Summer Break travels around England and Italy. Friends, life, love, music, sightseeing, experiences and more formed some great times over the Northern Hemisphere Summer.
June, July, August 2008.
Locations: England and Venice, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento...
Jazz Night in London, Yani (recently arrived from Prague to work in the UK) and I go to see our friend Inga in action in the choir.
Look out for Round 2 of my Summer 2008 experiences soon.
Another trip to Oxford. This one to meet up with some friends. Rebecca, with her Oxford University student powers, gets us into Teddy Hall* to have a look around.
This is one of four colleges that claims to be the oldest in Oxford.
* St Edmund Hall in full.
Exploring the state rooms and rooms of function. We also had a wonderful visit to the St George's Chapel and enjoyed an evensong service to finish off the day.This is one of four colleges that claims to be the oldest in Oxford.
* St Edmund Hall in full.
Rebecca and Sarah enjoying the comforts of a wishing well.
It was goodbye to Rebecca for me. She was to be heading back to the states in the next month or so.
It was goodbye to Rebecca for me. She was to be heading back to the states in the next month or so.
29th June.
Silchester finally! Its not too far away from where I live and includes one of the most intact Roman towns in the world - perhaps the most intact in England.
It being so close it is a complete shame that it has taken so long to get out there.
Anyway Yani and I were able to bike out for a surprisingly sunny day.
This old Roman town - Calleva - was abandoned at the end of the Roman period of Britain. This was unusual as most other Roman towns continued to be used after the Romans left - think Londonium for example. Good for us though as this archaelogical site has remained largely undisturbed by human hands for the past 1400 years.
Silchester finally! Its not too far away from where I live and includes one of the most intact Roman towns in the world - perhaps the most intact in England.
It being so close it is a complete shame that it has taken so long to get out there.
Anyway Yani and I were able to bike out for a surprisingly sunny day.
This old Roman town - Calleva - was abandoned at the end of the Roman period of Britain. This was unusual as most other Roman towns continued to be used after the Romans left - think Londonium for example. Good for us though as this archaelogical site has remained largely undisturbed by human hands for the past 1400 years.
The outer walls remain intact and in parts are quite climable. Or case in point here - "jump offable". :)
Just within the walls of Cavella Yani and I came across a more recent edition - well by more recent I mean of course about a 1000 years old! Anyaway Yani and managed to explore the inside of this charming medieval style parish church - St Mary's of Silchester.
Reconstruction of the old town.
The University of Reading runs annual Archaelogical digs in various parts of the town remains. Members of the public can join the Archaelogists and receive training in on the spot methods for retrieving some fascinating insights into the town's history.
Very tempting I must say - next summer perhaps for me.
Very tempting I must say - next summer perhaps for me.
Yani enjoys the atmosphere as well.
We finished up with a final circumference of the walls - then to glory! Home we headed.
We finished up with a final circumference of the walls - then to glory! Home we headed.
With the Summer Holidays just around the corner there were still a few things at school to finish off. One very enjoyable thing was a cross-curriculur trip I had helped organised with the Drama Department. An open-air movable play called The Life of Christ - held at the Wintershall Estate in Guildford.
http://www.wintershall-estate.com/?menuId=8
http://www.wintershall-estate.com/?menuId
The Beatitudes in action.
Feeding of the Five Thousand taken to the next level. Loaves of bread actually being passed out. The kids loved it.
Dramatic scenes at the crucifixion scene. Because the play was outdoors and movable we went from place to place on the estate as scenes were acted out.
Well I have mentioned before in mz previous post - Bohemian Explorer - visiting the Pravčická brána natural arch in the Czech Republic.
These natural arches are few and far between in the world. So I was most honoured to be able to attend the Lulworth Cove Geography trip being put on by my school. Near to Lulworth cove is this absolute and amazing spectacle - Durdle Door.
Look carefully at this ancient natural arch and you will notice that it contains the root holes of equally ancient palm trees. These exist from when the stone was actually sand and had not yet formed into sandstone.
These natural arches are few and far between in the world. So I was most honoured to be able to attend the Lulworth Cove Geography trip being put on by my school. Near to Lulworth cove is this absolute and amazing spectacle - Durdle Door.
Look carefully at this ancient natural arch and you will notice that it contains the root holes of equally ancient palm trees. These exist from when the stone was actually sand and had not yet formed into sandstone.
Lulworth Cove behind. Because of uplift in the area, 5 levels of strata can be seen here; making it more than ideal for a Geography trip.
The adventurous press forward - I lag behind to take in the awesome scenery.
Passageway to the prison. Well, at least its a nice view.
Lido beach - on one of the islands near the edge of the lagoon of Venice. The beach faces on to the Adriatic sea.
St Mark's Cathedral in the background. Deliberately Byzantine in style to seperate and distinguish Venice from Rome. So too was St Mark appropriated to set Venice apart from other states in Italy and the wider Mediterranean.
Grand views!
Inside the archaeological Museum of Venice. A true room for classicists at the end. Filled with Roman antiques this room is often used for lectures and tutorials for University students - ah, what a dream. And what a dream Venice was, so many nooks and crannies to explore and discover. So much achievement and history piled into its sinking roots. A worthy place indeed to explore.
Well it was back to England for me by the end of July. I had enjoyed a wonderful 5 days in Venice with some great summer weather to boot. But alas, England itself was not being so kind and it was a miserable summer to endure there. Still, there were bright spots to look to and a visit to Eton College and Windsor Castle is one most bound to put one to rights.
Inside Eton College's Chapel.
College courtyard.
Yani and I had also invited a friend out for the day with us. Gabor, of Hungarian stock had worked for a while at my school for his work experience.
Windsor Castle in full fortified glory.
Warm clear waters in England. Yes, they can actually exist.
Well warmish anyway...
Yani and I enjoy dinner with some colleagues from school.
O glorious English sunset of summer, finally thou have come.
I did a little conference trip with a friend and colleague from the school (a Latin and Classics teacher) in late July. The conference was on Classics teaching - on Meeting the Challenge! Yes, yet another catchy title. The trip was to a little known place called Venice. You may have heard of it? Ah, yes I hear you say. Well there it was to and a lot of fun it was for me to. As well as the the great learning environment of the conference itself there was Venice and the surrounding isles to explore. The Rialto bridge above of course.
The Grand Canal at night.
A little more exposure this time.
Runako and I ended up having a real dinger of an photography evening. Creativity was amuck and flowing in the air and we were pursuing it ever more eagerly.
End of conference shot.
Into the Doge's Palace - the map room here. Photo taken surreptiously due to greedy money hungry people trying to forbid me to take photos and buy the book instead - sigh!
Magnificent rooms and a complex political system in old Venice to boot - has to be read and re-read to be understood properly.Well warmish anyway...
12th July - Old Basing, Hampshire.
While it may not look much now and is rather in a state of ruin, Old Basing House was once a fortification and palace to rival even Hampton Court Palace in London. During the English Civil War - the Paulet family - had a deep and abiding loyalty to the monarchy that got them in hot water with Cromwell and his Republicans.
Result - not much left of Old Basing House.
Karen, a friend from my workplace agreed to take Yani and I around the site. Her extensive and good local knowledge helps to bring every place we travel to - to life!
Another trip to an English Pub.While it may not look much now and is rather in a state of ruin, Old Basing House was once a fortification and palace to rival even Hampton Court Palace in London. During the English Civil War - the Paulet family - had a deep and abiding loyalty to the monarchy that got them in hot water with Cromwell and his Republicans.
Result - not much left of Old Basing House.
Karen, a friend from my workplace agreed to take Yani and I around the site. Her extensive and good local knowledge helps to bring every place we travel to - to life!
Yani and I enjoy dinner with some colleagues from school.
O glorious English sunset of summer, finally thou have come.
I did a little conference trip with a friend and colleague from the school (a Latin and Classics teacher) in late July. The conference was on Classics teaching - on Meeting the Challenge! Yes, yet another catchy title. The trip was to a little known place called Venice. You may have heard of it? Ah, yes I hear you say. Well there it was to and a lot of fun it was for me to. As well as the the great learning environment of the conference itself there was Venice and the surrounding isles to explore. The Rialto bridge above of course.
The Grand Canal at night.
A little more exposure this time.
Runako and I ended up having a real dinger of an photography evening. Creativity was amuck and flowing in the air and we were pursuing it ever more eagerly.
End of conference shot.
Into the Doge's Palace - the map room here. Photo taken surreptiously due to greedy money hungry people trying to forbid me to take photos and buy the book instead - sigh!
Passageway to the prison. Well, at least its a nice view.
Lido beach - on one of the islands near the edge of the lagoon of Venice. The beach faces on to the Adriatic sea.
St Mark's Cathedral in the background. Deliberately Byzantine in style to seperate and distinguish Venice from Rome. So too was St Mark appropriated to set Venice apart from other states in Italy and the wider Mediterranean.
Grand views!
Inside the archaeological Museum of Venice. A true room for classicists at the end. Filled with Roman antiques this room is often used for lectures and tutorials for University students - ah, what a dream. And what a dream Venice was, so many nooks and crannies to explore and discover. So much achievement and history piled into its sinking roots. A worthy place indeed to explore.
Well it was back to England for me by the end of July. I had enjoyed a wonderful 5 days in Venice with some great summer weather to boot. But alas, England itself was not being so kind and it was a miserable summer to endure there. Still, there were bright spots to look to and a visit to Eton College and Windsor Castle is one most bound to put one to rights.
Inside Eton College's Chapel.
College courtyard.
Yani and I had also invited a friend out for the day with us. Gabor, of Hungarian stock had worked for a while at my school for his work experience.
Windsor Castle in full fortified glory.
Look out for Round 2 of my Summer 2008 experiences soon.
2 comments:
Wow!
excellent post =0)
life is never dull
you're building some great memories
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