was the homebody of the sisters and planned to live in and keep the house her entire life. Before she died she made her sisters promise to keep her body in the house and threatened them with a haunting if she did not. They agreed but then buried her in the mausoleum at the church. Legend has it that horrible things started happening soon after and the family convinced the church to allow them to dig her up and they brought her head into the house. I guess back in those times they were used to seeing severed heads in various settings and had no problem with it being displayed on the mantel. At some time later after the current family was all gone a servant girl had had enough and place the head on the garbage pile . Soon bad things started happening. They could hear wailing and slamming doors and the young servant admitted to what she did and they were able to retrieve the head and bring it back inside and all the mischief stopped. It was until some updates in the 18th century that the head was removed form sight and placed behind some paneling in the entrance hall where it remains to this day.

The current house was built beside a Norman dwelling that dates back to 1173. We had lunch in the undercroft of that building.

Tonight was our gala dinner at Castle Howard. The castle is lovely and has been used for many tv and movie productions including Brideshed Revisted, Bridgeton, and Death Comes to Pemberly. The castle was designed and started between 1699 and 1702, however, it was not completed until in 1811. It never included all the design elements from the original 1702 plans although it is still quite impressive. A fire in 1940 and destroyed the dome. It was not restored until 1962.

We arrived in the evening and snapped a few photos before the sun went down and we headed inside. The arrangement of the area we toured was quite different. The bedroom lavishly set up are occasionally used by the family or their guests so they have added the weirdest bathrooms “en suite” next door that we also walked through. I am sad my photo of one of the en suites didn’t turn out it had a cabinet commode. Which was really weird until I went to the bathroom during the meal and basically it was a wooden seat on a cabinet. Not what you expect when you are all dressed up.

The drive home was exciting with closed roads and backing a bus down narrow country lanes to turn around and try another route. We eventually made it back to York. We had to pack up to head out in the morning to our next hotel, the Maften Inn a little closer to the edge of England.

It was raining when we woke up and raining when we came in and at all times in between. I can’t remember the last time it has rained all day no matter how much I moved around. We went at least 60/75 miles back and forth and never drove out of the rain. Hood and umbrella in hand so all was okay.

First stop was Durham to see the Durham Cathedral where both St Cuthbert and the Venerable Beed are buried. The church was lovely. Julian toured us around and pointed out the highlights. Including that the bishop’s throne in Durham is several inches higher than the Pope’s in St. Peter’s.

The tomb in the church of the Neville’s and I don’t remember which Neville had all the heads chopped off during the reformation. Makes for a kind of morbid scene today. The church supposedly saved all 100 statutes from the knave screen by taking them down and hiding them but they have never been seen again. Somebody should have drawn a treasure map.

The church museum was displaying their copies of the Magna Charta including the only surviving 1216 version. They said due the how quickly they are fading this was likely to be the last time they are displayed. Glad we snuck in before they are hidden away again.

The 1225 version of the Magna Carta held by Durham Cathedral was damaged in the 1740s when a historian Christoper Hunter accidentally knocked over an ink well. It was said that he drank so much coffee (24 cups a day) that he had uncontrollable fits and ticks causing the spill. They never let him back in and changed the rules so only pencils are allowed in the rooms with any manuscripts. A little too late to save the document but makes for a good story.

Surety Barons were established to hold King John to his word in following the Magna Carta. Twenty five barons were named with 8 being from the north. If the King did not follow the agreement then the Barons were to rally and remove him and pass the country onto someone else.

We also saw some holy relics from St Cuthbert. We were not supposed to take pictures but Val did. His coffin dated to 698 was moved once or twice during the medieval era but surprisingly it was not destroyed during the reformation. It has both Viking runes and Roman letters. They opened it in 1827 when he was moved to his current resting place. I guess even Oliver Cromwell didn’t want to mess with the person who basically established christianity in England. More about him later in the trip when we visit Lindisfarne island.

After the church and the museum we wandered around Durham a bit but since it was raining it was hard to go in and out of the shops. They did have a little open market and Val and I both found some things to buy. It was also the drop off day for college students and it appears that Durham is pretty much a college town so it was pretty busy.

After Durham we headed to Raby castle the home of the Nevilles. The Neville’s lost the castle during Elizabeth’s reign when the started an uprising to establish the Catholic Church. The castle is now in the hands of the Vanes. They occasionally use the castle for events but the current Vane does not make his home there.

The castle was redone in the 1700/1800 century to make it more comfortable for “modern” living and has been updated little since then. Most of the rooms were displayed a they were probably in the late 18th early 19th centuries.

The parlor was done with silk damasks wall hangings and gold leaf on pretty much everything else. Unlike the current White House the opulence in this room was tastefully done.

The tour kitchen (not the one used today) was in the same place as the original kitchen but was updated with actual appliances. The kitchen did show how wide the walls of the castle are. In fact they cut out a walkway in the walls so that the kitchen tower could be patrolled.

The dining room was laid out with dessert service with wine glass coolers. W

The chapel was original to the medieval castle. Very small but well set up.

After Raby castle we drove down to the village Staindrop for a stop at St Mary’s Church. It was the Neville family church.

The locals also provided a nice tea and homemade scones and cakes. It was very nice.

We continued on our way back to the hotel for dinner on our own. We didn’t choose as well and it was disappointing but oh well last night was so good and tomorrow we eat at Castle Howard so that should be good.

Just one stop on the tour today then back to York for free afternoon before a dinner tonight at Bedern Hall. So this is quite an unusual day on Alison’s tours. Usually it is go, go, go. But we still started early. So up and at breakfast by 7:15.

Our only stop was Hovingham Hall the home of the Worsely family. The current house was built in 1750-1774. Again it was designed by the owner after a study of architecture on his grand tour. Having taught riding (including to King George III) he built a riding school at the front of his house. Unlike most of these large manor houses Hovingham Hall is right in the middle of its little village. The owners the 6th Baronet and his Baroness were waiting at the door to welcome us to their home. They were a lovely couple who explained all about their ancestors and the house while we had tea and cooking in their parlor. A relatively bore part of the home that better connects the old manor house to the riding school. They said they had a lot of parties in the room including the family Christmas Eve dinner since the main dining room would already be laid out for Christmas brunch.

The house also has a private cricket pitch in the front lawn which they claim is the oldest private one in England. The local team host tournaments there each year. The riding school is closed but they discovered it has excellent acoustics so they now hold concerts there. I know you are thinking barn like staves but these are made to blend in with the manor home and are made of stone. The ground is weird. It is made of tiles made out of wood. So it looks like the cut up a wood post and laid it on the ground. Made it easy for the carriages to pull through and drop off the guests.

The house had a statute collection including some Roman antiquities. They own the statute of Samson slaying the Philistines but they have loaned it out to the V&A. It is crazy the amount of art these homes have especially when they are ones that are still generally used as residence.

We took a tour of the house which had both family rooms where it was clear people live there and large rooms decorated in an older statue for show. we couldn’t take photos but I took some from the guide book so I could have them with the post.

The Duchess of Kent who recently passed was a Worsely. So they had a tribute to her in the ballroom. With lots of photos from her wedding which she held at York Minster with the reception at her home and then other photos of her throughout her life. Her funeral was just a couple of days before we visited so it was nice of them to let us come.

After the tour we did a quick walk through the garden. They had huge yew hedges that separated out portions of the garden. We didn’t have much time so we missed the canals that they had dug to give it a palladium design. Oddly enough when they dug out the canals they discovered Roman ruins. The site was once the home of a Roman villa. When we were walking through the gardens close to the house the Baroness waved to us from her sitting room before coming back out to say goodbye.

We got back to York and wondered around for a while. They were having a food festival in one of the parks so we wandered through and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading out to tour Barley Hall which we originally saw in our ghost tour. There wasn’t much too it and we went through it relatively quickly. It is funny that we are used to seeing everything in ruins so when we see something that has been fixed up to look like it would have during the medieval period it looks garish and fake. more like Disney land or a cheap renaissance fair. You don’t get the same effect if they recreate a Victorian or Edwardian room but you just can’t do it with medieval. Anyway barley hall was all done up to look like it did originally. It was a the home of the prior of St Oswald in 1360 until 1540. Sometime later it was chopped into separate dwellings and just recently discovered its medieval heritage and set up for a family friendly activity. It did have a cool floor fire pit that was found in the middle of what was the great hall/ dining room.

After that we shopped a bit more through York and then wandered through the museum gardens with the ruins for St Mary’s Abbey. It was crazy lush and beautiful. Who knew ferns could grow in England.

After the garden we headed back to the hotel to dress for dinner.

Dinner was at Bedern Hall which was just basically a great hall for the vicars choral of York Minister in 1270 until 1574. It was used for a school until the 1700s and today is a wedding and conference venue. The food was incredible. I had a cheese soufflé to start then lamb and potatoes followed by a chocolate torte. And if that wasn’t enough with tea and coffee they brought out chocolate truffle candies that just melted in your mouth and then cheese and homemade cheese crackers. I thought I was stuffed but the crackers were delicious. I wish I had taken all the left over crackers to enjoy later like while I am typing this up.

I sat by Sarah Gristwood and the dinner conversation was flowing and fun. It was a great night. more adventures tomorrow.

Today started the bus portion of the tour. We got up to have breakfast early so we could get our choice seats on the bus way in the back. Riding the bus isn’t bad. They generally give talks on the bus about where we are going, what we will see and any historical connection to the location. If that doesn’t take enough time they also talk about their latest research or their favorite topics. We had three stops today so we were moving quickly.

First stop was Fountains Abbey. Another monastic ruin but this one has qualified as a world heritage site and is the largest monastic ruins in England. It started as a set of Benedict monks who left the more partying order in York to establish a more serene order in 1132. Eventually they are admitted to the austere Cistercian order. They took vows of silence but turns out that they used forms of sign language to talk to each other so although not speaking they still did communicate. Of course again the order was dissolved by Henry VIII and fell into disrepair. Almost 500 years later the site makes for some very romantic ruins. The sun came out to make a fabulous morning for photos.

After the Abbey we headed to Markenfield Hall. A manor house first built in 1230 and crenalated 1310. It has not changed much over the years. It was once the home of sir Thomas Markenfield a friend of Richard III and who fought for Richard at Bosworth field. Surprisingly he did not lose his house for that one but forgiven as he was “serving his lord”. However later family members were on the wrong side of the religious rebellion trying to return England to Catholicism during Elizabeth’s time. The barely escaped the Rebellion of the North, lived in exile for years before being captured. They were not as lucky as Sir Thomas.

The house was given to an absentee lord who rented it out as a tenant farm and it stayed that way for years. That is the reason it survived basically unchanged for years. It was bought in 1761 by Fletcher Norton due to some distant family connection and he became the 1st

Baron Grantly. The house passed through the Nortons none of which appear to be upstanding gentlemen but the wives seemed to have made their mark. An early Lady Grantly fought for women’s right well before the suffragettes, winning rights for mothers of their infant children. Her husband had refused her access to the children and her home and even though too late for herself she worked to get the laws changed for other mothers.

The current Lady Grantly lives in the manor house today and is the one that encouraged her husband to restore the house.

We had a lovely afternoon tea provided by the Hall before traveling on the Sion Hall where we were met with Pims cups or lemonade before touring the house and gardens.

This has been one of my favorite stops of all the places we have visited with Alison. Like Layer Marney way back from the first trip the current tenant of the house gave the tour. This was more a Georgian style and decorated house with formal gardens in the back. It was built in 1912 when it was determined that the current house needed to come down and they needed to start over. The current tenant moved into the hall in 1999 and has been collecting treasures to fill it ever since. He could ramble on about any piece in the house and there were loads of items. We were just walking around priceless pieces of early Sevres and Meissen porcelain. He talked about finding things at auctions and being outbid only to then have to find them again. One piece in the dining room came from a church “down the way” when the abbot decided to sell off all the furnishings. No one bought the piece so the hall owner at that time was able to get it for pennies. He said they have asked for it back and have tried to argue that the abbot did not have authority to sell it but since he used the money for philanthropic activities (bringing Jews into England in the late 1930s) our guide felt sure he had the better position.

The gardens were formal with pathways and cut shrubs but there were some flowers and peacocks to liven it up.

On the return trip to the hotel Elizabeth Norton a guest historian on the tour talked about her research of Jane Seymour. Turns out she wasn’t just the sweet innocent good catholic that she is often portrayed as. Her book will be out next year and I am looking forward to reading it. Alison also talked about some new research on how Jane died which will be included in her new updated version of the six wives of Henry VIII.

Micheal talked about Richard of York and his relationship with his son Richard III. He also talked about his involvement with Philipa Langley in how Richard IIIs remains were treated after their discovery. I do hope to get a chance to talk to him more about that and her. He helped her write a book on the search for the body which I need to read.

We made it back to the hotel and had dinner on our own. Val and I walked to a pub by the Minster. Nothing spectacular but pretty good. I finished off the night with a local gin and am off to bed so that I can get an early start in the morning.