Carlisle
I took a little adventure up to Carlisle today. I have lots of pictures to share and I will in the next blog, along with the usual travelogue-esque commentary. For now, I just want to talk about the actual experience of going to Carlisle.
This was my first solo adventure here in England. Well, I suppose that's not technically true. My research has been a solo adventure, but this was my first trip away from Preston all by my lonesome. And I had a very nice time. But I had issues.
When traveling, I am used to being a pair. I'm also used to Steve carrying most of the stuff, because he's a gentleman like that. Although I wasn't over burdened with stuff, I was carrying a camcorder bag, my handbag, and eventually a carrier bag of purchases. So that was a bit annoying, especially since I pretty much hate carrying anything - including a handbag. But the big issue with me being a onesy and not a pair was I was forced to multitask and I was really bad at it.
My father-in-law offered me his camcorder, thinking I might like making a video of my jaunt. I'm primarily a photograph person, but I took him up on the offer. I figured I could share my video with Steve and my folks when I got home, so they could see a bit of Carlisle, too. I'm usually a pretty good videographer. I use the fade-in and out feature and create a fairly cohesive show. Usually. Today, I discovered that trying to learn the history, take photos of the stuff around me, and video record everything with a running commentary on what I was seeing and what historical data I had thus far gleaned made me a really crap videographer. I botched the fade-in more than once. I rambled. I couldn't remember the names for the different parts of the castle. My 20-minute video is probably a mess. I hope to
God my photos turn out okay.
Other than my multitasking failure, I had a good day. I enjoyed being on my own, but I wasn't really lonely. I carried all kinds of folks in my head. And before that makes me sound too looneytunes, I shall explain. Steve is always on my mind. The longer we're apart, the more I think about him. So I carried Steve with me all throughout the day. I also carried other people at differing times.
When I was exploring Carlisle Castle, I thought of Andrea. It reminded me of a smaller Edinburgh Castle, and as I was snapping a photo of a cannon, I remembered taking Andrea's photo with one of Edinburgh's similar guns. And when I was wandering through Carlisle Cathedral, I thought of both Karen and Dr. Sheffler. Whenever I see an old church, my thoughts immediately go to Karen, because I know how much she likes them. Carlisle Cathedral is a gorgeous church and I found myself trying extra hard to imprint the experience in my mind so I could share it with her here. And Dr. Sheffler sprang to mind when I caught the scent of incense on the air. They had celebrated a Celtic Mass that morning and the incense smoke still clung to the air. Dr. Sheffler had shared how much he loved the smell of the resin incense used in church, so I immediately thought of him. And I now appreciate the scent. It truly is lovely and seems to heighten the spiritual atmosphere.
So even though I was by myself, I really wasn't alone.
Now on to Carlisle itself. Since I was hoofing it, I must say that I have come to appreciate medieval cities. Although modern Carlisle spreads well beyond the original city walls, everything I wanted to see was still within their confines. It was such a pleasure to walk from the train station, which is just outside the southern boundary, to the castle, which is on the northern boundary, in about ten minutes!
I so glad the weather kept me from going yesterday, because there weren't a lot of tourists about. I shared the castle and cathedral with about ten people. Which meant I didn't have to rush to get out of other people's way. I could meander to my heart's content and just revel in Carlisle's historical splendor.
My favorite spot, without a doubt, was the cathedral. It's small compared to other churches I've visited, like Yorkminster. But I think that's to its advantage, because it contained both a feel of grandeur and a sense of intimacy. I would have been happy to sit in there for an hour or two (and almost did later), it felt so . . . comfortable. It's definitely one of my favorite churches. It might even be nestled closely with Yorkminster in the top spot. Which says a lot. York has been my favorite for ten years and no other church has come close. Not Notre Dame, not Westminster.
So all-in-all, Carlisle is a nice place to visit. I will definitely have to return there with Steve some time.
It's funny. I was thinking about this blog on the train ride home. In my head, I wrote such an eloquent piece. Then when I actually sit down to write it, it's not nearly as great as it was in my head. I need to start carrying a notebook with me, methinks. Either that or figure out how to do a telepathic blog.
Tomorrow I return to the Records Office. I will go through all the photos I took today and post them in a blog soon.
This was my first solo adventure here in England. Well, I suppose that's not technically true. My research has been a solo adventure, but this was my first trip away from Preston all by my lonesome. And I had a very nice time. But I had issues.
When traveling, I am used to being a pair. I'm also used to Steve carrying most of the stuff, because he's a gentleman like that. Although I wasn't over burdened with stuff, I was carrying a camcorder bag, my handbag, and eventually a carrier bag of purchases. So that was a bit annoying, especially since I pretty much hate carrying anything - including a handbag. But the big issue with me being a onesy and not a pair was I was forced to multitask and I was really bad at it.
My father-in-law offered me his camcorder, thinking I might like making a video of my jaunt. I'm primarily a photograph person, but I took him up on the offer. I figured I could share my video with Steve and my folks when I got home, so they could see a bit of Carlisle, too. I'm usually a pretty good videographer. I use the fade-in and out feature and create a fairly cohesive show. Usually. Today, I discovered that trying to learn the history, take photos of the stuff around me, and video record everything with a running commentary on what I was seeing and what historical data I had thus far gleaned made me a really crap videographer. I botched the fade-in more than once. I rambled. I couldn't remember the names for the different parts of the castle. My 20-minute video is probably a mess. I hope to
God my photos turn out okay.
Other than my multitasking failure, I had a good day. I enjoyed being on my own, but I wasn't really lonely. I carried all kinds of folks in my head. And before that makes me sound too looneytunes, I shall explain. Steve is always on my mind. The longer we're apart, the more I think about him. So I carried Steve with me all throughout the day. I also carried other people at differing times.
When I was exploring Carlisle Castle, I thought of Andrea. It reminded me of a smaller Edinburgh Castle, and as I was snapping a photo of a cannon, I remembered taking Andrea's photo with one of Edinburgh's similar guns. And when I was wandering through Carlisle Cathedral, I thought of both Karen and Dr. Sheffler. Whenever I see an old church, my thoughts immediately go to Karen, because I know how much she likes them. Carlisle Cathedral is a gorgeous church and I found myself trying extra hard to imprint the experience in my mind so I could share it with her here. And Dr. Sheffler sprang to mind when I caught the scent of incense on the air. They had celebrated a Celtic Mass that morning and the incense smoke still clung to the air. Dr. Sheffler had shared how much he loved the smell of the resin incense used in church, so I immediately thought of him. And I now appreciate the scent. It truly is lovely and seems to heighten the spiritual atmosphere.
So even though I was by myself, I really wasn't alone.
Now on to Carlisle itself. Since I was hoofing it, I must say that I have come to appreciate medieval cities. Although modern Carlisle spreads well beyond the original city walls, everything I wanted to see was still within their confines. It was such a pleasure to walk from the train station, which is just outside the southern boundary, to the castle, which is on the northern boundary, in about ten minutes!
I so glad the weather kept me from going yesterday, because there weren't a lot of tourists about. I shared the castle and cathedral with about ten people. Which meant I didn't have to rush to get out of other people's way. I could meander to my heart's content and just revel in Carlisle's historical splendor.
My favorite spot, without a doubt, was the cathedral. It's small compared to other churches I've visited, like Yorkminster. But I think that's to its advantage, because it contained both a feel of grandeur and a sense of intimacy. I would have been happy to sit in there for an hour or two (and almost did later), it felt so . . . comfortable. It's definitely one of my favorite churches. It might even be nestled closely with Yorkminster in the top spot. Which says a lot. York has been my favorite for ten years and no other church has come close. Not Notre Dame, not Westminster.
So all-in-all, Carlisle is a nice place to visit. I will definitely have to return there with Steve some time.
It's funny. I was thinking about this blog on the train ride home. In my head, I wrote such an eloquent piece. Then when I actually sit down to write it, it's not nearly as great as it was in my head. I need to start carrying a notebook with me, methinks. Either that or figure out how to do a telepathic blog.
Tomorrow I return to the Records Office. I will go through all the photos I took today and post them in a blog soon.
I'm touched that you were thinking of me today, Deanne! You're so right ... I do love churches and cathedrals! Can't wait to see your photos! By the way, my hat is off to you for even trying to do a video while juggling everything else.
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