Ok, to start off, I am no long going to be sending mass Emails. I really have little to talk about at this point outside of these adventures. I could moan and complain about how much I cannot stand being a graduate student, but you all don't really want to hear that. So I would advise that you check this site every two weeks or so from now on to check for new website updates. I will continue putting up extraordinary stories or trips that I might take. You're also more than welcome to engage me with an Email (which I really enjoy), and I will respond to it with how I am doing- but I have grown tired with these impersonal mass emailings.
That out of the way- so how did Simon spend his Turkey Day? I had the day off of school just by happenstance really- not because they celebrate Turkey Day here. So I decided to use the day off and go on another of my grand adventures. I feel like I have seen a number of cathedrals already, and I really wanted to see a castle! All the castles up north here (north of the river Humber) shut down after October, and they open back up in April. So I had to travel south of the river Humber, which will be the first time I have done so since my first day in England.
So I woke up early, and I left my room at 9am to walk down to the rail station. I decided to go to Lincoln, which has a castle and a Minster, so I figured I could hit two birds with one stone. The train ride took me down to Sheffield, and it took me about an hour to get there. Sheffield is a pretty big city, and it reminded me a lot of Hull (i.e. an American city). At Sheffield, I transferred to another train, and I made my way to Lincoln, which was at the end of the line. Lincoln, like Beverley, is off the beaten track, so I had to ride another hour and a half to get there (so a total of two and a half hours). Once I got to Lincoln, like all other medieval towns here, I walk off the train and there is the cathedral. The train station is down in the valley, but the Minster is up on a steep hill (kind of like Berkeley). So I made my way past the Green Dragon pub, and climbed up the hill towards the Minster. I was looking for the castle, but I couldn't see it. I thought for a few minutes that perhaps I had read the wrong instructions as far as the castle and maybe it was in a different town. I couldn't see it anywhere.
As I approached the Minster, I saw a street sign pointing in a direction and it said 'castle' on it. So I turned away from the Minster and headed towards the castle. Lincoln Castle is my first official castle visit ever! York only has a tower, and Duhram castle was closed when I went there. So I paid my admission, and I walked the castle wall! It was really cool. I got to go into the guard towers, and walk the narrow stairs- all the good stuff. I even got to climb up to the topmost tower of the castle, and I got some good photos of the Minster from there. The Keep of the castle was really cool too! I have been pinning to get a chance to walk around a castle, and today was my day. It just so happens too, that the Magna Charta is at Lincoln Castle, so I went in and checked that out. I got a duplicate of it to hang on my wall too.
After touring the castle, I went over to the Minster, which is only a hop-skip and a jump away. I was actually able to sneak in piggy-backing behind some local students. I didn't get charged- but I actually liked the place so much I went back after I was done touring around and paid my admissions. Lincoln Minster is like the third largest cathedral in England, or something like that. It is freaken huge, like York Minster. Lincoln Minster had some cool details like Beverley, some huge marble columns, and it was nicely restored in a lot of places. I shot a total of over 150 pictures today, so I have way more than I can show. I spent a good amount of time touring both the Minster and the Castle, and I walked in the door to my room at York around 8pm. I had a long day.
I have to say that I loved the castle and the Minster, but I ran into a number of hostile people while at Lincoln. The lady who I paid my admissions to for the castle was not all that nice to me after she heard me speak. In fact, her smile just fell off her face. Then she asked me where I was from in the States- I told her a 'blue' state hoping to avoid the inevitable. But she couldn't help to throw barbs at me about Bush. I really think she thought that I would take offense, but I just agreed with her and broke off the conversation. Later when I went to see the Magna Charta, which is guarded by this old dude- he told me that Bush was scheduled to rent the Magna Charta and bring it to the States for a while -so maybe that had something to do with the lady's animosity? I don't know? People are generally pretty cool about it once I tell them I agree with them, but a couple people in Lincoln were not so obliged. The old dude guarding the Magna Charta was really a nice guy, and he told me all about the document, and a lot of other stuff I wasn't really interested in. He was a little put off when I started reading the Latin out to him- I guess he is accustomed to being the resident expert. But in the end, he just seemed happy to have someone to listen to his various stories. When another group of tourists walked in, one of the guys heard me say I was from California (because the old guy asked me), and the new guy turned and looked at me real mean and said 'Bloody Americans!' I realized at that point it was probably time for me to leave. To top it off, I had another guy at the Minster make a snide comment to me too, and then he shouted at me as I was walking away. You'd think I was Bush reincarnate or something over here the way they reacted to me at Lincoln. Of course, that is only three people, but I have not met that kind of hostility before while being here in England. Just goes to show that the older generations may think we are great because we helped them beat the Germans, but the impression on the following generations is being reformed with our president's current policy. These are our allies here too- I am really considering whether I should ever bother with going to France. There will be a bigger price to pay for all this, and I fear our children and grandchildren are going to be the one's who really suffer.
Notes on Lincoln Castle: It was one of the first castles built by William the Conqueror in 1068. He actually demolished all the local dwellings of the resident Saxons and Danes, and he used the wood to construct the sucker. Too bad for the locals! It lasted for only a few years before it burnt down, and then they built a new one out of stone (reminds me of Monty Python Holy Grail). The stonework has been redone a couple times over the years, but they have stuck with the original design. Before the Cathedral was built, the Castle was the dominating structure of the region.
Notes on Lincoln Minster: The Minster was started in 1086, and it went through a number of upgrades until it was finished in the 1400s. It is funny because an earthquake knocked the sucker down in 1185! I asked if they have earthquakes now, the lady there replied with much feeling, 'Heavens no, that would be dreadful!' I didn't think so, but I just wanted to see how she would respond. It also caught fire and burned a bit, but that was before it was totally finished in mid 1400s. The Chapter House of the Cathedral was where one of the first English Parliaments was held by Edward I in 1301.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures of the Castle and Minster, and I hope you all had a nice Holiday.