What I love about England

Without even closing my eyes I can enjoy all over again the wonderful things we saw in England. Our trip by train to York right after we landed at Gatwick was lovely. The green fields marked off by hedge rows or lines of trees made the countryside look like a patchwork quilt. Some of the fields were bright yellow with the blooms of rape seed flowers. Evan told us the seeds are pressed for rape seed oil, a very healthful product.  As a part the crop rotation, this plant helps restore the richness of the soil. I tried to take pictures from the train, but they are all rather blurred. I do have the pictures in my memory.

I loved walking around in York. I loved the ancient buildings, many of them still in use. Right in town are the ruins of St Mary's Priory. It was a huge complex of buildings, but now only some walls and beautiful arches remain. I guess York was a one time a very wealthy city, so the priory reflected that. One can imagine the beautiful singing of the nuns echoing in those hallowed halls.

London! The city of Shakespeare, Milton, Lord Byron, and the Beatles! Those who changed the way we think about writing and music. I love to walk around the streets of London! Eva likes to jog. Being 69 years old, soon-to-be 70, this grandma had a hard time keeping up. The uneven surfaces of the sidewalks made me fearful of falling and being out of shape--especially in the matter of climbing down steps into the tube and up out of the tube slowed me down. There is Eva, 8 feet directly in front of me single-mindedly pursuing our destination. She looks over her shoulder now and then to make sure she has not lost me entirely. When we were traveling with our suitcases, she would take my suitcase (I would carry her big pillow) and nearly run up the steps. I was impressed with that!
After a day or two in London, we realized we wanted to see different things, so we went our separate ways, but usually had dinner together.

I love that the great museums are free with just a suggested donation. I loved it that we were only a couple of blocks away from Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. We were close to two tube stations and could get to any place in London in just a few minutes. We were close to all the good stuff!

This is the library where Evan did some of his work on his doctorate.

Saint Mayr's Priory, York

Evan explains the original
layout of the priory.