The Grand Old Duke of York

 SONG - English Folk Music   https://youtu.be/-6ada8ZSSxM?si=98JUomatA_2F8OiZ

(Like I said yesterday - sometimes I can link it with the title and sometimes it just doesn’t cooperate)

Day 26 - Sat. May 25

We got on the road fairly early Saturday morning driving South towards York along the coastal route.  

A castle on an island through my car window while Mr. B was whizzing us by……

We drove into Berick-upon-tweed along the North Sea and drove through this little hole in the wall…..

And found a nice place to eat breakfast/lunch and to sit outside in the sunshine and feel the salt air. Quiches & salad. Perfect. 

Our next stop was the Home of Hardy Fishing Museum in Alnwick. Guess whose pick that was?  Nope, we had to pass it by as we were both ready to get to our hotel in York. 

Pulled up around 5 and a doorman met us in full dress - plus check out those top hat topiaries!

Did I mention that the English love to put cucumber in their Gin & Tonics?  

It was interesting to do some people watching in the hotels bar “1906”….my lips are sealed….

Our room here looks out over the city walls built by the Romans & Vikings!

Hello York!

How Old???

Song - The Memory Of The Trees by Enya

The Old Olive Tree - Pont du Gard, France

A plaque has been set in the ground near this tree and it reads: 

“I was born in 908 AD in Spain and was planted by the Pont du Gard in 1988 – 1080 years later.”

How would you like to be the gardener responsible for replanting this tree???

Pont du Gard - A Roman Aquaduct

Built 1st Century AD

"Learn character from trees, 

values from roots and change from leaves."

-- Tasneem Hameed

Slàinte Mhath

 

Wednesday we headed out of the Lake District and spent some time at Castlerigg Stone Circle just outside of Keswick. When we first arrived there were lots of people but they slowly drifted away and it was just Mr. B and myself (and some sheep) left to enjoy the stones on a beautiful warm day. 

 

Next we headed to the Lanercost Priory near Carlisle and the Scottish boarder. 

 

The small church was left intact but the priory which dates back to 1169 is now pretty much the bones of the building but striking in its own way. 

Nearby were bits of Hadrian's Wall & foundations of Roman forts that at one time stretched across Northern England near the boarder of Scotland. 

 

It was begun in AD 122 and was built to protect the Romans (who had conquered the rest of Britain) from those wild Scottish barbarians. 

One more stop on our way up to Glasgow......

 

What remains of my family's castle - Crawford Castle!

The Crawford Castle was built in the 12th century on the River Clyde which runs through Glasgow as well. It stands on the former site of a Roman Fort dating back to AD 80.  

On our first night in Scotland our cute Scottish waitress Isola says "Where are you from? You have quite an accent!"

Our response in unison "So do you!"

We all laughed and shared travel stories. 

Word of the day - Slàinte Mhath = Good Health (cheers) & pronounced slawn-ge-var (yes....really!)