Day 4: Island Hopping (Welsh Style)

I had a quite morning in Prestatyn, doing a bit of research on trains and catching up on some videos (I hadn't left much to do in Prestatyn before my train).  I caught the hour and a half long train ride to Holyhead.  Holyhead is the largest town on Holy Island, a small island off the coast of Anglesey, a relatively large island off northwestern Wales.  I was surprised to learn that a. Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey with only 11,500 people and b. Holyhead has 84% of the island's 13,700 population.  To get to my new destination, I had to pass through Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, more commonly known as Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG.  It has the distinct honor of having the second longest place name in the world and the longest place name in Europe.

Both guidebooks I've been using were pretty down on Holyhead, but I wanted to keep an open mind.  So far, I've had a mixed experience.  Holyhead is a transition town.  It used to be the major access point between Ireland and Britain, with ferries going back and forth.  With the rise of affordable airfare, this travel died down and so did Holyhead.  I think this has made the community somewhat wary of visitors, though they still have many come through on the ferries.  As I walked through the town I got many stares, presumably as I was obviously a tourist (big backpack, camera around my neck, constantly checking signs and my phone, etc.).  The stares were neither friendly nor hostile, but (with a few exceptions) it's the iciest experience I've had on the trip so far.

There's not terribly much to see in Holyhead.  I went straight to see St Cybi's Church, also known as Caer Gybi (Cybi's Fort).  The small church is built within the walls of a small Roman fort.  The Roman fort, whose Latin name is unknown, is fairly unique as it was a three walled fort; the fourth wall of the fort was the sea.  Though the sea has retreated since Roman times, it used to come to the bottom of the ledge on which the church sits.  The fort walls were also built down to the water, creating a protected harbor.  The fort had a series of towers along the walls, presumably with parapets and ramparts running between them.  It is thought that the fort was built in the 4th century to help deal with Irish raiders.  This means it may have been linked to the Roman watchtower on top of Holyhead Mountain (where I'm headed tomorrow!).  It is possible that the watchtower could have warned Roman naval forces, who then motivated from this fort to deal with the coming barbarians.

After visiting Caer Gybi, I walked around Holyhead more.  I quickly learned that there is a Royal Air Force station nearby because I saw six or eight military jets fly over and had a startling experience when a Sea King, a search and rescue helicopter, flew very low overhead.  Unfortunately, the Maritime Museum, one of the few things to do in Holyhead, had already closed for the day, so I wandered to the Ucheldre Centre, an art gallery and performance space housed in an old chapel.  From there I wandered along the coast and spotted an interesting way the teens of Holyhead entertain themselves: jumping off a 25 or 30 foot pier.  I watched these kids jump off over and over again and I was not the only spectator.  Can't say I was tempted to join them.

I had a nice dinner at a hotel near my B&B and tried a strawberry and lime cider that was delicious.  Then I headed back to my room for a quiet evening.  I'm hoping to head to bed on the earlier side as I have a long day of walking tomorrow.  I'm going up Holyhead Mountain (which is not a mountain, but a 720 foot hill) and from there go to South Stack, which is on the other side of the island, but home to a spectacular lighthouse.  Hopefully it will be a fun day!  But it will require well rested feet.

Fun Fact #4: Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, trained and flew search and rescue helicopters out of RAF Valley (the station on Anglesey), making him the first British royal to live in Wales since Henry VII.

Day 3: Crossing the Border

Today was another busy day, but for slightly less exciting reasons: switching hotels.  But I made it to Wales!

This morning I finished exploring Chester, going to the Grosvenor Bridge (below) and St John the Baptist's Church.  When the Grosvenor Bridge opened in 1832 it was the longest single-span arch bridge in the world.  It is a beautiful bridge over the River Dee and there is a nice walkway running along it (and much of the river), providing a great place for a stroll in Chester.  This path also goes by the Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, which is considered the oldest horse racing course in the country.

From there I headed to St John's, the original cathedral of Chester.  Despite a beautiful exterior, I found the interior a bit disappointing.  The cathedral does have a lot of great history though.  With its origins in the 7th century, the church saw the rise of the Anglo-Saxons, use as a cathedral and then demotion to a parish church, destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, lead being taken by Queen Elizabeth I to arm her forces, action during the English Civil War, and much more.  After touring and soaking in some history, I picked up my bag and headed to the train.

The train to Prestatyn was surprisingly packed and, since I was just riding two stops, I stood, doing my best to watch the countryside switch from English to Welsh.  I got to Prestatyn and proceeded to haul my suitcase to my hotel which is right on the beach.  Prestatyn is mainly a resort town, but as it's not high season yet, the town is pretty empty.  The sea air was very refreshing and I walked along the beach for a bit.

After a brief rest in my hotel, I headed out to find a Roman bathhouse!  After a lengthy walk and almost missing the gate to the site, I found the little Roman ruin.  The bathhouse itself was only roughly 600 square feet.  In this small space, a caldarium (hot room), tepidarium (warm room), frigidarium (cold room), and a cold plunge bath (I'm unsure of the appropriate term for this...possibly a loutron).  The context of the bathhouse is unclear; it is quite small, possibly appropriate for a small fort or a small settlement.  There are theories that it was created by soldiers from the Legio XX, the legion stationed in Chester, to support a lead mining operation.  Apparently there was abundant evidence discovered and hinted at in the surrounding area, but this has since been lost.  A developer was allowed to build homes over the area, covering the remains of a possibly Roman settlement.  To here more about the site before this and the results of the building check out these two posts: http://www.chesterwalls.info/baths.html

http://www.chesterwalls.info/baths2.html

So I left the bathhouse with more questions than answers (but ones I am excited to investigate further!).  I meandered my way back towards my hotel and angled my way through Prestatyn's town center.  It was around 5 and almost everything was already shut down for the day.  It was very cute and quaint main street, lined with small stores and restaurants.  As I turned to head back towards my hotel, I noticed a great white monument in a church graveyard.  I went to explore and found that it was a beautiful and solemn monument to the local sons who had died in both World Wars.  It was sort of the perfect thing to end the day: a beautiful and dignified reminder of the past in a tranquil seaside town.

(Oops, forgot this in an earlier version!) Fun Fact #3: Holyhead, an island off another island, Anglesey, and where I am headed tomorrow, is actually pronounced "hollyhead," like the flowering plant.

Day 2: Exploring (Roman) Chester

Today was a busy day.  I set out to tackle the Roman sites of Chester and succeeded...and then some!

Here's a brief outline of what I did today:

I started by walking the walls of the city.  The walls of Chester are the longest and most intact city walls in Britain.  Much of the walls is composed of the original Roman walls with medieval improvements and modifications.  This includes new towers and extensions beyond the Roman wall.  With a little exception for renovations, I was able to walk around the entirety of old Chester, with beautiful views of the streets below and landscapes with the River Dee.

At Bridgegate, I got off the city walls and crossed the Old Dee Bridge.  The bridge, built in 1387, crosses the river just upriver of the 11th century weir.  Across the Dee, I came to Edgar's Field to see the Roman shine mentioned in yesterday's fun fact.  In a completely green field, with a play area for young children and paths along the river, a huge chunk of sandstone sits.  Built onto the face of the sandstone is the Roman shrine dedicated to Minerva.

I was amazed by what details I could make out on the shrine.  It was quite vague, but I had some hints for what to look for.  I was immediately fairly certain that the framing around the altar was a much later addition.  I heard that the shrine may have survived because Christians thought it was a depiction of the Virgin Mary and I wonder if it could have been added in that period.  Looking at the actual shrine, it is possible to make out a damaged figure standing in a temple.  By the right shoulder of the figure there there is another damaged image.  It seems to be of an owl, the symbol of Minerva.  Surrounding them is the temple, with two columns on either side and a roof covering the figures.  In the image below I've marked (as best I could) the temple in red, the owl in green, and Minerva in purply blue.

As I ogled at the shrine and took notes, it began raining so I scampered off to explore Handbridge, the village of Chester where the shrine is.  I came across a beautiful church called St. Mary's Without-the-Walls, but chickened out on going in because I believe a Sunday service had just finished.  I retreated back towards Chester as the rain ended.

Back in Chester I dove into more Roman sites, heading towards the "Roman Gardens" and the amphitheater.  The gardens were a bit disappointing; a somewhat random collection of Roman stones found in the area laid out in the shape of a shrine to Aesculapius...with no explanation as to why.  None of the stones were originally in this location nor was there any mention of a shrine to Aesculapius in Chester.  The amphitheater was also left something to be desired.  Though the largest Roman amphitheater in Britain, it PALES in comparison to others like the Colosseum.  The amphitheater in Chester could seat 7,000, as compared to the roughly 60,000 of the Colosseum.  Only half of the amphitheater is excavated, but much of the walls and such still remain underground.  A very beautiful mural depicts the other "half" of the amphitheater.

After a lunch of fish and chips (and mushy peas!), I headed to the Grosvenor Museum.  I spent an inordinate amount of time in just two rooms of the museum (this makes me worried for the British Museum...).  I was very excited to see my first examples of Romano-British material culture.  There was imported pottery from Gaul and Africa and locally made pottery, hobnail sandals, roof tiles with the names of the legions stationed in Chester, inscribed water pipes, glasswork, animal bones, jewelry, and so much more.  Some particular items that I really thought were cool were a lead holder for clay lanterns, a whistle made form a deer antler, and a radiate coin of Probus (the same a emperor that is in the coin of my ring).  There was one more special item, but that's for today's fun fact!

The photo above is a model of the Roman fortress, known as Deva, from the museum.  It shows the fortress, which covered 56 acres, and the surrounding area, including the beginnings of a settlement and the amphitheater.  This model shows just how orderly Deva was laid out and established and the commanding spot it occupied on the Dee River.  From here, the Romans established control over northwest England and northern Wales.

The museum also has a wonderful collection of Roman tombstones.  Most of the tombs were found along the southern road leading to Chester.  They have a variety of stones, some for couples, some with gods, one to a man who died in a shipwreck, and many other varieties.  After taking a tour of the grave stones and briefly viewing the other collections in the museum, I had completed my Roman tour of Chester.

I wandered around Chester, hoping I could figure out a way into the castle which I had seen from the city walls.  Unfortunately, it was closed or not open to the public.  I stumbled upon St. Mary's centre, an old church that has been turned into an educational center.  Inside a wonderful chorus was rehearsing and I was SO tempted to poke my head in, but I once again chickened out.  I didn't want to be a distraction.  From there, I wandered along the Groves, an area running beside the Dee.  I listened to the Denton Brass Band play a song from Les Misérables and crossed the Queen's Park suspension bridge.  From the other side of the Dee, I took the photo above of suspension bridge.  As I headed back towards my hotel, I tried to go one of the two last sites I had planned on seeing: the former cathedral of Chester, St. John the Baptist's Church.  Unfortunately, the church had closed for the day, but I was able to wander through some of the chapels that lay in ruins.  The church looks gorgeous and I'm excited to visit before I leave Chester tomorrow.

After an extremely successful day, I ended my tour of (mostly) Roman Chester at 4:30 pm.  A very well spent six hours!

Fun Fact #2: Today I learned that these small glass vessels below are called lachrymatories.  As the sign below says they "supposedly" caught tears, which is a nice way of saying that they were almost certainly never used for that purpose, but as the sign continues, the carried unguents and perfumes to pour on graves of dead loved ones.  But lachrymatory is a much cooler word!

Day 1: Making it to Chester

Twenty-four hours after beginning this trip to the UK, I'm sitting down to write my first post for this blog!

Important things I learned today: 1.  When traveling on trains in the United Kingdom, don't lose your ticket!  You need it to exit the train station (Side note: I hate this idea; why do I need my ticket to exit?  I just want to leave!).  Luckily for me, a nice man guarding the exit took pity on my idiocy.  2.  Chester is a madhouse when there is a race going on.  I struggled to find a hotel in Chester while planning this trip and had no idea why.  Now I do.  Stella Artois sponsored a day of horse racing in Chester today and the masses came out.  Getting trapped in the train station was made more traumatizing by the fact that I was surrounded by men in suits and women in summer dresses with massive hats.  Yet, despite the fact that everyone looked like they were ready to be prim and proper, this evening proved otherwise.  Every single restaurant in Chester was packed with the day's spectators, continuing a day of drinking with plenty of happy hour cocktails.  If I had more than an hour and a half of sleep under my belt, I might have tried to slip into a bar and people watch for a while...maybe...

So I made it from Boston to London to Chester!  Not quite in Wales yet, but stopping in an important Roman settlement before I cross the border.  Chester began as a Roman castrum, or army camp, called Deva Victrix.  This small settlement grew in size and population, becoming a possible capital for the province.  But I'll know more about that tomorrow!  I decided that after so much travel and so little sleep,  I wouldn't be able to do my best research.  Instead, I decided to walk through Chester to get the lay of the land, decide what I wanted to see, and take a little time to visit the cathedral.

Taking a little time at the cathedral turned into an hour and a half long visit.

The earliest parts of the cathedral date from 1092 (or 1093) and many signs and informational pamphlets brag about its 1,000 year history.  And it has plenty to brag about!  The architecture is beautiful, with a mixture of modern and tradition stained glass windows, mosaics depicting biblical stories, a beautiful coffered ceiling, and more.  The cathedral also contains a consistory court, or a court in which the bishop was the judge, and it is the earliest example in the United Kingdom. 

The real joy of the cathedral was my accidental timing.  As I came in, the choir was preparing for an evensong service so as I walked through the church snippets of sung polyphonic melodies and echoing notes from the organ accompanied me.  The organ was so strikingly beautiful.  The current Gray & Davison organ was installed in 1844 and has undergone modifications, relocations, and remodels since then.  A favorite detail for me was the video screen that sits before the organist so he can watch the choir director conduct, ensuring choir and organ keep time together.

I decided to stay and listen to part of the evensong service.  I caught the choir leaving to take a quick break before the service started.  The choir was an all male choir, utilizing a boy's choir for the upper voice parts.  I was impressed by the discipline that even the youngest singers showed and their musicality and intonation was impressive.  Though I didn't stay for the full service, it was truly a magical experience.  Even after an exhausting day, sitting in a cathedral and listening to a choir made it such a beautiful day.  All around, a success on my first day here!

My plan for the end of each blog post is to share a fun fact I've learned from my research.  So here's Fun Fact #1: Chester is home to the only Roman shrine that remains in situ in all of Britain, and possibly all of Western Europe.  All other such shrines have been removed from their original location.  The shrine is dedicated to Minerva and dates from the 2nd century CE.  I'm excited to see it tomorrow!