As most of you know, we took a hiatus to the motherland, England, for the past two weeks. My months of research and planning really paid off as we embarked into the great unknown, feeling quite young on our first intercontinental vacation without the "real adults." Don't get me wrong, we have been all over England before, we just always had a parent with us; this trip made us feel very adventurous and grown-up.
I have decided to write this in a number of parts, to make it easier for you to read and for me to write. I will also include pictures, because what’s a trip without pictures?
Somehow we made it safely to England, found Jennifer (who was flying to us from Ukraine) and by some miracle we made it by coach down to the seaside resort town of Brighton where Alexander's grandmother, Nanny, lives. Just making it there took a lot of stress from my shoulders -- I had been so afraid we would get lost! We spent the next day, June 15, with Alexander's extended family consisting of his aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was so much better than the last time we visited them! It seems that Alexander's father isn't very popular with his sisters but they loved us. We had a grand time reacquainting ourselves with them and they were so gracious to offer to help us get to the more distant sights we wanted to see.
Jennifer and a funny sign in Brighton:
Monday, June 16, was spent introducing Brighton to Jennifer. From our last visit I had formed a little map in my head and I hadn't forgotten it. We walked all over the entire city! The highlight and bragging point of Brighton is the Royal Pavilion which was a palace made to look Indian on the outside and Chinese on the inside, you should look it up.
Tuesday we traveled to Battle, which was the site where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066. (I agree that the British are so creative in coming up with city names.) Alexander had spent his whole life waiting to go there, as it is the site of arguably the most important event in British (and by default, American) history. William the Conqueror was a Norman who invaded Britain and overcame Harold Godwineson and the Saxons there. From that day forward, England was never the same. It was the Normans who brought in the idea of feudalism and without their influence, Britain may never have been the international superpower it was for so many centuries.
Battle Abbey:
Luckily for us, it was a beautiful day, perfect for walking in the meadows and woods that now inhabit the battlefield. We walked all over the battlefield and explored the Abbey that was built by William the Conqueror as a act of repentance for the thousands of men killed there. The entire area seems to be at peace with itself and the tragedy that took place there.
On the battlefield:
Me near the Crypt:
Alexander inside the dormitory:
6 years ago
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