England and Scotland Day 6
England and Scotland
Day 6 - October 6, 2006 - Discover Hadrian's Wall/Roman Army Museum/Vindolanda
We had an earlier breakfast at 7:30 this morning, so we put our luggage out before we went to the restaurant. We had to meet our group at 8:45, so I paid the bill and we ventured out into another gray day with heavy fog and drizzle.
Although the forecast was for sun in Scotland, they revised the prediction and we will have a few more days of the British Isles' typical weather. Gen asked Simone if this was the rainy season and her response was "Oh no, that is Springtime!" One can only imagine how much rain they get then!
We were the first out to the bus and ready to go so I talked to Kenny a bit while Gennie started a few notes for the journal. We left the Lake District and ventured onward to Glasgow. En route, we drove via Northumberland, a sparsely populated, castle-studded English county on the Scottish border. Originally the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, this area was a battleground between southern and northern Britain for centuries.
As we drove, Simone told us about our day and what we would find in Glasgow. She also told us the history of the Kendal Mint Cakes and then passed around a sample of the chocolate covered hard mint energy candy similar to our York Peppermint Patty. It is put into all of the military ration packs and used as an after-dinner mint by the Royal Family. Gennie thought it was quite good.
As I followed the route on the map, Simone told us the history of Henry VIII, the Protestant Revolution, and the history of the decline of the Catholic monks and the destruction of the monasteries. We stopped at Lanarcost Priory where we saw a first hand example of the beautiful monastery now in ruins. We were able to walk through the graveyard, take photos, and stretch our legs a bit.
At 10:30 we were off again and Simone told us about Hadrian's Wall. This wall -portions of which still stand - extended 80 miles with fortifications at regular intervals, and was one of the greatest feats of Roman engineering. It is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage on the frontier of the Roman Empire.
We began our discovery at the Roman Army Museum where we listened to Mikk, one of the curators, talk on the life and times of the Roman Legionaries stationed in this area. The era is brought to life with its "Living History" displays, including many artifacts that give a vivid picture of life nearly 2,000 years ago.
Then we went into a small theater where we watched the film, The Eagle's Eye, a documentary on Hadrian's Wall built over an eight year period beginning in 122 AD. After the excellent movie, we left the museum in another pouring rainstorm. We got our rain gear off the bus, and on our backs, and then began our trek.
We hiked through a sheep pasture and up a steep crag to a well preserved but not restored segment of the Wall. By the time we reached the top the sun had come out and we saw a beautiful rainbow. We spent about 30 minutes exploring this little known area with only a few other hardy souls at the top.
We slipped back down the slope and joined those who chose not to go on the hike and then left the site at 1:10 to attend a lecture by Justin, one of three full time archaeologists at Vindolanda, a former Roman settlement. We enjoyed this private talk as he updated us on the most recent discoveries from ongoing excavations. It was such a pleasure to listen to him as he was so excited about his work and the area.
After our informative talk we hiked another half mile down the path, through the excavation and digging sites to the museum and little café. We had brought our ham, cheese, chips and beverages from last night and had a little picnic in the gardens. At 2:45 we made our way back up through the ruins and to the bus where everyone was on time again.
At 3 PM we started north again, on our way to Glasgow on the motorway. This main road was well maintained and marked with frequent passing lanes. The border between England and Scotland was not marked but Simone pointed it out when we had crossed over the line.
On our drive this afternoon, Kenny made sure we were prepared for his native country by playing a variety of Scottish music as we traveled. On the way into Glasgow, Simone gave us a history of the city as well as the demographics and particulars of this small fishing village that grew into an international city with the largest population in Scotland. Although the early merchants made their fortunes from the colonial tobacco trade, there is now a total indoor smoking ban in Scotland.
We arrived at our hotel in the center of the city at 5:30, help to unload the luggage from the bus, and found our room. Simone had mentioned that the mini bar and alcohol in the crystal decanters were free to the guests. Sure enough, in the solid wood cupboard there were three decanters with sherry, gin and Scotch whisky. In the mini-refrigerator there were juices, soft drinks, beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. WOW! I have never seen this. And then we found out that with our room key we had special access to the private bar in the main floor where all the beverages there were gratuitous.
At 7 PM we all met at the Windows Restaurant on the 7th floor for our group dinner. A superb four course meal! We returned to our room at 9:15 to finish the journal and upload the pictures.
Carlton George Hotel -- Glasgow, Scotland - - - Meals: B, D
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