Edinburgh Castle

Scotland and England waged war against each other for 100's of years until 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I, King of Scotland and England.  Not that he was invited to rule, but royalty has always strictly followed the rules of succession.

When Henry VIII died, the crown went to his son, Edward, who lived until age 16.  Henry's first born daughter, Mary (from Catherine of Aragon) succeeded Edward.  Mary tried to bring catholicism back to England after Henry broke from the Catholic church and burned and tortured those who refused to return to her faith.  She is known as Bloody Mary.  Mary died childless allowing Elizabeth I to succeed.  Elizabeth, daughter of Ann Bolyn, was known as The Virgin Queen and brought about the reformation, peace and prosperity to England.

She and her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, were always at odds.  Mary gave birth to James VI and was forced to abdicate her throne.  Following Elizabeth's death, Mary's son, James became James I of England and Scotland.

Little trick to remember the outcome of Henry's six wives:  Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.  Quite the ditty..... (sorry)

As in many other great cities around the world, Edinburgh has seven hills.  The Edinburgh Castle is built on one of them, called a "crag and tail".   This refers to the shape of the hill ... ideally 3 of the sides are like cliffs and one side is a gentle rise.  This allows protection of the castle, while the castle's village is built on the slope allowing the villagers to escape into the castle should an army threaten.

This building houses the royal chambers and is home to the crown jewels.  Naturally this is this is the only area in the castle where photography is strictly prohibited.  The jewels are the second oldest royal jewels in the world, behind Hungry and the oldest in the UK (because Cromwell hated royalty and destroyed the British crown jewels by melting them down/breaking them up).

He was on his way to Scotland to do away with the royal family and their jewels.  The jewels were quickly spirited away and hidden within the walls.  The sword is broken in two pieces and crammed into the hole, then quickly covered.

Turns out no one kept notes of where the jewels were hidden and it wasn't until 1818 when Sir Walter Scott discovered the jewels in the wall.

 This is Margaret's Chapel named for a Queen Margaret from way, way back (I didn't take notes on the year :) but somewhere in the 1500s I believe)  It is still in use today.  Amazing!

 I took this shot because I just love what it says.  He is actually Security and today his job was to look into everyone's bag before gaining entry to the castle.  He's here to help.  He was very polite but I suspect he could take no prisoners if he found it necessary.

Tonight we  will have a "Scottish Evening" with dinner followed by entertainment at an annex of Presonfield House, set in the heart of Edinburgh, built in 1688 by Sir James Dick.  The description sounds lovely.  Tomorrow we'll be off to visit Britannia and explore Holyrood Palace, followed by our first farewell dinner.  About 19 of our group will return home while the rest will continue on for the post tour, headed to Inverness and then Glasgow.  

Oxford

Oxford University isn't anything like what I was expecting.  It is so many things.  There are 38 colleges and 6 Permanent Private Halls of religious foundation within Oxford proper.  It is the oldest university in England,  When Henry VIII left the Catholic church, he dissolved the monasteries.  Mary I, Bloody Mary, reinstated catholicism, and Elizabeth I (the Virgin Queen) converted back to protestantism and instituted the Church of England.  Back to Henry.....

Trinity College

When he dissolved the monasteries, Henry VIII offered Thomas Pope any land he wanted; he chose Durham College, now Trinity University for his private holdings.  He turned it into a great estate and, because he had no heirs, he built a chapel to hold his remains.  Pope desperately wanted to be remembered throughout time.  Trinity University is the only college to be opened during the reign of Bloody Mary, founded in 1555.  Pope died in 1559 and was buried at St Stephens, Walbrook.  His remains were subsequently removed to Trinity College where his widow erected a semi-Gothic alabaster monument to his memory.  He was to be chanted daily since his death; the chanting continues to this day. 

 Trinity College Chapel

The lower left is where Thomas Pope and his wife's remains lie.

There are daily services where his name continues to be remembered.

Trinity College houses 400 students, a mix between under and post graduates.  The Oxford colleges are extremely difficult to gain entry.  They are rather liberal universities in the teaching style.  Students meet regularly with a mentor/tutor who collects the assignments, hosts discussions and then sends their student off to research, write papers, attend lectures, etc.  Students are encouraged to attend their assigned lectures and lectures of their peer students of other disciplines to better round out their education. 

Each college has its own library.  The oldest library on campus dates back to the 1400s.  Trinity College chapel is quite lovely and within the walls regular services are held along with debates and meetings.  An interesting side note:  Christopher Wren had a hand in building the chapel.

Simply couldn't resist another shot of the ceiling.  

Oxford is a lovely community.  

London, Random Thoughts and Info

London, proper, is 625 square miles with 30 boroughs and 2 cities: the one square mile of the City of London, and the Monastery to the West, now referred to as the City of Westminster.  2000 years ago the Romans settled Londoninum and built a wall around the one square mile city with six entrances/exits.  Most of the wall is now gone, although some segments are still around.  Each of the original six entrances/exits are now remembered and marked with dragons on plinths.  If you see the dragon's behind you are leaving the original city, if you see its face you are entering through one of the original gates.  They are rather cute, although I never managed to get a decent picture.

The population of the UK is 66 million soles, the population of the Greater London area (625 square miles) is 8.6 million.  Lots of people live in London.  It's an interesting looking city, juxtaposed ancient buildings next to modern high-rises.  Looks, to the uninformed, as if the city fathers/mothers couldn't make up their minds.  Keep and relish the old, dump that dump and put up a new structure.  They can no longer built out due to the green belts, so they are building up.  But why demolish the older structures you ask to put up new.  So odd looking.

Well, the truth of the matter is Britain was bombed to smithereens during the blitz of WWII.  Much was random, but some was very specific.  The buildings that were now badly hit were rebuilt, those that were demolished (and it was an enormous part of the city) were cleared and modern buildings replaced those.  The integration of the new with the old is an oddity to be sure, but they are making it work.  Our tour guide described it as a Modern City with little bits of an ancient city. 

We drove by Cheapside.  Whenever I have heard that description I always thought of it as a pejorative.  Today I learned that Cheap = Market.  It means Market Area.  Sounds lovely and, in fact, it is.

We stopped to walk over the Wobbly Bridge.  Before you get to the bridge is an "arc" of wands.  Evidently it was an homage to Harry Potter and the various character's wands. 

This is a very poor shot of eight wands for each of the 8 important characters (not that I care about any of them), in front of the Wobbly Bridge.  It is called that because the architect who designed it did a poor job and when it was finished and people attempted to walk across it only to discover that it was not stable.  They quickly shut it down and spent four months making it safe and stable -- however the nickname stuck and it is still called the Wobbly Bridge.

An eight wand arch before the Wobbly Bridge

Harry Potter's plaque for Lori, even though I could have cared less :)

We saw Westminster Abbey and Big Ben (shrouded in scaffolding and canvas as it is being repaired/cleaned scheduled for an unveiling in 2021 

 Then we went off to see The Eye.  This is interesting because it was originally built by British Airways as a temporary attraction for the millennium.  It was due to remain at the waterside for six months.  18 years later it is still here, still a strong attraction for locals and visitors alike and now owned and operated by Merlin Entertainment a Madam Tussauds subsidiary.

We didn't have time to enjoy The Eye, but what is interesting is that it NEVER stops.  Each capsule holds approx 24 people and it goes so slowly that the tube can disembark and reload without skipping a beat.  The full circle takes approximately 30 minutes, we had 15.  I'd like to be back one day to experience the Eye!  Well, that's what these trips are all about, to whet your appetite in hopes to entice you to return and spend some quality time exploring the things you found most intriguing.  That exact philosophy lead to my falling in love with Paris.  Perhaps the UK is next on my list?

That's about all I can manage tonight.  We have an early morning call and Gary is already knocking out those snores.  As usual, I've been exhausted all day but when it's time to sleep I'm wide awake and only want to write!

Good Night!

Conversations about Brexit and showing up informed

I've been talking to Brits (and a pair of Scots) about Brexit.  The rally/demonstration rather intimidated me -- and one of my traveling friends got stuck in the middle of the madness which would have sent me to the insane asylum.  She was surrounded by people and had a big challenge trying to make her way through the throng to get back to the hotel.  Glad I didn't go on her tour.  (She went on a Harry Potter Walking Tour -- way not my interest)

 The Brexit  rally/demonstration was yesterday (Saturday).  They were expecting around 100,000 people to protest.  Conservative estimates say 750,000 to 1 million people showed up.

Every time I encounter a Brit (and two Scotsmen) I ask the question, if a majority of the people voted to leave the EU (Brexit), why are so many people revolting?  And the answer always seems to come back -- we were dupped.  Today I asked a youngish bartender what he thought and he immediately said, we were lied to!  "I thought I was supporting closing our borders, turns out there is more involved." 

Imagine that.

He now regrets voting to leave the EU and wants the opportunity to reverse his vote.  Turns out roughly a million Brits feel the same way enough to leave their homes (all over the country) and come to London to have that conversation. 

Interesting.

My youngish bartender (49 yrs old), said he didn't look closely not only at the decision, but the ramifications behind what a YES vote would do.  Evidently few people did.  He said he was embarrassed and just a bit ashamed because he believed the rhetoric instead of reading further and educating himself to the consequences of his vote.

So another twist.  You should consider learning more about the side you oppose to see if there is something there that you might have missed.  Don't always hang with the people who agree with your view.  I HATE talking politics because it rarely turns into a conversation/discussion but someone aggressively wanting to turn you to their side, instead of explaining WHY they feel/believe the way they do.  It turns into an us v them thing.  Which turns me off immediately.

For years, I lived and worked in a very small town.  As the community's credit union CEO I NEVER expressed a personal opinion.  I never divulged how I felt, but listened to all sides and shared none of my own.  Now, that seems to be ingrained in my nature.  But I implore you, whichever way you lean, educate yourself, talk to people who agree with you (and ask them why without divulging your own leanings) and talk to the people with opposing views and ask them why.  Then make up your own mind and vote.  VOTE!  Please, vote.

London, Day One

Seems a bit dorky as Day One starts at around 4pm London time.  For us this day started when we woke up on Thursday in Prescott.  Chores included changing the sheets so Dakota, the house/cat sitter, can sleep on clean sheets.  Toss the towels in the washer for the same reason.  Clean out the shower of our "stuff" and provide her with room and a fresh bar of soap (a pet peeve of mine because it was a pet peeve of my Mom's).

Calm down the cats.  When they see two large suitcases they know that we are both leaving and none of them are happy about it.  Tommy and Harvey were especially gloomy, extra scratches and loving didn't hurt.

Downstairs to ensure the cat's other bathroom was acceptable.  Vacuumed, shook out all the rugs, changed the litter.  Looks great.

Make a few more notes for the cat sitter and looked out the window to see Arizona Shuttle pull up to the stop sign and make a left -- wonder if he'll find our street or overshoot like most people.

We love the shuttle service.  You can park for free in their lot and the ride to/from Phoenix (PHX) is $37 each way.  For $15 more they will pick you up at your house.  Leaving my car in their lot for a few days is one thing, I didn't want to do that for three weeks.

So we're finally ready for our adventure to begin!

Get to the airport three hours ahead of our flight, get checked in and start wandering, grab a quick dinner and wait to board the plane. 

I always fly Premium Economy these days, I'm too old to go in steerage.  I've only been flying Air France so that is all I have to compare to ... British Airways doesn't hold a candle to Air France.  Chairs were small, TV was smaller, food was mediocre, cocktails were hosted, so that was nice.  I watched movies, one after the other because that's how I roll. 

Still unable to sleep on a plane, I just need to help the captain fly, manage the turbulence, line up for landing and ensure we get there, no time for sleep. 

Arrived, found our luggage, customs was a breeze (that was a nice experience) and found our driver (always a bit nerve-wracking) and headed to our hotel.  Never experienced a more convoluted entrance into the city, tiny roads, turn right, right, left, right, straight, left, left, etc.  Felt like we were driving in circles.  Finally arrived and got checked into the hotel, found our group and had the welcome chat and then a lovely dinner. 

Our hotel overlooks the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.  Funny, I always thought the Tower of London was one of the Towers on the bridge.  Not.  The Tower is not just a tower, it's an entire compound comprising 45 acres!  See that large building in the center?  That's where the armory is located.  Moving from the left corner of that building to the left corner of the next outter ring is the entrance to see the crown jewels.  If you EVER get an opportunity to visit London and have time to see the Crown Jewels, DO NOT PASS UP THAT OPPORTUNITY!  The swords, the vestments, the crowns, the orb, the spoon, the sceptre -- really, its all too much!

They didn't allow pictures -- which would not have done anything justice, but still, no pictures.  Bummer!

Got up this morning after an attempt at sleep to a nice breakfast and we were off on a bus tour of this interesting city. 

Our room overlooks the Thames River and the Hanvengore, the barge that took William Churchill's body to Waterloo for burial.  Doesn't look like much from the window, but it's pretty nice up close.

Hanvengore

There have been 5 different Tower Bridges over history -- remember the song, "London Bridge is falling down..."  Well, yes, it was.  It was torn down and aother put in its place,  And then another.  This is a pic of the 4th iteration of London Bridge.  It was purchased, dismantled and moved to Arizona, where I understand many very old things have chosen to move there to recover.

4th Tower Bridge, now spanning a portion of Lake Havasu

This is the current Tower Bridge.  Quite lovely and all lit up at night,

Current Tower Bridge

Still have much to say and share about today, but I didn't sleep well last night and it's catching up to me.  More details and many more pictures to come.

Epistaxis is the Medical Term for Nose Bleed

And I have had many, many since moving to Prescott.  Three have been truly epic until tonight.  What's a bigger word for epic?  Ginormous?  On-Beyond-Outrageous?  Behemoth?  I don't know.

About six months ago we visited Sharon in Southern Arizona (South of Tuscon) and had to cancel several planned side trips due to the infamous exploding nose.  Quite frustrating.  Each explosion lasted about an hour and I was exhausted with the loss of blood.  The big one in Prescott went on forever, it seemed at the time, another hour-long extravaganza. 

Today, the day before we leave for 19 days in the UK, I looked up and saw a bunch of cars parked down by Sue's house and wondered what that was about -- and then I remembered, she was having a tea for a potential politician she was supporting.  After she extended an invitation (and I accepted knowing it would be tight) I looked further into him and his politics and, yes Sue, I did vote for him on my absentee ballot; I failed to put it on my calendar and completely forgot about it.  Well, he got my vote and as far as Sue knows, I'm just a lousy no show.  My bad.

I was in the middle of last minute chaos and trying to organize my thoughts.  Acceptable earrings.  CRAP, I needed to put my diamond studs in the safe and grab my gold hoops and studs that I wear when traveling.  Off to the safe, grab what I need and march back into the kitchen.  I've been dealing with a drippy nose all day, such an aggravation.  Grab a Kleenex to wipe my nose and there is blood everywhere!  Oh good grief, I simply don't have time for that.

Sit down, head back, tissue crammed into both nostrils, try to relax, breath through the mouth, squeeze top of nose.  Last several bleeds lasted a few minutes and this should be no difference.

After about 15 minutes of heavy bleeding, I move to the sofa (because the bed is covered with my clothes) so that I could lay down.  Gary is concerned and grabs his phone.  He googles "How to Stop a Nosebleed".  He starts reading:  sit up and slightly forward (what?!)  Something to do with gravity.  I leaned over the trash can and simply bled directly into it while pinching the bridge of my nose, no slowing down.  After what felt like about 40 minutes I announced that I was ready to go to the Emergency Room. 

Mind you I had my physical YESTERDAY!  BP was 136/62 and A1C was a perfect 5.0, he took me off one of my meds.  Down 35 pounds since retirement and feeling great.  What the heck?  I need to be on a very long plane ride in just over 24 hours!

In the ER I looked at the clock:  it was 7:00 I had been bleeding for 2 hours, not 40 minutes.  And my BP was 179/92 (oops I forgot to take my BP med this morning).

This is my very first experience in an ER (and with luck it will be my last).  The place was jammed!  Gary had to go park the truck and the Security Guard brought me a wheelchair, he was very kind and gentle -- but I get unnerved around guns and he had a big one on his hip.  I sincerely appreciated his help and thanked him profusely, I no longer had to stand.  Someone from triage pulled me into a room and ask the thousand questions ... the first was my birth date which I thought was odd.  I gave her that info, then she asked my last name.  I answered and then said, I'm not in your system, I've never been here.  And she looked at me and said, "Sharon Beaumont?"  What the heck?  I LOVE EHR (Electronic Health Records).  My Primary Care Physician is somehow connected to Yavapai Medical Center and they could just grab his records.  The records were updated yesterday with a brand new allergy I've never had before and she asked me about it!  Wow, I was impressed.  She grabbed a nose closer and jammed it on my nose:

This little plastic charm clamps down HARD on your nose!  

After four of them committed suicide we finally got one to hang on.

Then she went on: is this from a trauma or did it simply explode?  Seriously?  Look at me!  No black eyes, no broken nose, just blood and its EVERYWHERE!  She was also kind and asked more questions about pain and illness and and and.  No, I'm fine or will be when we can make this stop!  She promptly put me into CC3 (critical care unit, room 3) and a very nice nurse, Brandon, asked me about 3,000 more questions.  And then we waited. 

The RN had helped me out of my shirt and into a gown.  It wasn't until we were leaving that I got a look at the front of my shirt -- COVERED in dried blood.  Gross, it's in the trash now.  (Sharon, it was my red super cute shirt from Jerome, now we need to go back!)

And it bled for another 30 minutes.  And then it slowed down.  And then it stopped.  I asked Gary for the Afrin from my purse.

I visited an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) doc about six months ago and he suggested Afrin which will cause all the swelling to release.  Turns out it's not worth a thing if you can't snort (I'm terribly afraid I've ventured into overshare-land, sorry, I need to get this out of my system).  One of the things that I do when I'm disturbed is write.  Really, there is some good stuff in this if you don't know much about Epistaxis.

No more bleeding.  Good.  But feeling rather gross.  And then BAM I start coughing and gagging and finally hacked up two ENORMOUS blood clots.  And the clouds parted and the angels sang.  The swelling didn't just go down, it disappeared!  "Gary, grab the Afrin!"  I snorted it and felt like a new person.

It took about another 30 minutes for the doc to come in.  She looked around and couldn't discern anything looking like something she could cauterize, so recommended I continue with the Aryn saline gel and have a very fine time in the UK.  Departing BP was 149/79.  Remember this is without my BP med today.  I was happy -- and thrilled to be going home at 9:00pm. 

Our shuttle picks us up at noon tomorrow.  I have much to do before then.  Thinking I'll remember to take my meds in the morning!  Afrin is your friend -- but no more than 3 days otherwise it causes all kinds of problems.  I meant to ask about the sitting up and leaning forward -- that sounded so counter intuitive -- but I'm not an MD. 

The doc gave me a lovely parting gift (loved that that is a quote from her!): my very own traveling noseclip...just in case!