Bristol Harbour Festival and Good old boats!

Loved the harbour at Bristol.  While not used today, it was the scene of great nautical history, and unfortunately some shameful as well.  Many seafaring adventures began at Bristol as ships left at high tide through the Avon Gorge.  As ships became bigger, they were unable to travel up to Bristol and the harbour met its demise.  However it has been reborn as a center city draw for eateries, clubs, and other attractions.  We surprised to find ourselves there during the Bristol Harbour Festival where boats braved the high, flooded rivers  to gather under the spars of Tall Ships for the fun of the weekend.  Here are pictures from around the harbour and of course my(David)  personal favorite --old wooden boats!  

There is an old saying that every boat has a soul - Sometimes you have to look deep, but it's there! 

Here are more Wells pictures,  the protective walls held these cross-shaped openings for archers to shoot in a fairly wide field of vision.  We walked around the top of the wall which was called the ramparts - apparently a favorite walk of the current bishop.

We enjoyed the gardens everywhere we toured.  Certainly the reputation for English gardens is well deserved.  These are a few pictures from the gardens around the cathedral, bishop's house and protective walls at Wells Cathedral, probably our favorite.

Here we are in the Chapter House at Bristol Cathedral built in the 1100s.  We gathered here everyday before Evensong for tea and cookies--then a few minutes of silence before processing into the service under the charge of the verger followed by the clergy.  While we were shocked at first that we could stay quiet that long (just minutes, really), we grew to treasure this time in the Chapter House!

 We did a bit of touring -- even though it had been raining and the rivers were flooding, we were determined to get on the water.  We tried to rent a boat on the Thames at Windsor Castle, but the boat livery was closed because the water was running so fast.  We contented ourselves at watching the duck floating down the river at break-neck speed!  

Later we saw ducks feeding in the river outside Wells Cathedral with no regard for proper duck decorum--who cares?  There's food down there!

More ducks at St. James park outside Buckingham Palace.  

More pictures from Amy and David

Pictures from Amy and David Phipps - Trip to Bristol

Here are some of our pictures from the Bristol trip - We had such a good time singing with our friends, enjoying all the sites, and kicking around the harbor!  This is a view of the Bristol Cathedral from the beautiful garden immediately behind the Choir Room. More soon!

Re-entry

Re-entry..... it's the name a friend of mine gives to all of those activities that consume you when you return to earth following a long stint away from home. You know - laundry, dry cleaning, getting the mail from the neighbors', picking up the dog and the kids, mowing the lawn after the 40 days and nights of San Antonio rain - all of that stuff.

And don't forget the best part - downloading all of your remaining trip photos! Here are some from our last few days in London!

Spamalot at the Palace Theater is the hysterically funny musical based on the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Others in our group saw the musicals Wicked (the prequel to the Wizard of Oz), Mary Poppins, Les Miserables, Lion King, and Lord of the Rings.



Many of us got the memo about Canterbury being the place to wear your pink shirts!



Canterbury is an amazing city. The old part of town, within the ancient Roman/Norman city wall, is now a pedestrian-only area. Visiting this cathedral in particular is very moving - this is the current seat of our faith, the home of the Archbishop, and the place where pilgrims have come for thousands of years to pray at the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Beckett.






In modern times the Pope and the Archbishop have met and prayed together at the Martyrdom site, and the sanctuary still stops every hour at half-past to pray for the peace of the world. Praying for peace is a great emphasis in every church in Europe - perhaps because so many visitors to cathedrals are not necessarily members of the Anglo-Catholic faith tradition, yet the desire for peace is something that unites us all, regardless of other lines we draw in the sand to separate us.

Thanks for your prayers for us as we've been away. We look forward to seeing you in worship downtown soon - we'll be the ones in the red and white robes!

We're Home!

Greetings to you all!

It is good to be back on native soil! At least, many of us are back. Some have stayed to vacation longer in Europe or visit friends or relatives. But officially, the tour group landed last night around 11:30 p.m.

Since most of you have requested more photos, I thought I'd just put up a bunch of our last days in London, and as I gather them from the rest of the group I'll put up some other ones.

First of all, for you Harry Potter fans, here is the REAL Platform 9 3/4 from King's Cross station in London. Notice how the luggage trolley is already half-way onto the magical side!



And a few from Stonehenge:




And of the crowd awaiting the BBC Proms Concerts:



And a view across the River Thames:



And of the internet crowd attempting (unsuccessfully) to hop onto the free WiFi around the corner from our London hotel. The red phone booth to the right also broadcasts a WiFi signal -


Check back later today for more pictures of our days in London!

Monday, July 30

Monday, 30 July 2007

Monday was a travel day on the way from Bristol to various places. Some in our group are headed elsewhere, but most of us are staying in London for 3 more days. Sorry I don't have pictures right now - I'm using the internet cafe's computer. When I have a moment with my laptop, I'll put up some photos. That may not be until our layover in the Newark airport... but I'll try sooner!

First stop - Stonehenge, one of the oldest and most mysterious sites in all of the world. Even what is known about it poses more questions than answers. HERE is their website, which has all kinds of info, and I'll put up some pictures the first chance I get.

Next stop - Salisbury Cathedral.... whoever said we might get tired of looking at cathedrals was just plain batty! Some of the only "enamel" stained glass in the UK is at the back of the altar. The depth of the blue color is simply stunning. If you haven't been clicking on any of the external links, please click HERE for their website just to see the stained glass.

After a spot of lunch, on to London, where our hotel is on Kensington Park High Street, overlooking Kensington Park. Since we were only a few minutes from the Royal Albert Hall, some of us decided to take in the evening's BBC Promenade Concert. Remember our Bristol composer - Philip Wilby? We just missed hearing his premier piece at the Proms last Saturday. The program we heard included the European premier of Esa Pekka Salonen's piano concerto and Berlioz Romeo and Juliet.

Thanks for continuing to check in! More soon!