Windsor Castle

This was fun and super interesting. Even the kids enjoyed it. Except for Daniel. He threw more than one temper tantrum. Being quiet and respectful isn't in a young child's nature. I had to rush through with him so he could run around outside while we waited for the rest of the family. Scott took the longest and he had both back packs with all our food! Fortunately the students were around to help with Daniel while I took a breather in the gift shop.

The castle dates to around the 11th century and has been added to for 900 years. For example,  it's massively bigger than it was 200 years ago. It's on a hill for good defense and you can see the city around. If anyone came to attack they could be seen at a great distance. The audio guide said that the castle is prepared and they would still use it today for these purposes.

The flag shows that the Queen was home!

 

Mote

Runnymeade

This is just a place where the American Bar Association put a memorial for the Magna Carta. I just can't help but see how the Lord's hand was in this and how the ball started rolling so to speak. I want to quote Scott for this one. He explains it so much better than me. Sorry this is long. Here is what Scott said about it. (This will be a repeat for close family members)

"On the way to Windsor, we stopped at the field of Runnymeade, where the leading English nobles forced King John (the whiny, thumb-sucking lion from Disney's Robin Hood) to sign the Magna Carta.  There wasn't much to look at but I had fun talking to the students about why Magna Carta is so important.  The only things to really look at are a memorial placed by the American Bar Association celebrating Runnymeade as the first step toward English and American liberty...The interesting thing for me was the observation that Americans take the Magna Carta more seriously than the British: remember that the major memorial is from the American bar, not the British.  I would say that the British respect the document and know it's important, but Americans revere it as a first step towards our own liberties.  I had the same impression at Salisbury Cathedral a few weeks ago when our tour guide showed us one of the few remaining original copies of the Magna Carta but dismissed it at the same time as not as important as everyone says it was.  She was right in the sense that Magna Carta did not immediately change the world: its effect on England for the next three to four centuries was minimal.  But in the long run (at least, in this American's eyes) Magna Carta changed everything: it became a symbol in the 16th and 17th centuries of the rule of law, the idea that even kings were subject to the law.  It set a precedent of popular involvement in governance (even if the represented population was just a group of 25 barons at that time) and it established some rights as fundamental and irrevocable, such as the right to not be imprisoned without access to a judge.  Even if Magna Carta didn't gain its power until much later, it did become a powerful precedent for democratization that was seized on by reformers in England and the American colonies.  Americans are fortunate that our own experience with self-government grew up precisely at a time when notions of rule of law and fundamental rights were blossoming in English thought and England's laws.  For the English, Magna Carta is one small step in a long journey towards democracy.  But for Americans, who took longer steps in a shorter time, Magna Carta was a crucial precursor to our own Constitution.

In addition, I think our appreciation for Magna Carta is greater because Americans have an obsession with written constitutions.  The "British constitution" is a collection of documents and unwritten traditions and it seems almost an oxymoron to even call that a constitution when a constitution seems to me to be a document with writing on the bottom.  For whatever reason, Americans have a kind of legalistic view of government that it involves a contract or agreement and signatures at the bottom.  I think that's part of why Magna Carta appeals to us even more than to the British--we cling to the piece of paper the barons forced on King John because we need written proof of the rights we hold.  The British are content with the knowledge that their ancestors have traditionally had those rights and therefore they have them too.  My head understands the British view, but my heart was excited to be at Runnymeade."

Princess Diana Memorial Park

This is a park in kensington Gardens that we live about a 5 minute walk to and go to pretty often. It's dedicated to Princess Diana and isn't far from Kensington Palace.  It's a kid haven! It's based on the novel Peter Pan and I'm posting lots of pictures because I'm so impressed by it. I didn't even get all the different areas of the story, but you get the idea. They have Palm Trees and Bamboo growing here to make it look like an island. I didn't know Palm Trees could even grow here! I like that the park is gated and locked. They won't let you in unless you have kids with you. The students complained a little so I all but begged them to take my kids! There's also a pond nearby with lots of birds to feed. Big birds that come right up to you expecting to be fed. The swans are huge with big feet. Jacob was able to see one fly in and land in the water near the edge. Then the swan came out to be fed!

Laura's Three Top Smells of London

1. Gasoline
2. Cigarette Smoke
3. Fast Food

Dover and Canterbury

Yesterday we had a field trip to Cover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral. We started out visiting the war tunnels under Dover Castle, then the Castle. We drove to Canterbury and visited St. Augustine's Abbey and then Canterbury Cathedral. It was tiring because of all the driving on a cramped coach/bus and visiting four different places. But so worth it and was a memorable day for all of us. I posted the different places in the order we did them, but that means the last post is the first to read. So if you want to read it in order, then start with the war tunnels and work your way up.

Canterbury Cathedral

Our last stop for the day was just down the street from St. Augustine's Abbey. It was the Canterbury Cathedral. Very beautiful. Unfortunately once again, Daniel cut my visit short. He was tired and simply had had enough. I took him out early for a snack and to wait for the others to finish. We actually had to go back in because it was so cold. We just hung out near the entrance where they have chairs.

I loved the quaint little town of Canterbury though. I had just as much fun walking around and looking at all the old medieval shops.

 

  

Heraldry signs

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

St. Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury

Around 598 AD this Abbey was founded as a way to convert the Anglo Saxons to Christianity. Augustine was sent by the Pope to start it. It didn't get it's title until after St. Augustine died. He was also buried there. Once again, the kids LOVED it. The students did too. There was so much to climb around on and rocks to throw. I'm sure on a "normal" day, the employees would have said no to all the climbing around. They opened it just for our group. Thankfully, Amazing Terry (resident director's wife) is really good at bargaining.

 

  

  

  

  

Dover Castle

Cool castle! Dover castle has been used as a castle since Roman times. There was a castle there when William the Conqueror arrived after winning the Battle of Hastings. He fortified it and Kings ever since have added to it. It's right on the coast of the English Chanel so it was a primary invasion route from France. The Germans bombed the coast heavily during WWII, but never bombed Dover Castle. The English think this was intentional because Hitler wanted to use the tunnels as a German command post.

The kids LOVED it! The main goal was to get to the top. Unfortunately we ran out of time and couldn't see as much of the inside as we would have liked. (Daniel was missing for about 1/2 hour) I'm glad we get to go back in the Spring with the Spring term group.

 

  

  

Roman Light house and St. Mary's Church which is one of the few Anglo Saxon buildings left. It dates around 1000 AD.

  

  

  

The boys pretending to be Gargoyles

  

King's hall and replica of the Bayeaux Tapestry

War Tunnels Under Dover Castle

We went to Dover Castle yesterday. We have a great time. I can't decide what I liked best. The war tunnles underneath or the Castle itself. We weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside of the tunnels, but there were many tunnels used during the Napoleanic wars and then added to and used during WWII. They were used as a place of war business and hospitals. It was neat going through them because they had all the sound effects,  furniture, equipment, etc. The tunnels are situated deep under the castle and have air vents all around. I don't know why I purchased WWII curriculum materials. The kids have already learned so much just with what they've seen here in London. We still have to go to the cabinet war rooms and as a family to the imperial war museum.

There are also some medieval war tunnels under the castle. We ran out of time to see them though. Daniel showed up missing for probably a 1/2 an hour. No one had seen him. He took off with some of the students ahead of us. He got in trouble too! Here are some pictures I found online.

 

President Chittock

 

Susan Howe, President Chittock, Scott, Rodger Macfarline.

Last night's fireside was with President Chittock. He is actually the Executive Secretary but has been a Stake President and served in the Stake Presidency for years. He has also been a Bishop four times! Busy man...Anyway, he spoke about his experiences here in England during WWII. I just LOVE learning about WWII. I don't really know why. My dad liked it too so maybe it was his influence. It was definitely a time of patriotism so maybe that's it too. The things he spoke about are well known facts but he also interjected his own personal experiences. Here are some of the notes I took.

He started by telling us that when the German's came and bombed, they did so at night. London was basically on fire, but you could see St. Paul's Cathedral through the smoke and fire. He said it gave them heart. I believe Heavenly Father protected it so that the British could have hope. This may be a well known quote, I'm not sure, but President Chittock said that there was a long poster put on the top of St. Paul's saying: "You might be able to break our glass, but you can't break our hearts."

I knew that many children were sent to the countryside for safety. I didn't know it was 1 1/2 million. That's a lot. President Chittock had a power point presentation and showed the children at the train station with their gas masks packed in boxes in hand. I couldn't help but get emotional. I can't even imagine sending my children away to live with strangers who really didn't want them. (I'm pretty sure they were required.) President Chittock and his younger brother were sent to Wales. He had no idea who he was going to stay with. He said it was an old couple. He was only a young child himself and admitted they may have just seemed old. Who knows... He was gone for 8 1/2 months. He said his dad came and got them and felt that if something happened President Chittock and his brother would be orphaned anyway, so his dad thought it would be best if they all died together. (Scott said that he's pretty sure most of the kids were sent back after 8 months.)

He talked about the 57 nights in a row of bombing (can you imagine?), black out curtains (he said the planes would fly just over the rooftops, so black out times were 13 minutes before sunset. I don't know why they didn't just say 15 minutes), the Anderson shelters people had in their gardens, rationing, and the tube being used as a shelter. Using the tubes as shelters was illegal, but as President Chittock described, "People Power" took over. They just did it anyway. I totally would. Families and others would just camp out. The trains were still used during the day. People would go to work and then go home to the underground.

He told us many things and then ended with a classic Churchill story. Some of you may have heard this. I like it because it gives an example of Winston Churchill's personality. Churchill had a bad drinking problem. One day after work he was on the bus and a female colleague was on the same bus and said, "Mr. Churchill, you're drunk!" He said to Mrs. Bessington (I think) "And you're ugly! but in the morning I'll be sober." I firmly believe that Heavenly Father wanted Churchill for the job and inspired him and guided him, but I'm not sure I would have liked to know him. lol!

There were many other facts that were discussed and it was all fascinating to me. To actually meet someone who was here and listen to them talk about it with his cute British accent and funny personality. Lovely man.

Here's a link I plan on using to help teach the kids about WWII.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/wartime_homes/

The wartime house you see is in the Imperial War museum where we will go at some point. (I'm actually teaching the middle ages now and trying to finish the American Revolution!) I broke down in the Holocaust section last time I went (6 years ago). Lets hope I do better this time. It was as I was watching the film they showed of the Jewish children being sent to England for safety. I was in England, away from my own kids for the first time since Heather was born. I just have a love of children. I still felt dumb!

I have a bunch of pictures posted on facebook of the places we've been. They should available for everyone to see:
http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?v=photos&ref=name&id=1622855889

I will start posting pictures on the blog too.