Pagan Trip with Trevor

About a week after Kaleen left Trevor decided to surprise me and come and visit for two weeks, the end of April to the beginning of May. Even though Trevor was here for two weeks university had started up again for me, so we couldn't go do that much because I had a big project, which I'll definitely be doing a blog post on, and I had classes and other work to do. Also, a lot of our time was just spent being together watching movies and hanging out. This post will focus on the two trips out of Oxford we took along with the celebration we took part in in Oxford.

When Trevor came I asked him what he wanted to go see. He said the only thing he really wanted to see was Stonehenge. So being the wonderful fiancé I am I took him to Bath instead! Bath was a lot of fun. We were there for one night. When we first go there we spent a lot of time wandering around. We found the Circus, and the Royal Crescent along with other interesting Georgian looking buildings and gardens. After wandering around Bath a bit we went to see the reason why we had come, the Roman Baths.

The Roman Baths were quite spectacular! It was interesting seeing the Roman architecture next to Georgian and Victorian buildings. There is still a lot of the original Roman bath there and all the different types of rooms were explained really well. They had an audio tour, and Trevor and I would try to start our guides at the same time so that one of us didn't spoil the interesting history facts for the other. This is what history couples do for fun! There were a lot of people there so sometimes it was hard to see some of the smaller things, but the atmosphere of the place really transported you and gave you the feeling of what it would have been like. It was fun to go there with Trevor because he has been to Rome and seen baths there, so he knew a bit about we were looking at already while it was pretty new to me. I just wanted to go because it seemed like it would be an interesting experience and thing to see.

The following day we didn't have much time before we caught the train so we went and checked out Bath Abbey. It was nice looking inside. We got there too early, so we couldn't go up the tower which is something I wanted to do, but Trevor definitely didn't! He doesn't like heights, but sometimes he's willing to humour me and go up some towers or on ferris wheels. I'm not the best person in the world!

We then headed back to Oxford because I had a classes over the next couple of days and some work I had to get done. However, while we were in Oxford May Day happened! May Day is a celebration of spring in England. At least I think that's what it is. In Oxford they have some different traditions. Instead of the traditional May Pole, because there's not enough room to have one, everyone gets up really early, it starts at 6am, and goes and listens to the Magdalen Choir sing from the top of the Magdalen College tower. After that people wander into the centre of town where there are dancers and people get breakfast and coffee. Trevor and I at the last minute decided to go listen to the choir. It was really cool to hear the sound engulf you so early in the morning when you're surrounded by other people and not really awake. After that we headed down High Street and caught some of the traditional dancing. There was one group with an old man who had a cheese hat and some one dressed as a bush! They were definitely our favourite! We watched the groups for quite a while before going and getting something warm to drink because it was actually quite chilly out. After we listen to Hertford College Choir sing from the Bridge of Sighs. It was the first year they did this I think and it was a little hard to hear them, but a nice way to end the morning. We got back to my room about 8:45ish and proceeded to have a nap! I was really happy to be able to enjoy an Oxford tradition with Trevor. It makes it much more special and memorable!

Our final trip we took the second week Trevor was there was a trip to see Stonehenge! To get there we first travelled to Salisbury and stayed the night because they had a bus we could take to Stonehenge and we wanted to go early in the morning. That night we wandered around Salisbury and went and saw their cathedral which has a copy of the Manga Carta inside. The cathedral was already closed by the time we got there, so we couldn't go in and see it. We spent more time wandering around and looking at the buildings. What we really excited for was to go see Stonehenge the next day!

Early the following day we checked out of our hotel and headed to catch the bus. We caught the earliest one because we were so excited! We got on the bus, which was double decked, and sat on the top floor which was Trevor's first time being on a bus like that. We got to sit at the very front so we could look out the huge front window. As we were heading to Stonehenge it started raining pretty badly and it didn't really get better for the rest of the day, but we didn't let a little rain stop us! When we got there they drop us off at a information centre which we wandered around and learned about the history of Stonehenge a bit along with what they thought the houses of the people might have looked like and possibly what the place was for. There wasn't that much to see there that Trevor and I didn't already know, so we got on the shuttle and headed to the highlight-Stonehenge! When we got there I was surprised by how close we could actually get to it. I knew that we couldn't go right up to the monument, but I had heard that you were really far away. I didn't think it was that far. Trevor and I later heard some older women talking about how they remember coming to Stonehenge in previous years and not being allowed as close, so they must have recently changed the distance. Stonehenge was actually much larger then I thought it would be! It was quite impressive! You hear about how it's falling apart and how magnificent it must have been in its hay-day, but I thought it was spectacular the way it was. The fallen over and broken stones added to the atmosphere and made it look very beautiful. It stop raining for a couple of minutes while we were there which gave us the opportunity to look at the monument directly and not just from under our raincoat hoods. One thing which really caught my attention was that off in the distance in a near-by field there were mounds of dirt which a sign said were burial mounds. They were a distinct feature in the landscape and added to the effect of Stonehenge.

We were soaking wet by the time we got back to the bus; however, our day wasn't done because the bus also went to a stop near Old Sarum which was originally and Iron Age hill fort, but now has the ruins of a Norman castle on it! This place was all ruins. I really enjoyed it, but Trevor had a hard time picturing what the place would have looked like. I think that's because I have seen castles which are still fully or at least partially standing and that allows me to visualise it. Trevor still enjoyed it and romped around and explored the place with me. The Salisbury Cathedral used to be on this hill before it was moved into the city. Its ruins were on a plateau just under the castle's. It was fun to explore a castle with Trevor even if they were just ruins. Castle exploring has been one thing I've really liked about being here in the UK and it was fun to see one with Trevor, especially one so old!

Old Cathedral ruins

Those were our three adventures while Trevor was in England. We saw some places in Oxford and had some other small adventures and fun which I haven't mentioned. The big thing which made this probably the most special part of being in England so far was having Trevor there to do these things with me. They weren't the grand adventures Kaleen and I went on with our almost missed trains and voyages to other countries, but it was really special and impactful to me in a different way because Trevor and I did it together and we had fun no matter how small the thing was or how grumpy we were. We still had a good time!

Three Countries in 17 Days: Part 5 - France and the End

We took the train to the Portsmouth Harbour stop and had to take a bus to the ferry. We got on the right bus, but we didn't know which stop we were supposed to get off at. As we were trying to figure it out this man turned to us and said "Push the button now!" We reacted quickly and pushed the stop button and got off at the right stop. We were lucky that that man was listening and helped us or who knows where we would have ended up! The ferry ride from Portsmouth to a small town outside of Caen took 5 hours! It was after 9pm once we got there. There weren't any buses running so we had to get a taxi into town and to our hotel.

The next day we got up bright and early, packed our stuff and caught a small local bus to Courseulles-Sur-Mer, to small sea side town where Juno Beach is. We got off the bus and could see the Juno Beach Centre across this area for boats to dock. It took us a long time to find our way all the way around to the centre. At one point it looked like there was a shorter way to go, but there was a sign saying no entrance, and Kaleen and I being the good people we are obeyed the sign. The Juno Beach Centre is on a piece of land detached from the rest of the area. We signed up to have a tour of the area, but first we explored the centre which told the history of Canadians during the Second World War, not just in Europe fighting, but also on the home front. It was quite interesting and moving. They had a short film using archival footage filmed at the Battle of Juno Beach and it almost brought both Kaleen and I to tears. The whole experience was really moving and impactful. I would highly recommend anyone who can to go experience the Canadian Battle fields in Europe if they have the chance. After the centre we went on the tour where they took us down into the German bunkers that had fortified the area. Also the tour guide pointed out how large the area was that had to be taken. It was much bigger then I thought. At one point the German bunkers were able to see the water, but now the sand dune has shifted so much that it is pretty much completely buried. It's hard to know how much the landscape will keep changing. They are trying to preserve as much as they can at the centre, but there's only so much you can do. Wind is pretty strong and can easily move sand.

After Juno Beach we got back on the bus to Caen and got on a train to Paris where we spent two nights. Paris was our fun happy thing in the France part of our trip, because the main goal of going to France was to see some Canadian Battle fields. We couldn't see that much because we were there for such a short time and neither of us can drive. For our day in Paris we got a ticket for a hop-on hop-off tour bus again and it was very much worth it. We got off at Notre-Dame Cathedral and went inside. I've been to Paris once before, but that was many years ago, and the size of Notre-Dame still took me by surprise. However, since I last went to Paris I took a history of Paris class which I think gave me more appreciation for the look and layout of the city then before. We also got off the bus at the Arc-de-Triumph and of course, the Eiffel Tower. At the Eiffel Tower we also got some really tasty soft ice cream and enjoyed the really sunny warm day and just sat and enjoyed our surroundings. One thing on the bus tour which we both found hilarious, was there was this one monument with Napoleon on top that was getting restored and the city had put scaffolding up around it with an image of the statue on paper attached to the outside almost like they were trying to hide the fact that the monument was covered up. For some reason we thought this was super funny. At the end of the day we did try to go find where the Bastille once stood. We found streets and a square with its name, but no plaque or anything, so we just assumed that is where it was. Then we decided to walk back to the Metro and I will admit I got us lost. We walked for an hour before we arrived at our destination. At least we were in a nicer part of Paris, so it wasn't too bad, but by that time we were both getting tired. We did make it safely back to the hotel where we stayed the night and got ready to go to Arras the following day. I have to say, one odd thing about Paris is all the soldiers with guns about. The first morning we left our hotel there was a soldier standing across the street holding a big machine gun or something. Being Canadian it really scared us and made us worry, but everyone else seemed to be acting like it was an everyday occurrence, so I guess it was fine. Anyway, the next day we went to catch the train to Arras and let me tell you it was not easy or straightforward to figure out which train to catch and where in Paris. We kept asking people at desks, but none of them were helpful and seemed vaguely annoyed that we asked them. There was a nice man who helped us when we went to buy our tickets at the machine which was nice, but he wasn't an employee, just some stranger.

Once we made it to Arras we dropped our stuff off and took a taxi to Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was just as moving, if almost more, then Juno Beach. The rows and rows of tombstones along with all the names on the monument left us at a loss for words. We again took a tour. This time it was of the underground tunnels the Allies had dug out in preparation for the battle. It was quite damp and cold down there and you got the sense of how frightful it must have been to be working down there. It was a bright and sunny day that day which in a lot of ways felt wrong. The tour guide was really good and he told us some really interesting facts and stories about Vimy Ridge, such as how they bombarded the Germans to move troops forward, or how one lone general took 20 Germans prisoner by making them think he had backup outside of the tunnel. While both sites were very moving and impactful, there was something about Vimy Ridge and its experience that I think touched me a little more then that of Juno Beach. Maybe it has to do with these surrounding years being the commemoration of the 100 years since the First World War. Whatever it was I know that I'll never forget the experience. 

After Vimy Ridge we spent the night in Arras before catching the train the next day to the ferry to Dover. Once in Dover the train to London was down, so we had to take a replacement bus to a nearby town. There we got on the train to London and then another to Oxford where Kaleen spent her last night in Europe before she headed home the next day. 

I really enjoyed having Kaleen come and visit and exploring Ireland, England and France with her. We've been friends for a while, but we've never spent more then a day together! This was a test of our friendship which we survived, made memories, and had fun throughout. I know that I haven't included all the stories or memories we made. It's just as I write this blog I put down the first thing that comes to mind and sometimes later remember stories, but then it's too late. I do hope you've enjoyed this adventure. There are still more to come, but that was the wonderful time I had with Kaleen.