Ephesians 4:32
Dear Reader: Here is
an accounting of a Holiday I had in Great Britain. This wasn’t so
much of a spiritual journey, but rather a journey of me just plain
having some fun.
I had an invitation
to visit the friend who lived in Hoddesdon to visit his new home in
Cleator Moor and tour the Lake District. I had also known of a
concert in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank in London. This
sounded like it would make for a nice holiday so on that note, I
commenced with making the arrangements. I will be honest, I was ready
to see my friends in Great Britain and of course, worship in my
church there, St. Philips.
I had bought an airline ticket with
no difficulty but there is always a fly in the ointment. It seems the
roomlet where I normally stay in South London wouldn’t be available
because the people that own it would be on holiday during the time I
would be there and I had needed a room for six of the eleven days.
After some hasty scrambling on the web letting my mouse do the
walking, I finally settled on a hotel in Streatham Hill, The Leigham
Court Hotel. This was all well and fine except it drove the cost of
the holiday way over budget. I am glad I choose to stay there though
as it made running around a lot easier since I was only several
minutes walk from Bus and Trains. As far as the rest of the major
tickets I needed, my friend from Cleator Moor took care of the
bookings.
On the eve of May seventh I was in
the air, London bound. This was something of an uneventful flight not
withstanding the fact we were over twenty minutes late leaving!After we landed, we went through
immigration and then to pick up our bags. Typical of the airline I
had ridden, my bag was nowhere to be found. I had filled out a claim
form and proceeded to my hotel, as there was no use in hanging around
fretting. I had asked for a little help and it was given me. Again,
the power of prayer at work. After I checked into my hotel, I called
Canon Washington to confirm our meeting for tea at the Vicarage.
As I went to the
Vicarage, I had to wait for a bus. A woman came to where I was seated
on a storefront windowsill and sat beside me. The outstanding feature
about this woman is she is crippled and has to use crutch’s to get
around. I shamefully admit, when I first saw her I was a bit
indignant this person would choose me to sit next to. When I realised
just how difficult it was for her to get around, I suddenly had
compassion for her. I think she may have been afflicted with a stroke
or some similar malady. When seated, she asked me if I could get her
a drink of water to which I went into the store whose windowsill we
were seated on and bought her a bottle. We chatted for a bit and when
her bus came, she struggled to get to it. Seeing this as a problem
for her, I immediately went ahead of her and asked the driver to wait
as there was a rider coming who is physically challenged. When she
got on the bus, she looked back at me and thanked me for my kindness.
My bus came soon
afterwards and I proceeded to the Vicarage without further incident.
I arrived and was warmly greeted by Canon Washington and his wife. We
chatted, had Tea and homemade Scones and in general had a very nice
get together. When I was finished there, I went to the park on top of
Pollards Hill and had a period of meditation and prayer.
On the way back to
Streatham Hill, I stopped by the Norbury Methodist Church and offered
a word of prayer on their behalf. On the way up, I had also stopped
at Sainsburys to pick up some essential toiletries I thought I would
need. As it was, when I got back to the hotel, my bag was sitting
there intact. Of course I was greatly relieved but now I had the
problem of returning the goods I had just bought. After some rest, I
cleaned up, had some supper and went to bed. Needless to say, I was
exhausted from the travel and the events of the day.
The following day, I
woke and had breakfast and went to London Victoria to meet my friend
from Cobham. After a warm greeting, we went to the South Bank; I had
wanted to check out the exact location of the Queen Elizabeth Hall
where we were to attend a concert on Sunday. When we were done that
we passed the London Eye and this time, I finally had a chance to
ride it. Whilst we were riding it, he pointed out many sights to me,
which in turn will make future travel around the city easier when I’m
on my own. After the ride, we toured the St. Pancras Station where
the Euro Star Train now arrives and leaves. After which we had lunch
and then went to Westminster Abbey in hopes of attending Evensong. As
it was, it was decided since I was to meet my Russian friend at eight
in the evening, we wouldn’t have time to do this. So we went back
to London Victoria and when we arrived at the South East Terminal,
there was a Clan Line Steam Engine sitting the with Orient Express
Carriages behind it. One thing I will say for Great Britain, there
are a lot of privately owned Steam Engines that are allowed to run
over mainline tracks. This is something that is almost unheard of
anymore in America.
After the Steam
Train had left, we went to our respective destinations and this is
where it became a real rat race for me .
I had to rush to my hotel, shower, shave and all of that stuff and
catch the tube to London Kings Cross station to meet my Russian
friend. It had been a rather warm day and down in the tube, the
carriages were very hot and noisy not only with the noise of the
train, but all of the other commuters talking as well. I know I was
only on it for about 20 or so minutes, but in all honesty, it seemed
like forever. I finally got to Kings Cross and went to the surface to
try and find my friend. I finally found him. He explained his train
had been late coming in from France. After he got settled in at his
hotel, we decided we would have supper at a Wetherspoons. I didn’t
know it but the nearest one was about a 25 minute, somewhat brisk
walk away. He had asked me if I wanted to ride the bus but I, like an
idiot, declined not realising just how far of a walk it was. We
finally arrived and much to our dismay, we had to eat in the
downstairs dining area. This would have been fine except, being a
Friday night, the place was quite packed and the crowd was very
noisy. We had our meal and a few pints as well as a nice a chat as
possible under the circumstances and went our respective ways for the
night. I had to change trains at a tube station but I was forced to a
bus because of a fire in the tube station. I found out that any bus
marked “Victoria” would take me London Victoria, which is where I
wanted to go.
Saturday dawned warm
and hazy, somewhat unusual for England in general but not too rare
for South London. Everybody was complaining about the buses and
trains not having air conditioning and British Transportation says
it’s “in the works” to do so. However, this weather doesn’t
occur here like it does in America and quite frankly, I don’t see
doing something like that as making good business sense.
I had spent the
morning and part of the afternoon returning the toiletries I had
bought but didn’t need as well as looking for a Laundromat as well
as some more shorts. I hadn’t anticipated warm weather like this
and packed only for the normal cool, damp weather that is found
there. Much to my chagrin, the shops either didn’t have the summer
clothes out yet or didn’t have my size. Seems at a waist 40, I am a
bit bigger than most Brits.
After all was said
and done I went to a small eatery that is run by some Portuguese
people and had some lunch. I was surprised of how generous the
portions were for the price and the quality was there as well. I
returned to my hotel and took a nap. That evening I was to attend a
meet and greet of some new friends in Croydon.
The time finally
rolled around and I made my way to Croydon, I was to meet everybody
at the “George Pub” on George Street. This place is another
Wetherspoons and I recommend it to anyone. I walked in and walked
right past where some friends were sitting and went straight to the
bar where the friend from Westbury was getting some drinks for the
others. After a warm greeting I joined the others. It was decided to
wait for a new friend from Canada and another from Sweden. After a
bit we decided to go ahead and eat as we were very hungry and the
pints on an empty stomach were starting to take their toll.
Just as we had
ordered, the new friend from Canada arrived; this was good timing for
him since we were just ordering. We finally got our respective meals
and over the next several hours, we enjoyed each others company very
much with many jokes filled with lots of laughter. This was an
interesting mix of people. We had two Brits, a Canadian, a Russian
and myself, an American around one table. This is the nice thing
about music, there are no barriers concerning race, creed, colour or
nationality. I really don’t think, the boys who comprise Libera,
are really aware of just how many friendships their music has wrought
that span the globe.
After we were done
our little party we went to our respective hotels for the night. We
were to meet at St. Philips the next morning for worship service.
The next morning we
met at St. Philips for worship and it was at this time I met the new
friend from Sweden and his wife and several other Brits whom I did
not know. With one exception, I have found all of the people I have
met [because of our common interest in the music of Libera/ St.
Philips Boys Choir] to be truly very nice people. I don’t care
where one goes in the world, people are people and for the most part
we all have for the most part the same hope, fears and loves.
Also, members of St.
Philips I have come to know over the past several years very warmly
greeted me
As I have said
before, I have been allowed to call St. Philips home when I’m
visiting and I have been made to feel as if I do indeed belong. After
a lovely service, we went to the Albert Pub on Victoria Street for
some lunch. I first had to go back to my hotel to get another pair of
reading glasses as I had broken the pair I had with me during the
church service. When I told my friend from Westbury about it, his
comment was he thought I was a “bloody walking disaster”. Oh
well, crap happens.
After I retrieved my
spare glasses, I went to London and with the aid of cell phones; I
was able to meet up with the others. It was also at this time I was
able to contact my friend from Cleator Moor and have him meet up with
us at the Albert Pub
It was a very nice
warm sunny day so we were able to sit outside some and enjoy the
weather. Whilst sitting outside I was able to provide other tourist
with directions on sights they wanted to see. I consider this a bit
of an irony since I am an American telling Brits how to get around
their own Capital City.
We had also eaten at
the Albert Pub and I might point out here the specials for the day is
served cafeteria style from the bar. The food was very good and
considering the location of this establishment, very reasonably
priced. This is another pub I would highly recommend to anybody.
After “supper”,
we had to take a rather brisk walk to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which
is located in the “South Bank Center”, the performing arts
complex.
After the social
pleasantries, we went into the auditorium and took our seats. Our
seats had been somewhat relocated because there were speakers set up
right in front of them and our view of the stage would have been
blocked.
I am going to cheat
a bit and insert the scanned pages of the programme for the concert.
Since this letter will be a bit of a long one, I think I will take
some liberties.
And
As you can see, we
were treated to a lot of very lovely music along with some commentary
and comedy from the choir. As always, I am never disappointed by a
Libera concert. Afterwards we had a meet and greet where the choir
gave their autographs and we were also allowed to photograph them. In
all, it was a fantastic evening.
Afterwards, the
friend from Cleator Moor had to catch the train back to where he was
staying and the rest of us decided to go have a pint [or two]. There
were no places open around the South Bank area so we went to a pub in
Clapham for them.
After we had our
“mini party” we went to Clapham Junction to catch our respective
trains. In the concourse of the station, we said our goodbyes. I was
a bit taken back at the fact the friend from Westbury gave me
something of a bear hug. This is normally not a British thing and I
was somewhat surprised. Of course, I reciprocated and went to my
platform feeling very good about my friends and myself. You have to
remember, before 2005 I was something of a loner and really didn’t
have that many friends that I would call close and even fewer people
I love like I have now .
The next morning I
prepared to meet my friend from Cleator Moor to go to his home with
him for the week.
I had one slight
delay; I had rented a cell phone from the PC Planet and when the shop
didn’t open at the normal time, I became very concerned about
making my connection In London Euston. Finally one of the shop
keepers arrived and after we got my rental sorted out I was on my
way.
I met my friend in
London Euston and it was still early enough to have some tea before
leaving. After a bit we Finally boarded our train and before you knew
it we were on our way at 125 MPH on Virgin Trains.
We finally arrived
at Penrith where we picked up his car and proceeded to Cleator Moor
via his special spot, Ennerdale. It was late afternoon and the
daylight was about the same as in a photograph he sent me once. It is
indeed a lovely spot that is also very serene. This particular lake
is used for domestic drinking water, therefore there is no fishing or
boating allowed in it.
I might point out
here these lakes and fells are the product of glacial activity some
10,000 years ago
What has been left
behind is truly God’s handiwork for beauty. After we spent some
time looking the area over, we went to his home, had some supper and
retired for the night.
The next morning he
took me to a Laundromat so I could wash my clothes, I was running
out! When this was taken care of he took me to a friend of his place
and presented me. After the social pleasantries, we got in the car
and proceeded to go to Ravenglass where there is a miniature steam
railway affectionately known as the 'La’al Ratty' (local name for
the Ravenglass/Eskdale Railway). I was impressed by the
neat, clean well-organised railway this is. All of the buildings and
equipment are in good repair and if one looks in the repair shop,
they will see equipment in various stages of rebuilding such as the
loco seen below.
It
was decided to have our guide and myself take the train ride to
Dalegarth where my host would pick us up and we would continue our
tour for the day. We boarded the train, which was being pulled by a
4-8-4-wheel arraignment locomotive otherwise known as a “Northern”
type.
We
were soon off and I was very surprised at the power this little loco
had. It handled some pretty stiff grades with no difficulty.
It
was a bright sunny day in mid May with unseasonably high temperatures
with most of the trees being in near or full leaf. It is very much a
pastoral setting where time seems to stand still. Here is a shot of
the Eskdale from the train.
Sadly,
I didn’t keep notes on what we did on what day after this.
Therefore I will just tell you about the highlights and try to keep
some semblance of a correct time line.
After
we were picked up at Dalegarth Station, we went to Keswick for tea
and sweet cakes after which we decided to go over Hardknott Pass to
visit the Roman Fort that had once been there. As we were ascending
the mountain I just happened to look back and I saw a wonderful
panorama. I commented about this to my host and we were out of the
car with cameras in tow in short order. I was able to get this photo
of Great Langdale from the brow of the Wrynose Pass.
After
we were done taking our photos, we proceeded to go to the Roman Fort
on the other side of the mountain. There isn’t too much left of the
fort outside of the foundations for the walls of the buildings that
once stood there. One interesting feature was the bath. At one time
there was a streamlet that flowed through the bath creating a cold
bath, a hot bath and a steam room all in one building.
This
was pretty ingenious in my opinion for having the comforts of home
where a soldier would be stationed.
From
this vantage point you can also see the upper Eskdale Valley with
Scafell Pike in the background.
In
all, this is a very lovely site to visit.
We
went to a place known as Rannerdale. The outstanding thing of this
area is all of the Blue Bells that were in bloom all over the slopes
at the foot of Whiteless Pike. I’m told the Blue Bells are now an
endangered species because of non-native plants that have been
introduced in the area.
However,
it is still very pretty to look at, as you will see in the photo
below.
We had also visited
an area known as Wasdale Head, England’s deepest lake [Wast Water].
This is overshadowed by England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike.
One of the
outstanding sights in this area is the way the mountains are being
broken down by the successive freezes in the winter. The rock piles
at the base of the mountain range are called the “Screes”. From a
distance it looks like fairly small gravel but in reality, some of
the stones are maybe a meter in size. I would imagine the mountains
were quite a bit taller at one time
While we were
driving in this area, we stopped a church that is used by the local
farmers, St Olafs; which is built out of the stone from the
mountains. Sadly I don’t have any photos of the outside but here is
one of the inside.
There is one thing I
found interesting about the stone from these mountains; it seems just
about all of the older buildings and enclosures all over England were
built from this stone. After the one Enclosures act which was passed
I think in 1845, this work was done to help fight poverty by putting
laborers to work. The country at that time was in a severe recession,
one that makes today’s recession look not so bad.
We also went to an
area known as Borrowdale. The outstanding feature of this area is
the “Bowder Stone” A giant boulder that was left standing on a
corner from the last Ice age.
While we were
admiring the area, we thought we heard music and after some
investigation, we found a husband and wife on top of the stone
playing Medieval Music using Recorders. We went to the top and after
the usual social pleasantries; the couple asked if we would like them
to leave so we could explore the top of the rock. We declined their
generous offer with a request they keep playing. They were a bit shy
about it but I assured them there was no problem with the quality of
their playing especially since I don’t play anything at all.
I really enjoyed the
visit to this place. Here I am, 3900 miles from home sitting in the
woods on top of a relic left over from the last Ice Age listening to
Medieval Music. Whilst they were playing I closed my eyes and
proceeded to become very relaxed, after a bit, as I opened my eyes
and at that time symphony of birds joined in with their chorus making
for a very lovely sound. I looked up at the sylvan setting and then
to the sky and felt in total awe of the natural cathedral God has
given us. It was at this moment I truly felt the presence of the
Lord. In my humble opinion, the magnificent temples to God that man
has built are indeed grand but in all honesty, when you have
surroundings like this, you are in the true temple of our creator and
really don’t need anything else.
We had also toured a
number of other places, however I think I will set the stage for a
book my host has written called the “Armchair Fell walker”. This
has not been published as of this writing but I will let you know as
soon as it is. The one last place I wish to comment on is the visit
to the “Lakeside and Haverthwaite Rail Way”.
When British Rail
did a so-called streamlining of it’s services, many of the smaller
branch lines were abandoned. As a result, heritage railway enthusiast
restored many of these lines to working order and they serve the
purpose of educating the public on how Railways used to be operating
with steam and early diesel. In this particular case, the trip
offered runs from Haverthwaite to Lakeside meaning the lakeside of
Windermere.
This is a short but
nice run with a 0-6-0-tank engine and maybe five carriages.
After we arrived at
the lake, we were able to get some pricing for the cruises offered on
boats that were originally run on steam power but are now motorized.
Sadly, we didn’t
have the chance to take a ride due to time constraints. However, this
something that is still on my to-do list.
We returned to
Haverthwaite and went back to Cleator Moor via a road my host had
never been on before. Of course we got to see many more of the
wonderful sights of the Fells.
For the evening
activities, I was presented to many of my host friends of whom one is
the owner of a pub. We had a number of meals there and had very nice
time whilst doing it. We also had several suppers in my host home
where I was treated to Cullen Skink which is a fish soup made with
smoked Haddock and potatoes. This is a cream based soup, which I
found to be very good. We also had Smoked Salmon on Lettuce and
boiled potatoes. I will say, when here, I do indeed eat very well.
One night our tour guide ate with us and while we were waiting for
supper, I had allowed him to read my letters. He was a bit surprised
of my knowledge of GREAT Britain and began to understand why I call
it my “adopted country”. On the last night there, I was treated
to a lovely steak supper at the friend’s pub. It was at his time I
realised that I had been truly accepted by these people as a friend.
We had to hire a taxi to take us home because there was no designated
driver. When we had arrive at my host home, our tour guide said to me
“Terry, please get Out of the car, I
want to give you a hug”. You will never have any idea of how I felt
receiving this small act of affection from someone who was a
stranger.
The next day my host
drove me to Carlisle to visit the cathedral there whilst waiting for
my train. The visit was cut short because of a wedding that was to
take place. One thing I was privileged to hear was Andrew Johnston
leading the choir into the sanctuary during the processional hymn.
I’m sure I will visit this place again and if I do, you will get to
hear about my visit. My train arrived and my host saw me off with a
warm farewell. As I was traveling back to London, I had time to
reflect on the past several days. It didn’t take too long to
realise I had been truly blessed with what I had been given in
friendship and witnessing God’s Glory as revealed in the Fells.
I had arrived
somewhat late in London but I still had time to clean up and go to my
favourite watering hole, “Moon under Water” A.K.A. Wetherspoons,
Norbury. After supper I went back to my hotel and crashed.
The next morning, I
went to St. Philips for church. The parishioners as well as my friend
from Cobham, Kent and my Russian friend greeted me. After a nice
service we had the tea social and I was able to say hello to some of
the older boys and shake hands with them. I might point out here that
due to changes in British Law, contact with children under the age of
16 in not permitted and can land you in jail. I personally think this
a bit over the top when I consider the fact that in this case, the
letter of the law is being followed instead of a more practical
spirit of the law. In the sanctity of the church, there is no reason
supervised contact can’t be made. However, this is the paranoia
that has now gripped the country as far as child protection is
concerned.
After wards, friend
from Cobham invited my Russian friend and myself to lunch. We
accepted this kind offer and proceeded to have a very lovely
afternoon enjoying the comforts of his home and a wonderful meal. We
then returned to Norbury for Evensong and enjoyed lovely music from
the choir.
When the service was
over and we were saying our goodbyes, I ran into one of the parents
that I had hoped to at least have a drink with. As it was, that night
was a parents meeting and it made our meeting very short. He was able
to meet with me just as my Russian friend and myself were finishing
supper in Wetherspoons.
After he had gone,
my Russian friend and myself had a drink and then we said our
goodbyes. This wasn’t the normal “See Ya” but rather a prayer
followed by a very warm handshake-hug. I was sad to see him go but he
had to get back to his home, as did I.
On the way to
Gatwick Airport the next morning I had some to so I decided to stop
by and chat with Canon Washington for a few minutes. I know this is a
bit offish, stopping by without appointment but as you may expect,
this was a spur of the moment decision. Canon Washington was in a
meeting and couldn’t invite me in for tea but very graciously came
to the door and chatted with me for a few moments.
Afterwards
I went to the airport and came home to Conshohocken. I will say one
thing for this visit, there was never a dull moment and I was able to
meet even more people who are just plain nice. Like I have said
before, people are people and for the most part we all have pretty
much the same hopes and fears. I still believe with all of my heart
that Jesus Christ is King and I do indeed thank him for the many
blessings he has given me.
As
always, you are in my prayers.
Grace
and Peace,
Terry
