Cathedrals, Mystic Mysteries and Roots – Discoveries in England (post and photos by mary)

Majestic Salisbury Cathedral, tallest land mark in England.

The travel adventure continues with my detour to England while Matt is home in Canada sorting out his landlord and house maintenance chores.  These past three weeks have flown by, spending time in Salisbury and Penzance visiting my mother and Matt’s mother. 

My Mom, Caroline, on her first day with her new hot wheels!  Keep on Trucking Granny!

The Clan, sister Geraldine, Uncle Simon, Aunt Tomasina, Mom, brother Andrew and sister-in-law Myrtle at the Kings    Head Pub.

My arrival was just in time for my Mom’s 80th birthday party, the reason for my detour to jolly old England.  And a lovely party it was, with thirty of my long lost relatives.  Well, lost to me for 47 years as my last visit with them was when I was six years old.  Growing up in Canada away from my parents relatives, left me with a fantasy about all these relatives.  As I mingled meeting cousins, Aunts and Uncles, I was surprised to hear cousins pointing across the room wondering who was who.  I thought my sister, brother and I, who came over as the Canadian contingent, would be the odd ones out, strangers.  In reality, Mom was not the only wanderer.  Two of her sisters moved “abroad”; one in Brazil and the other in Zimbabwe.  The Coakleys were not the only ones to grow up away from the nucleus of family.

Princess Mary sitting on her throne, a lineage so far removed from claiming the ruins of Old Sarem’s Castle.

Now this detour will take me to many beautiful places of England, Wales and Ireland as embark on a pilgrimage to visit as many relatives who will open their doors to me.  To meet my extended family and to experience the culture and heritage of my parents.  To take in the rich history of England’s villages, cathedrals, castles and other treasures.

An aerial view of Salisbury Cathedral’s Close from the tallest spire in England.

The north side of the Cathedral Close, some simple home of former Arch Bishops!

Salisbury is a charming town with a majestic catheral boasting the tallest spire in England, which I climbed to the highest point allowed!  It is an incredible structure both inside and out and has the added intrigue of having  been relocated from near by  Old Sarem and rebuilt in its present site due to political strife in the church.  WWII German bombers en route to London, had strict instructions not to bomb it as it served as a navigational marker.

The Mysterious Stonehenge never ceases to leave me in awe of its structure and purpose.

Will Stonehenge’s mysteries be revealed to me on the Summer Solstice?

The mystical Stonehenge is just a bus ride away and will be a place that I will never tire of visiting.  I have assigned myself another visit there for the Summer Solstice where 35,000 others will spend the night to witness Druid rituals to welcome the Solstice Sunrise.  Not exactly an intimate recording of the Druid rituals, but it will be a lively opportunity of a life time for me!

Shaftsbury’s quaint old stones attract visitors of all sorts and brighten up the scenery!

My sister has greatly contributed to the UK’s GNP with shopping in every village visited!

King Arthur has been one of my heroes in English history and I was awed to get to see his Round Table.  Oddly it does look a lot like a dart board hung on the wall of the Great Hall in Winchester!

My sister and I did some exploring around the region to beautiful old Shaftsbury, where my Grandparents had a farm and later, a 16th century stone house.  In our love for the shopping and inability to read the bus schedule (and our disregarding our mother and uncle’s instructions), we missed the last bus back to Salisbury.  We would have been stuck an hour out in the middle of rolling farm hills with no form of transport but our thumbs.  The kindly bus driver, Ken, solved our dilemma by driving us all the way into Salisbury!  We also took a bus to Winchester to see the old Cathedral and Meeting Hall, once the capital of England, and the centre of King Arthur’s Round Table.  Remember that old 1966 song, “Winchester Cathedral’?

Beautiful Jean Lambert, Matt’s amazing Mom at her favorite place to sip coffee – the Fishermen’s Friends Bench in St. Ives.

Sunny St. Ives Harbour and beach where so many Brits have spent at least one holiday.

Portsmour Beach in St. Ives – the place is surrounded by lovely beaches!

As I took this picture I was greeted with the dancing ripples of water laughing as it raced the high tide in!  Closed the beach by 50 feet within three minutes! 

After Salisbury I headed to Penzance to visit Matt’s dear Mother, who will also turn 80 this summer!  I had a delightful short stay in her little Cornish stone cottage.  She showed me all the sights in Penzance and a sunny day in St. Ives where we sipped coffee in outdoor cafes and beached ourselves in the sun on the golden sands of all three of St.Ives’ beaches.  What a happy little holiday town!  I look forward to heading back there for more exploration and beach time when Matt comes over!

My Aunt Jean, her daughter, cousin Terri and her delightfully clever boys, Michael and Daniel in Birmingham.

Now I am on the road.  Travelling north to Birmingham and Wales.  In search of more relatives and mountaineers in Snowdonia.  After the Solstice I will head to County Cork in Ireland and meet my Father’s clan.  It is really a great opportunity to be given this gift of time and freedom to travel and wander through my British/Irish roots. Many thanks to those two dear women who have seen eighty years of change, life and motherhood.  How fortunate to be able to be here and celebrate their great lives with them.

This fat tabby sat on his gate step waiting for someone, anyone to come along and give him some love.  In return he gave me his love too!  Puurrrr!