Pontefract Castle

Before I dive into Pontefract Castle, I thought I'd give you a comparison to my last entry on Kirk Hammerton. Pictured above are the remains of an Anglo-Saxon church. This is pretty much all that is left of most of them, so hopefully that helps illustrate how rare a place like the church at Kirk Hammerton is. Alright, moving on.

Here's the 13th century donjon from Pontefract Castle. It is one of only a few surviving multilobed donjons, with perhaps the most famous/complete being Clifford's Tower in York. I'll get pictures up of that one of these days. Pontefract was originally built just after the Norman Conquest and was originally just a motte with a timber tower on top and a bailey. In laymen terms, this means there was a big artificial hill with a tower on top and an enclosed area below the hill with service buildings, usually built on top of another smaller hill. The stone construction you see above was built in the thirteenth century as part of a general program of bigger & better & stone at Pontefract. Pontefract is one of those castles that are hard to imagine when you visit because it has been dismantled so much. At its furthest extent in the seventeenth century, it looked something like this:

That multilobed donjon? That's the bit on the left. So you can see that much of the castle is no longer standing. And that, my friends, is a story in and of itself. But to skip ahead a bit, Pontefract was destroyed largely because it WAS so big and important. It was the stronghold of the de Lacy family, who were major players in medieval England; they held the Lordship of Bowland, were the Earls of Lincoln- one of the girls married Robert the Bruce of Scotland for crying out loud. Hugh de Lacy was among the Anglo-Normans who took over parts of Ireland, becoming the king of Meath and building a couple of big castles there. Just one of those big dynastic power families. In the 1300s, it passed into the hands of the dukes of Lancaster, and King Richard II was killed here.

Pontefract's next major use was in the 1600s, when it served as a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil Wars. It served them pretty well too, withstanding 3 sieges by the Parliamentarians. After the end of the second Civil War, it was intentionally dismantled so that it could not be used in war again, leaving us with the ruins you can see today. This is a very similar story to that of Scarborough Castle, if you remember the giant hole in the wall I showed you that was intentionally put in to decrease the castle's military value.

Still, it is a neat little place to visit. Here's the backside of the motte looking towards the donjon (a fancy word for keep) from the bailey. And it wasn't just the walls and tower that were dismantled. Even the chapel, below bit the dust.

These are the remains of the oldest Norman chapel on the site, thought to date back to the 11th century. Unusually, when the chapel expanded, they built a whole new one slightly off to the side and just let this one be covered over after snagging a lot of the stones for rebuilding.

And here's the bailey from the top of the motte. This whole area would have had the outbuildings- kitchens, crafts areas, etc. Not much is left aside from a bit of the perimeter wall. I'm amused by the industrial tower puffing away in the distance.

And we're one more entry closer to Scotland!

St John the Baptist, Kirk Hammerton

As you approach the little town of Kirk Hammerton just 20 minutes outside of York on the A59, you will notice a strange road sign declaring the "Ancient Church" is that-a-way. If you follow that sign, you will come across the Church of St John the Baptist.

I know what you're thinking. It doesn't look like much, does it? How about if I tell you that the part pictured was built sometime between 950 and 1070? Does that change your opinion? No? Well, worth a shot. The church at Kirk Hammerton is the most complete surviving Anglo-Saxon church. And, ok, technically if it was built after 1066 it becomes "Romanesque" or "Norman," but a) we don't have a firm date for its construction and b) archaeologists will tell you it is style that matters more than date, and this is most definitely NOT Romanesque. Short, squat and big heavy stonework screams Anglo-Saxon. Plus, we're in the North, and the North most certainly did not fall under Norman sway until after 1070, when William the Conqueror came and burned and ravaged everything in a fit of pique because the Northerners didn't want him to be king. We Northerners are independent types, y'know. Like the Scots, but less so because we're less far north. Wiki "Harrying of the North" for more info.

St John's survived because instead of dismantling it for the stone and rebuilding, the locals kept the tower and chancel essentially intact and just took off the left outer wall and then built additions to the left; now there is a new, bigger chancel and the Anglo-Saxon part has been converted into a side aisle and a lady chapel, while beyond the new chancel is another added aisle to make everything balanced.

Here's a look from the inside. I'm standing in the new(er) chancel (additions began as early as the 1100s, but the modern incarnation is Victorian) looking towards the Anglo-Saxon aisle. You can see where they've ripped off the wall and replaced it with later arches and columns.You can also probably see this was part of a CMS field trip :) Hooray for fellow medieval dorks!

Here's the inside of the modern lady chapel. The windows and paintings are all later additions (although the stained glass is 14th century I believe. That's kinda old...) Once upon a time, this is where the mass would have been celebrated in a teensy tiny baby church, while the church attendees sat in the nave, the area pictured above.

So if you're driving down a random road in the UK and you see a random intriguing sign like "Ancient Church," why not stop and check it out? What you find might surprise you! And I can attest to this, having roadtripped through Scotland/Northern England and found several fun oddities.

A Ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Hello world! I got back yesterday from a five-day road trip/whirlwind tour of Scotland, and let me tell you, I'm pretty sure it is the prettiest place on Earth. I'm already looking for excuses/opportunities to go back and actually spend some time exploring. A five-day circuit of the country = lots of rushing about. Lots to tell about that once I get photos organized and get caught up with other entries.

Next up on the backlog is the NYMR, or as we affectionately refer to it, the Harry Potter Train.

You may recognize this from the Harry Potter films; the NYMR steam trains were used for the Hogwarts Express, and the station pictured above (Goathland) was used as Hogsmeade Station. The line is one of only a few steam-powered train lines still in operation in England, and makes for a fun and scenic day out. The line runs about five times a day from Pickering to Whitby, but not all of the trains will go all the way to Whitby, so you may have to connect via a non-steam train from the last station through to Whitby- check the train times before departing, or take the train from Pickering so you don't have to worry about it. We rode from Whitby down to Pickering so we could combine the trip with some sightseeing in Whitby, and it worked out pretty much perfectly.

While some of the carriages (or cars for you Americans out there) have traditional train bucket seats, some of them have the compartments used in the Harry Potter movies. And seeing as how we are big HP dorks, we sought out the fun carriage.

I know, they look much fancier and impressive in the movie, but they're pretty darn neat in real life too. Although we can't quite figure out how they got Harry up on the little luggage shelf above the seats; those things are teensy-tiny!

The train, as you may have guessed from the name, runs through the moors, which means you get some awesome scenery, especially when the heather is in bloom. We were a few months early for that (peak times for the heather are August/September), but it was still gorgeous.

Plenty of unspoiled nature to go around, and most of the little villages the train stops at feature plenty of lovely hiking trails to explore. They'll also have nice little tea rooms for a bite to eat and more ice cream and souvenirs than you can shake a stick at.

A day-roamer ticket will let you get on and off and ride all over for the day, but a more economically-friendly option is to just buy a one-way ticket. Despite the "official" train info that states you cannot break a journey with a one-way, we specifically asked at the station which ticket to buy if we only wanted to get from Whitby to Pickering with a stop at Goathland and were assured that it wasn't a problem to break the one-way.

Speaking of...

There's the main tourist-drag of Goathland. It consists of about 6 touristy shops (all of which sell ice cream, of course) and a Ford Anglia a la Harry Potter. The rest of the village is down the road a bit. We found a nice play ground and enjoyed the swings while eating our delicious ice cream. And then we were on our way to Pickering to pick up the bus to head back to York. A really nice day trip for train enthusiasts and appreciators of the fine scenery of the English countryside, a trip on the NYMR is definitely worth taking.

Whitby

Greetings from Whitby! Whitby is a Yorkshire town on the northeastern coast of England, about an hour (2 by bus) north of York. Modern Whitby is a bustling tourist town, but also supports an active fishing fleet. And you know what that means? The best fish and chips in the country. Seriously.

I'd suggest the Magpie, above, for some really excellent fish and chips, but there are any number of good places serving the fresh fish practically right off the boat. FYI, the Magpie has a take away window and the lines can get pretty darn long. But trying going inside to their sit down restaurant- you can usually just walk right in and be seated. The Magpie's not the cheapest option, but it is delicious and you can have your choice of several types of fish, or try one of their other non fish & chips options.

Whitby Abbey is one of the main attractions in Whitby. The town itself came to exist as a result of the abbey, which was founded in 656 by the king of Northumbria. St Hild/Hilda served as the first abbess over a double monastery (meaning it had both monks and nuns) and she played an active role in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity in this part of England during the 7th century. The abbey is best known as the site of the Synod of Whitby held in 664; it was at this meeting that the King of Northumbria decided that the Christian liturgical calendar in Northumbria would follow Rome's traditions of calculating Easter, rather than the Celtic traditions practiced at Iona, a major monastery in Scotland founded by Irish missionaries. This sounds silly, but it was actually a big deal at the time; both sides of the debate firmly believed their version of Christianity was superior/more correct, and the decision at Whitby spelled the doom of the Celtic version of Christianity for much of what we now call England. The abbey was destroyed by the Vikings in the 9th century, and the current ruins are what is left of the refounded monastery built in the late 11th century.

Of course, they can't make it easy to access the monastery. If you want to visit, you'll first have to climb up 199 steps and then it'll cost you 5 pounds to get in. But the steps aren't that bad, and you can get some really nice shots of the town from the stairs.

Whitby is also known for an important literary connection. Part of Bram Stoker's Dracula is set in Whitby. He used to summer in Whitby and contemplate the ruins of the abbey; in the book, Dracula arrives by ship, runs up the stairs, and hides out in the ruins. During the 1700s, Captain Cook lived in Whitby. The Captain was best known for his surveys and maps of the St Lawrence River and Newfoundland and for being the first European to sail to the east coast of Australia and Hawaii.

History lesson aside, Whitby is a really fun little seaside resort town. The harbor front has some rides and games, while the town itself is full of fun shops. You can tell it is a tourist town by the presence of ice cream _everywhere_. Whitby is an easy day trip from York, and if you are willing to rush things like we were, can be combined with a trip on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. But more on that later :)

An Adventure to the Lake District

I know, I've been really bad about posting for the last forever. But in my defense, I've been busy. So before I set out on a week-long road trip through Scotland on Monday, I thought I'd better get started on the backlog of entries to write up before I come back with even more pictures and stories to share.

Way back when, a friend & I went on a day trip to the Lake District. Oh my gosh, go there. It is absolutely beautiful. On the bus ride up, I snapped some photos of fields and sheep, as you do, and finally got decent shots of the fields of rapeseed.

Back in the States we know it as Canola as in canola oil. Its a big crop for the Yorkshire area and the UK as a whole and for a while there were tons of bright yellow fields around.

And here we go approaching the Lake District. The area is pretty mountainous for England and has lots of lakes and cute little towns, which serve as hot vacation destinations for both Brits and international visitors. It is also well-known for associations with Wordsworth and a slew of other 19th century poets, as well as for Beatrix Potter, who lived in the area and whose home you can now visit (for a fee) and have tea with some of her characters. Now enjoy some pretty pictures.

So as you can (hopefully) see, the region is gorgeous, and there's something for pretty much everyone. Some of the towns are clearly more tourist-centred and swarm with camera-wielding foreigners (guilty), but others are much more laid back and idyllic. There are boat rides and canoe rentals and theatres and restaurants and gorgeous gorgeous scenery. Not to mention these guys!

I tried to get some wool, but she'd just sold her last three bags full. Also, I'm putting up a slew more photos on flickr later today, so check there too :)

Everything Else (Istanbul part 7 of 7)

Ok, so I'm getting impatient and want to get on to other things. So here's a quick wrap up of Everything Else that I did in Istanbul and is worth a mention. Prepare for picture spammage.

I stayed in the Kumkapi area of Fatih. While Fatih itself is mostly known as a fairly traditional/conservative area, Kumkapi is mostly nice (read: expensive) restaurants, serving up fresh seafood to all the tourists who come in for the evening. In the background you can make out a little fish fountain as well as the site of the one attempt at purse snatching I had in Istanbul. But the guy was so completely obvious and bad about it that I hesitate to even credit it as an attempt. Although, I do have lightning fast reflexes when I sense something coming at my side after years of people attempting to poke my side and elicit squeaks, so maybe I should give the guy more credit. And really, even if he'd gotten my bag, all he'dve wound up with was a sweater, bottle of water, and a notebook. My momma didn't raise no fool ;)

Sirkeci Station, once the eastern-most end point for the Orient Express and now serves as both a train station and a stop on the little Metro-esque light rail that connects the 'burbs with the Old City. The main entrance to the station used to be through those doors, and now a little Orient Express Museum (free!) and a snack shop can be found here. The Museum is kind of neat, with photos from the hay day of the Orient Express, as well as parts from the trains, schematics, plans, etc etc. Not very big, but worth a look through if you're passing through the station.

Not much is left of the glamorous old-time Orient Express; the route shortened to just Paris to Vienna in the 1970s and then Strasbourg to Vienna in 2007 before finally ceasing altogether in 2009. But this guy still sits outside the station as a reminder of a bygone era.

Dondurma! That's ice cream for us English speakers. Sold seriously EVERYWHERE and delicious but unlike any ice cream I've ever had before. I can't even really explain it. It's sort of... stickier. Biting off a bit is much more effective than licking; licking just kind of moves it around rather than getting any into your mouth if that makes any sense. The guys selling it put on a little show and everything, tossing cones and scopes.

In between the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque, there's a big open plaza (with ATM if you need one in the area, and they can be tricky to find) and a little park area with loads of food stalls (hence the dondurma) and some grass and shade to enjoy. I liked the fountain. :)

Istiklal Caddesi in Beyoglu, across the Golden Horn on the northern side of European Istanbul is a main shopping thoroughfare. Shops are open late, and there are tons of shops, restaurants and bars in the area. I love that they still have Christmas decorations up. In May.

Hey look! I'm on the set of a Turkish soap opera! No really! They were filming Omre Bedel, a soap opera on Fox at one of the aforementioned Kumkapi area restaurants and the friend I was staying with was buddies with the restaurant owner, who insisted we come in and observe while he plied us with tea and some sort of pumpkin/cake/honey deliciousness.

I was attempting to be stealthy with my paparazzi photo taking, and not to worry, these weren't taken of the actual scenes, these are just the actors hanging out. But see the guy on the left? You can also see him at the 10 second mark in this promo for the show- proof that I'm not making this all up! Omre Bedel promo over at YouTube

That's my water and dessert, but totally prop wine and salad. Probably the most surreal experience of my life to date.

And you really can't go to Istanbul and not see the Grand Bazaar, right? Well, I probably could have lived without the experience, but I can say I've been. I'm told you aren't going to get much of a great deal there (and I'd believe it), and if you aren't terrible confrontational and occasionally have trouble saying no, this is probably not the best place for you to shop. Especially since prices are jacked up with the expectation that you'll try to haggle them down. But there is all kinds of stuff you probably don't need, all for sale under one roof. One very large, confusing, maze-like roof. Ok, the roof isn't maze-like, but you get the idea. I of course got completely turned around, thought I went out a door that I clearly did not go out of and then proceeded to get sort-of majorly lost in the narrow, shop-lined streets surrounding the bazaar. Luckily the dome of Istanbul University makes for a handy landmark and I was able to get myself turned the right way around.

Near the Blue Mosque just outside of the Arasta Bazaar area is the Mosaic Museum. It isn't very big, and isn't very well known perhaps, but it is well marked, so it's easy enough to find. I highly recommend a visit. They have all of the excavated mosaics from a peristyle courtyard of Constantine's Great Palace found under the Arasta Bazaar.

These are pretty much one of a kind mosaics- there aren't any other high status surviving Byzantine mosaic works of this kind [EDIT: Ok, so there are plenty of Byzantine mosaics from the Hagia Sophia, but those date to the 11th-12th centuries mostly, while these are more like 6th century. So I guess I should say these are the earliest of their kind that we know of], so scholars have no other examples to compare them to in order to do any kind of stylistic comparison. While the museum is little more than a large warehouse with bare bones curatorial work, it does include really interesting signs discussing the discovery, recovery, and preservation of the mosaics. If you're so inclined, you can find more pictures of the mosaics over on my flickr page in the Istanbul set.

Taking a stroll along the bank of the Golden Horn, I stopped and grabbed a grilled fish sandwich, of course I can't think of what they're called now, but it was delicious. And then grabbed a twister ice cream and sighed, thinking the same thing costs me about double in the UK. And then sighed again thinking that it is a shame that the US doesn't have Twister pops at all, because they are marvelous.

And because one bazaar isn't enough, head on over to the Egyptian Bazaar (or Spice Bazaar as it is also known) to get your fill of teas, spices, herbs, more tourist trinkets, etc. According to my Rough Guide, you aren't getting a bargain at most of these stalls, but there are apparently one or two that do charge realistic prices. But the smell alone is almost worth stopping by for, especially around the tea stalls. Yum.

And thus, I bid you adieu Istanbul. You were fantastic. And so was I. Cookies if you get the reference. But seriously, it was an amazing trip and I'm glad I got the chance to go. I'd like to be able to go back and see some of the rest of Turkey. But Istanbul is a fantastic city, where you really do literally see East meet West in an explosion of colours, tastes, textures, smells, and tiny, unmarked streets, usually running uphill. Go if you get the chance, and if you go, eat the manti!

Topkapi Palace Proper (Istanbul part 6 of 7)

Last time, Topkapi Palace Harem got the spotlight. Now for the rest of the palace, or at least what was open when I was there. I don't know if they're renovating large parts of it or what, but big chunks were closed to the public that day, including the outer Imperial Treasury (there's another one in an inner courtyard that was open), which is supposed to have a neat collection of arms and armor. If you haven't read the previous entry, read it first because I put some general intro info on the palace proper there. Now, (because I've been watching too much Doctor Who) as the Doctor would say, Allons-y!

After passing through the first court and purchasing your tickets to enter, you emerge in the second court.

It is around this court yard that the chambers associated with the Divan, the Council of State, were located. The court itself is full of flowers and ancient cypress trees, and when Topkapi itself was still in use as a palace, would have been home to (according to my guidebook), peacocks, gazelles, and fountains supplied with running water from Yerebatan Sarnici, that cistern I wrote about awhile back. The Divan chambers themselves are located off the court, along with the entrance to the Harem and the kitchens that supplied food for the Divan.

The Divan building was where the council met to decide matters of state, as well as to listen to petitioners, who would congregate on the court while waiting their turn to speak. You can also take one of 2 daily tours up the Divan Tower, which is supposed to have awesome views of the Bosphorus. It was closed when I was there- check at the ticket gate for times & availability.

The Babussaade, or the Gate of Felicity serves as the entrance to the third court, where the buildings of the palace school were located. After passing through the gate, you immediately come upon the throne room, which is actually more like the throne building.

The throne room or Audience Chamber as it is sometimes referred to, sits immediately behind the gate in order to block views into the third courtyard, which was strictly guarded so that only the chosen few could enter. This is where the sultan would wait to receive decisions made by the Divan and either approve or disapprove of them, and where he would meet with foreign dignitaries, etc. The doorway on the opposite side of the building looks out over the gardens and fountains of the rest of the courtyard.

Not a bad place to relax and stop to smell the flowers.

Beyond the Throne Room in the center of the court is the Ahmet III Library, where students at the palace school could study and read the extensive collection of theological and legal texts.

And like every other building in Istanbul from this time period, the interior is adorned with those blue and white Iznik tiles. In case you're wondering, the bookshelves are empty because the manuscripts are now housed in a separate building.

Along the sides of the third courtyard are buildings containing the (inner) Imperial Treasury rooms, with all kinds of really cool stuff to see, ranging from jewelry, to swords, to medals, thrones, relics, Muhammad's beard (three pieces if I recall correctly), turban ornaments, etc etc etc. This is the area where crowds can become problematic and queues can form during the afternoon. But well worth seeing, but alas no photography inside. But! About halfway through the treasury rooms, you emerge in an open courtyard with really nice views of the Bosphorus.

Not that really nice views of the Bosphorus are hard to come by at Topkapi. Hello, Asia! Ok, moving on. After checking out all the pretties, you can proceed to the fourth courtyard, which was limited to the royal family and their attendants. The fourth courtyard is lots of pavilions and gardens and gorgeous views out over the water.

See? This little viewing platform is adjacent to the Mecidiye Kosku, which now operates as the Konyali Cafe, serving food both indoors and at outside tables- but views like this come with a price. Take the street value and multiply it by 3-4 and that's about what they charge. Short on Turkish Liras? They'll be happy to take the equivalent value in Euros or USD.

Here's the Mecidiye Kosku itself, the last building erected at Topkapi. Keep going straight and down a flight of stairs for the garden terrace.

The fourth courtyard is home to a number of fountains, a tulip garden, and all kinds of pavilions, many of which are under going renovation work so they're all spiffy for Istanbul's tenure as European Capital of Culture 2010. What, we're already halfway through 2010? Whoops. But I'm sure they'll be lovely once they are reopened.

I still kind of wonder if there is some kind of giant conspiracy that everywhere I go, big tourist attractions are undergoing conservation/renovation work. Either that, or EVERYTHING in the world started falling apart around 2005 and work has continued since then. But I digress.

The exterior of the Circumcision Pavilion is covered with Iznik tiles of various designs, and are supposed to include some of the very best of these 16th-17th century tiles. Beyond the Circumcision Pavilion is a terrace looks out over the Golden Horn to the other side of European Istanbul. Incidentally, this terrace is also where Ibrahim I, one of those sultans that emerged from the Cage quite insane, held all kinds of... interesting parties. We'll leave it at that.

And at the end of the terrace is the Baghdad Pavilion.

And a girl who walked right into my picture. But oh well. The pavilion was built to celebrate the conquest of Baghdad in 1638.

The interior is all kind of fancy, with inlaid precious stones and tortoise shell. Whew.

THE END!