Downtown Northampton

I went to my first actual club meeting a few days ago. I had already met many of the Rotarians Sunday afternoon, but it was great to see them again, meet some new ones, and hear what the club has been up to. One of the points they covered at the meeting was the results of a recent beer festival. In all, the Banbury-Cherwell Club raised close to 11,000 pounds. They gave 8,000 of their earnings directly back to local organizations and charities, such as Katharine House Hospice, the Red Cross, Air Cadets, and Anjali Dance Group (look it up...it's a great group for handicapped dancers). The club also discussed other projects, like the possibility of hosting a high school student from Brazil, and other fund-raisers. I'm excited at the opportunity to participate in some of these events during the year.

I also had some more time to take a look around Northampton and decided to head downtown. As I approached the town center, I came across a large cross erected in 1291 for the wife of Edward I, Queen Eleanor. He built 12 at the stopping places of the funeral caravan, though only three remain today. Twelve crosses= true love.

The Eleanor Cross is on the outer edge of the Delapre Abbey. The abbey was founded as a nunnery in 1145 and played host to the Battle of Northampton in 1460. At the battle, the Yorkists beat the Lancastrians in the only defeat of a defended position during the War of the Roses. Since then, the abbey and the surrounding 586 acres have served as a residence to several nobles and the Record Office. This is a picture of the inner garden. The stables are off to the right and the hunting shed is just to the left of the small tree in the center. The chimneys attached to the nave are visible above the tree. Outside the walls, there is a buckeye tree imported from America in 1760 and a Tulip tree from 1750.

The outer garden was extensively landscaped, with stone walkways and the remnants of several beautiful water gardens. In some nearby bushes, I found a few gravestones from a 200-year-old pet cemetary. Rest in peace Patch the Hero, Tessy, Joe, and Dusky...you will be remembered. The unfortunate part about the entire abbey was the amount of litter and vandalism. I talked to an older couple for a while and they were quick to blame the city's youth. I'm going to try to work with the Boy Scouts in Oxford; maybe doing a few park clean-ups would be some good service work.

The outer edge of the Delapre property has a ditch which was installed to prevent deer and cattle from getting onto the estate's manicured lawns. With one side sloped and the opposite a stone wall, ha ha's were nearly invisible if not in the immediate vicinity and allowed uninterrupted views of the landscape. The structure is humerously referred to as a "ha ha" (and sounds dangerous for a game of frisbee). The property also butts up against a large lake and a horse pasture. Before heading back to the abbey, I lured one over to take a picture by offering him grass from outside the pasture. Yes, I'm not above bribing farm animals.

Northampton began as an early Norman settlement in the 11th century (the Normans are largely responsible for the small fields enclosed by walls and hedges still present today; law required land to be broken up among the males in the family when the patriarch passed away). Northampton received its charter to hold a market from the lion-hearted Sean Connery a.k.a. King Richard I (Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves); the right to hold a market was a critical step for a village and offered huge opportunities for growth. Although the city's center has been devastated by fires in 1516 and 1675, the market is still a focal point of the city today (the red and white tents above). I had a fun time trying to buy grapes at the market.

Market trader: "May I help you?"

Me: "Yes, I'd like these grapes."

Market trader: "Right, I'll need to weigh them first. [weighs the grapes] Two pounds."

Me: [doing the mental math...at 1.20 per lb of grapes] "So I owe you 2.40?"

Market trader: "No, just two pounds."

Me: "But the sign says 1.20 per lb..."

I was sorting out a handful of change and he just pointed to two pieces. Problem solved. I'm thinking we could do something similar in the U.S., start calling dollars minutes or something like that. Oh, the possibilities.

The building on the left is guildhall built in 1861 (no, it's not a church). Much of the Northampton Castle was dismantled by order of King Phillip II as punishment for the town siding with the Parliamentarians in 1861 during the English Civil War. I don't think it could have looked much cooler than this. Northampton grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution as a hub for shoe manufacturing and leather working, spurred by demand resulting from the Napoleonic Wars. The church on the right is in Collingtree. I was running yesterday morning and took a slightly different route than the day prior. I came around a turn and stumbled upon it, completely in awe. I finished my run and came back out half an hour later with my camera. The design seems identical to many other churches in the area and for good reason; medieval builders would travel from one town to the next, using the same plans and similar local materials.

This last picture is my hosts' dog, Frosty. She looks similar to a fluffy raccoon (REALLY fluffy), but is a lot of fun and a dutiful protector of the castle while we're away. I asked my hosts if they had considered using her to sweep the floor, but they said she left too much hair behind when they tried.

Around Northampton

I spent most of the day wandering around Northampton where my sponsors live. These pictures give a pretty good picture of the immediate area where I am staying for the week.

This is a picture of a 'bridleway' or public bike path. Numerous walking and bike paths cut through the backs of neighborhoods, run along pastures and fields, or meander through open parks. The term bridleway refers to the paths' ability to support horse traffic, though I have not seen anyone on horseback yet.

Another picture of the neighborhood. Many wildflowers are in bloom, particularly many types of shrubs that constitute hedgerows and an assortment of roses. The houses are small and close together, restricted by inability to develop in the 'green belts' mentioned earlier. Despite close proximity, ample green space prevents feeling cramped.

My house! Rather my sponsors' house. Home sweet home...for the time being anyway. My room is in the back, overlooking the garden and neighbors' back yards.

I have more pictures for tomorrow and some notes from my first local Rotary club meeting.

Day 1: First Day in England

After finishing a great double quarter pounder with cheese meal, I boarded the plane and left New York last night at about 9:15. The flight went well and we touched down in London this morning at 9:25 local time (4:25 New York time!) After making my way through customs, I met up with my sponsor family and headed out to a Rotary Club meeting about an hour away. I had the opportunity to meet many of the club members, including the new President and future District Governor. The house--like so many of the towns we drove through-- is more than 200 years old and absolutely beautiful. The Rotarians were great too and I had a wonderful time talking to them. Surprisingly, the weather could not have been better today. When I asked one of the gentlemen why everyone had been telling me how foggy the U.K. always is, he replied that the English were just trying to keep the island for themselves.

One of the first things I noticed was how short all the buildings are. One reason is simply that so many are extremely old and were built before the means of building tall buildings were available. Another reason has to do with the geologic structure of the island. While New York and other famous American cities have a solid igneous rock base, much of England has a sedimentary rock base that cannot support large structures. Driving on the left hand side of the road through me for a little bit of a loop too, as well as the abrupt transition between fields and urban areas. Apparently England strictly enforces building codes that prohibit the development of rural areas around towns (called the green belt).

Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable first day. This should be a great year. Unfortunately, jet lag is setting in, so I'm going to call it a night. I'll see if I can't get some pictures posted tomorrow.

First Post!

I'm just days away from leaving for England and I couldn't be more excited! The nerves are starting to set in a little bit, but they have been tempered by the constant support of my friends and family. I think I have all the details worked out for the first few days, so now I just need to out-process from West Point and get on the plane (assuming my suitcases will fit). I'll write again as soon as I can once I am over in the U.K.