Monday, July 07, 2014

Bradford on Avon, England


If I told you I'm nearing the end of our England trip from May, would you believe me?  HA!

Well, Lisl and Chris know us better than just about anyone and took us to all the right places...this day, to Bradford on Avon.  Strap on your seatbelts!

But first, on the way, we stopped off to see the White Horse at Bratton Camp.

You can see a peek of it in the bottom-left image above.

And there she is, bigger than life on the side of the hill.
It's believed to have been cut into the hillside in the 16th century!
Astrid climbed down to take a picture of the horse's eye.

What a way to start the day!

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Straightaway from there, we drove 2 miles to the priory church in Edington....

It's from 1352.

The sense of history is palpable, don't you think?

I always want first to see the nave...and then the details.

You know how the organ and pulpit are important to me because of Mom and Dad.

That's an old Book of Common Prayer, from 1718!
The green man (top-right) is hidden...but we found it.

And remember, I'm collecting church cushions.

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By then, it was time for lunch in Bradford on Avon, 10 miles away.

A picnic lunch, right on the Kennet and Avon canal...

 ...right next to the narrowboats, many of which you can rent.

See what I mean about how our English friends know us.  It still amazes me.

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Then we started walking (and playing) all over Bradford on Avon. 

This Barton Farm Country Park reminds me of an open-air museum.

It's where the Saxon Tithe Barn is from the 14th century, also known as Priory Barn.
The barn is empty of tithes now but is worth seeing for the wooden vaults alone.

From there we could view the medieval stone Barton packhorse bridge, crossing the River Avon.

As we walked around, we came across several Asian painters at the landmarks,
like the Holy Trinity Church from 1150. Later I wished I had asked who they were!

I had no idea we were climbing up to the top of the city till we got there.
The overview was spectacular.
And yes, that's the more famous Town Bridge (bottom-right).

Impressions.  Always impressions.

Near the Town Bridge we saw two more churches, one right after the other.

 First was the St. Thomas More catholic church in the old town hall.

You can see how modern it looks, converted on the second floor of the building in the 1950s.

But my Hart & Soul are with these older churches, as you'd guess.
This is the Saxon Church of St Laurence, perhaps as early as 700, if not the 10th century.

You can sit there with Lisl and just be amazed.

 All that AND weathervanes.

And flowers everywhere, in May....

...and I do mean everywhere.

Remember that Chris calls Astrid his Little Sis.  I call Lisl my Big Sis.
(All from meeting on the internet, as Astrid would say!)

It doesn't get much better than this, except that it does, when we go next to Bristol....

16 comments:

  1. Each time, and I know I am repeating myself, you make these incredible posts. It is amazing what we see in one day and I am glad that you have all these impressions secured in collages. It is a joy to re-live that wonderful day in Bradford. Yes indeed, blame it on the internet, we would not have found these wonderful friends.
    Dank je wel MLS.

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    1. We're both on the same page and that's all I want. Who could want more??!! Thank you, MLMA!

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  2. you have a way of making the readers feel as if they were with you on this excursion. the images are incredible as usual. and these posts are making me want to visit england more.

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    1. Thank you kindly, Maria. You know how thrilled I am when others share the journey with us. We are so lucky to have these experiences and do not take them for granted.

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  3. Pure delight! All of it! Thanks for sharing your adventures!!

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    1. You're welcome, Robin, of course. I love that we can swap each other's stories and adventures! :)

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  4. A great record of your visit Ginnie.

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  5. That horse is just amazing and so well preserved...I love the historical and ancient bldgs and artifacts....then the boats were so much fun to see...love to ride in those!! Can I come the next time you go....

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    1. I just wish everyone could come and join us on these trips, Donna, however impractical. I guess showing you these posts is the next best thing? :) Thanks for coming along for the ride.

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  6. What a fun day out you had :-) I love the churches, I am sure you know I am a fan of them too ;-)

    Winchester Cathedral is on the cards for me later this year :-)

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    1. Yes, Cherry, I know we both like so many of the same things, like architecture and churches. It's so fun to share such things with like-minded friends. :)

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  7. I watched the Netherlands / Argentina game today.... I was cheering for the Netherlands of course, but then it ended 0-0, and then a shoot out. And the Argies won. Boo.

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    1. Oh, Sham! Those darn penalty kicks. I hate them!!! (sigh) I guess the only good news is that we won't have to play the Germans now...though I would have loved to kick *ss!

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    2. so now you're up against Brazil on Saturday for 3rd place. If Brazil plays like they did against Germany, you shouldn't have any trouble. But I think the team might have had a couple of serious pep talks since then, and the reputation of the country as a soccer nation is at stake.

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    3. Believe it or not, Sham, Astrid is so disgusted I have a feeling she doesn't plan to watch the game on Saturday. Maybe she'll change her mind by then? Not that I want to humiliate Brazil more than what's already happened, but it would be nice to at least have 3rd place? Well, for Brazil's sake, I'd even be willing for 4th place. Did I say that?

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