Journeys Near and Far

Scenic Sunday: The Tower Bridge, London

Tower Bridge, London

Dark clouds scuttled across rain-drenched skies during my visit to the Tower of London last week, from where I looked out at the Thames and took this photo of Tower Bridge. 

But this post is about the Tower of London itself, where even the ravens seemed a bit put out by the weather. 

Legend says that the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress.  Luckily the Ravenmaster keeps a spare (7th) raven.  After all, they do sometimes go missing. 

I read that one raven, named Grog, went mysteriously absent, and was last seen outside an East End pub.  No doubt trying to warm up and get out of the rain. 

Of course, during the commotion of the Second World War the ravens were absent from the Tower, and the kingdom didn't fall then.  But why take chances?

Personally I thought the gloomy weather was the perfect setting for a visit to this stone-walled fortress that William the Conqueror began to construct in the 1070s, being that it's the scene of murder, mystery and beheadings.  Yes, it also houses the Crown Jewels, but I'm more interested in the stories of the people who lived or were imprisoned here than valuable gems.

Which is why, standing on the peaceful Tower Green, it meant something to me when I closed my eyes and, with the patter of rain and the caw of the ravens in the background, I imagined the day in May of 1536 when Queen Anne Boleyn stood close to this spot awaiting her execution.  Nine others were beheaded here as well.  I wonder what their last thoughts were? 

The new (since my last visit) execution site memorial beautifully reads:

Gentle visitor pause awhile. Where you stand death cut away the light of many days.  Here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life.  May they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage, under these restless skies.

-- Brian Catling, creator of the execution site memorial

 

In London? Stroll through Harrods' Food Halls

Colorful and elegant, foodies will have fun here

I'll admit it -- Harrods isn't the kind of store where I usually shop.  Especially after paying for a New York to London plane ticket, a week's hotel and other travel expenses.  The items in the store are beautiful, but they just aren't within my budget. 

Each time I'm in Knightsbridge, however, I enjoy taking a stroll through Harrods' Food Halls.  Luscious produce, gourmet chocolates, exotic teas.  Decorative candy, freshly-baked breads, fish from far-flung locales -- these are just a few of the delicacies that await here.   

Sure, there are so many other things to do on a visit to London.  But if you happen to be in the neighborhood, I'd say Harrods' Food Halls are a shouldn't-miss experience.

Here are some photos from my stroll through Harrods' Food Halls last weekend:

  Mouthwatering produce fills the Hall

 Salad anyone?

Scenic Sunday: View from Carnassarie Castle, Scotland

 
Scottish countryside

I took this photo in June after visiting the town of Kilmartin in the west of Scotland.  Traveling north on the A816, we stopped to climb the hill to the ruins of Carnassarie Castle.  Turning to look at the horizon, this was the view.

If you love history, you'll love this area in the west of Scotland.  It's said to be Scotland's richest prehistoric landscape, with remains that indicate people have been living here for thousands or years.  There are more than 350 ancient monuments in Kilmartin alone.

Tip:  Visit the fabulous Kilmartin House Museum to learn all about these ancient cultures. 

The Encyclopedia of Haunted Places

Travel the World in Search of Ghosts

Just in time for Halloween, I've had the opportunity to review the revised edition of Jeff Belanger's Encyclopedia of Haunted Places:  Ghostly Locales from Around the World. 

Belanger, the founder of Ghostvillage.com, the largest supernatural community on the web, has been studying and writing about the supernatural since 1997, and has authored ten books including The World's Most Haunted Places and The Ghost Files.

I haven't decided yet exactly how I feel about ghosts.  Do they exist?  I don't know.  But I'm open to the idea.  There are a few things for sure, though.  I love visiting haunted castles and inns on my travels, I think ghost stories are entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoy ghost tours.

It's easy to find ghostly tales and destinations in the Encyclopedia of Haunted Places.  The directory is packed with detailed information and intriguing stories that Belanger compiled about haunts around the world. 

In this book you'll find stories about:

• Dracula's castle, once the residence of Prince Vlad Tepes, aka "Vlad the Impaler" in Bran, Romania
• The Catacomb Museum in Paris, where more than 6 million bodies are housed
• The White House, where the ghost of Abraham Lincoln is said to appear
• And so much more

Wawel Castle, Krakow, Poland

Just for fun, I selected three haunted places I've visited recently to see if I could learn more about them from the book than I learned while at the sites themselves. 

First I looked up Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.  Seat of the Polish kings for half a milenium, this castle is not only the home to the spirits of the royals who were laid to rest in the vaults under the cathedral, but to Smocza Jama, a dragon who lived in the 200-foot-long cave on the hillside.

I knew this story from having toured the castle and cave, but I didn't know that King Kazimir, who ruled in the 11th century, is said to have found a glowing stone in one of the tunnels that feeds and protects Krakow.  Nor did I know that King Sigismund I the Old's jester, Stancyk, supposedly appears on the castle battlements whenever Poland is in danger.  Interesting.

Scenic Sunday: The Alhambra, Granada, Spain

 
The Alhambra, Granada, Spain

There's a haze in the distance, but I like this photo of the Alhambra because it reminds me of several days spent soul-searching in Granada during a three-week solo tour of Spain. 

Just like so many before me who have found solace in this Moorish realm of legends and dreams, I , too, found peace.  Even Washington Irving, who wrote the Tales of the Alhambra, remarked, "It absolutely appears to me like a dream, or as if I am spellbound in some fairy palace."

The dream here ended for the Moors when the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, laid siege to Granada on January 2, 1492.  The last Moorish sultan, Abu-'Abdi-Llah, Muhammad XII, called Boabdil, "the luckless one", surrendered, and eight centuries of Moorish rule came to an end.

The heartbroken Moors had to leave the Alhambra, which one Muslim poet described as "a great ruby set upon a crown."  Indeed, poised atop Sabika Hill like a vast ship about to set sail, the Alhambra's orangey-gold walls shimmer like a jewel in southern Spain's sunlight.

Have you been here?  What are your thoughts about it?  Can you recommend any similar places?

Wigtown Book Festival

Scotland's National Book Town hosts an annual festival featuring some of the country's best authors

Whenever I think about Wigtown in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, I have instant warm memories.  This little town, set amid green fields, moorland, and rugged coastline, is a haven for booklovers -- whether it's festival time or not.  

For me, my visit was a respite from a busy life of trying to get too many things done in too little time.  Being around books relaxes me.

I visited Wigtown on a quiet November day and spent my time browsing among the more than quarter of a million books, both old and new, in the town's many bookshops.   I would have loved to stay overnight and spend even more time here if it had been possible.

Designated as Scotland's National  Book Town in 1998, the town is home to more than 20 book-related businesses -- mostly book shops, some gift shops and a few cafés.

You can also visit the Wigtown Local Nature Reserve.  Climb upstairs to the viewing room in the county buildings for information on the reserve and a video on this year's osprey, as well as a fabulous view!  And if you can't get enough of books, there's a nice little library on the first floor of that building.

The Wigtown Book Festival, which opens today and runs until October 4th, is considered  by the UK's Telegraph to be one of the "best autumn festival's in the world". 

I haven't been to the festival (yet!) but this year they have over 170 events lined up with a slew of popular authors.

This year's festival is a little bit different due to Scotland's Homecoming 2009 celebrations.  They will be hosting "Whiskey and Words", a festival-within-a-festival that celebrates the connections between whiskey and writing.  There will be music, tastings, and some of the worlds top whiskey experts.  Sounds like fun!

If you can't make it to the festival but love books or nature, I highly recommend you visit Wigtown at any time of year.   I know I'm going to return next time I have a chance.

Some other articles you might like from my trips to Scotland:

• The Writers' Museum, Edinburgh
• A Visit to the Beatrix Potter Garden & Exhibition
• Mary Queen of Scots House, Jedburgh, Scotland

Scenic Sunday: Oban, Scotland

Oban, Scotland

I loved walking along the colorful harborfront in Oban, Scotland.  This city, known as the Gateway to Mull and the Inner Hebrides, is one of Scotland's leading coastal resorts -- and the Seafood Capital of Scotland.  The harbor, a busy fishing port in the 18th century, still bustles. 

We only stayed for a couple of hours so I didn't explore the town in depth.  But I recommend a walk along the harborfont, then have a salad or sandwich and a cup of Earl Grey at The Kitchen Garden on George Street, a trendy delicatessen and coffee shop.  From your table in the coffee shop above the deli, watch the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries ply their way to and from Mull and the other isles. 

See The Kitchen Garden's menu here.

Inveraray Jail: Scotland's Living 19th Century Prison

Experience Life in an Old Prison

The town of Inveraray in Western Scotland was once an important market town and port as well as a meeting place of the courts. 

Now it's a good place to spend a day in jail.

Of course, you wouldn't have wanted to be a prisoner here in the 19th century.  That's what makes the Inveraray Jail so intriguing.  You learn all about how wrongdoers were punished back in the 1800's -- without suffering the punishments yourself.

In 1820, this building, which was the meeting place of the Circuit, Sheriff and Burgh Courts, also became the principal jail for the County of Argyll.  It housed men, women and children, convicted and unconvicted prisoners, the sane and the insane.

Now it's a visitor attraction, which on first glance I thought might be too touristy, yet it was not only fun (it's interactive) but unique.  By entering the actual jail cells -- the "warden" will gladly lock you up -- you get a real feel for what it would have been like to be imprisoned here. 

The Exhibition

Inside the jail, you'll first visit the exhibition, where you'll find out how wrongdoers were treated before the days of prisons, i.e. thumbscrews, branding with a hot iron, or perhaps a public whipping. 

Often these punishments were metered out to people who had committed minor crimes such as stealing a turnip, and most of them didn't even understand the trial as they spoke only Gaelic.

The Court

Next, you'll venture into the courtroom, where you can witness the pomp and circumstance of a trial in action.  The models and soundtrack make it seem almost real.  While you're in the courtroom, think about this:  More than 6,000 men, women and children were tried in this very room. 

Scenic Sunday: Inveraray Castle

Inveraray, Scotland

Inveraray Castle, the beautiful home of the Duke of Argyll, was one of the highlights of my recent visit to Scotland.  The castle is steeped in history.  Tour the premises and see the Tapestry Drawing Room, the China Turret, the Armoury Hall and even the Old Kitchen.

On a nice day, walk in the gardens -- the grounds are stunning.   An interesting story:  Robert Innes-Smith and George Hughes-Hartman, the authors of the book Inveraray Castle say:

"As was the custom elsewhere during the 19th century, distinguished people who visited the Castle were asked to plant trees.  These included Queen Victoria, David Livingstone, William Gladstone, the Earl of Shaftesbury and others.  Extending to some 180 hectares, they form one of the most important designed landscapes in Scotland..."

Wouldn't it be nice if that were a custom we all followed today?

The Writers' Museum, Edinburgh

If you Love the Written Word, don't Pass up this Museum

In Edinburgh, Scotland, just off the Lawnmarket in Makars' Court, you'll find an overlooked gem that most people miss:  The Writers' Museum.   It's taken me five trips to Edinburgh before I included it in my itinerary, and I highly recommend that you don't wait that long!

Having followed the Robert Burns Trail from Ayrshire to Dumfries and visited Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, I was looking forward to learning more about  these writers as well as seeing the museum's extensive Stevenson collection.

The Building

Celebrating the lives and works of three of Scotland's best known writers - Robert Burns (1759 - 1796), Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) and  Robert Louis Stevenson(1850 - 1894), the museum, located in historic Lady Stair"s House in a close of the same name, was built in 1622 for prominent Edinburgh merchant Sir William Grey.  The building is a beautiful example of 17th century architecture, and a fitting setting for collections that evoke Scotland's rich literary past.

The Collections

Inside, you'll find treasure galore:  Manuscripts, portraits and memorabilia such as the writing desk from Burns' house in Dumfries, a rocking horse Scott used as a boy, and the fishing rod, Meerschaum pipe and riding boots world traveler Stevenson wore while living in Samoa.  I especially enjoyed seeing the printing press on which Scott's Waverley novels were printed.

The museum also houses small temporary exhibitions to honor the work of other Scottish writers. 

The museum (entrance is free, by the way) has a nice little shop, where my boyfriend Finlay, who has been kind enough to guide me all over Scotland, picked up a copy of Stevenson's Merry Men and Other Stories to prepare for a future production.

Have you been to The Writers' Museum in Edinburgh?  What did you think?  Can you recommend similar museums anywhere else?

Note:

Edinburgh's rich literary history was  recognized  in October, 2004, when the city was awarded as UNESCO's first International City of Literature.  A well-deserved honor!

If you've read this far, you may also be interested in two other Edinburgh literary activities:  The Edinburgh Book Lovers Tour and the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour.  Lonely Planet says the latter is one of the best known Edinburgh Walking Tours, so I suppose that will be next on my list!

Also, if you like Robert Burns, follow the Ayrshirebard on Twitter, who tweets "Daily lines of poetry and words of wisdom from the ploughman's poet."