Brief history lesson: Henry VIII was married, had no son, wanted to marry Anne Boleyn instead, couldn’t get permission from the Pope for a divorce. Result: Hank decided to start his own church, make himself the head of the church, give himself a divorce, and destroy all things Catholic in Britain. Because of this, there are many ruined abbeys in Britain, so of course we had to visit one in Glastonberry this morning.
More interesting in Glastonberry is the fact that it is the home of all things King Arthur (including Merlin’s possible home) as well as the setting of Harry Potter’s life story. It’s a laid-back hippie town with lots of interesting-looking people walking around and incense odors wafting out of shop doorways.
Lunch was served at a farm that was built in 1240. The first thing Ted said when we arrived was “It smells like a farm.” It’s a national historic site and the family lives on site and operates it as a bed and breakfast, as well as a farm. The bread pudding and “berry mess” (translation: berry kuchen) with ice cream made from the farm’s own milk were delicious!
We went out for a group dinner and an evening of Welsh music tonight. New foods I ate/drank tonight include Welsh rarebit, honey mead, and ham hocks. Our tour director told us that the Welsh are all about music (cf Tom Jones and Shirley Basye). As she sang, one of the singers walked around to several men in the audience, including Ted. Singing Shirley B’s “Hey, Big Spender, spend a little time with me,” she ran her fingers through Ted’s hair. Watching his face turn as red as his shirt was fun. She probably picked the best-looking men in the room for her act.
Instead of trimming trees and hedgerows back from the road, a rectangle was cut in them. It’s like driving through a tree tunnel.
Phone booths are everywhere in Britain and actually have pay phones inside, as well as ATMs and wi-fi access.
This is a statue of John Batchelor, “The Friend of Freedom.” Note the freed pigeon perched on John’s head.