Posts Tagged: Norman

Wintry

Posted by & filed under art + photography, photos + text from the road.

Chichester Cathedral

Fri Nov. 23, 2007 – Today was a big day for travel. Mom and I started out the day after checking out of the lovely & funky Litten House B&B by walking over to the Chichester Cathedral.
The dreary rain of Ireland and the off and on rain of Wednesday had fully cleared out and a good wintry wind came in its stead. I was all bundled up and it was brisk to say the least. Of course, I loved the clear, clean, cold air. Not only was it invigorating but it made for great exterior photographic light all day, be it at Chichester or Stonehenge or Old Sarum.
The wind bit the most and was downright cold on the Salisbury plain as we hurriedly trotted around Stonehenge. Mom wondered if it was warmer when they built Stonehenge out on that hill.
Tonight we walked from our B&B down to town to have dinner and it didn’t feel as cold as this afternoon, due to lack of wind, but when I checked the temperature it was 32F or 0C!
Our “Stones: Cathedrals and Circles” tour of Southern England will continue tomorrow as we will visit the Salisbury Cathedral in the morning and Avebury in the afternoon before moving on to Oxford tomorrow evening.

London’s Jewel – St. Bartholomew the Great

Posted by & filed under art + photography, photos + text from the road.

St. Bartholomew the Great from the outside Gate from the Hospital Sq. to the Church, 15th cent. West Entrance to St. Bart's Oldest Baptismal Font in Use in London Ambulatory at St. Bart's The Choir The Transcept The Choir Ceiling, last restored in the 1890s Ambulatory Windows, and thick Romanesque walls Original 1100s Romanesque arches, with later more "Gothic" Arches in Ambulatory The Thick Romanesque Piers Looking from the Ambulatory to the Choir Gothic or Tudor triparte windows Tudor era gate between the hospital and the church yard The External Layers of St. Bart's

Thanks to my high school World History instructor, Mr. Giroux, and my freshman in college history professor, Dr. B. Bradford Blaine , I have a deep and abiding first love of medieval art, architecture, history, and accomplishments (go visit the Magna Carta, if you doubt anything good could have come from 450 A.D. to 1500 A.D.).
Mr. Giroux was the best sort of extra bright and eccentric teacher for a 15 year old to have. He taught several generations of high school students and was a couple of years away from retirement by the time I passed through his class in 1982-1983. He started out the day by saying to me, “Miss Hanen, your uncle John (class of 1969) was one of the best students I have ever had, I expect you to do better.” I had no choice, I did. When my brother arrived the next year, Joe received the following speach, “Mr. Hanen, your uncle John and your sister Jenifer were two of the best students I have ever had, I expect you to do better.” He didn’t, but Joe still loves all things history and medieval regardless of his performance in Mr. Giroux’s class.
Long memories and family jokes aside, Mr. Giroux spent about 1/3 of the year covering the middle ages when they were only 1,000 years out of a potential 10,000 to cover. Mr. Giroux was openly and deeply in love with Eleanor of Aquitaine, of which their separation in centuries and stations in life is why he never married. Best of all, when Mr. Giroux retired the LA Times did a big article on his full scale model of Aquitaine that inhabited his whole living room and took 30 years to build.
How could one not fall in love with all things 500 – 1500 A.D. with a 9th grade history teacher like Mr. Giroux?

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