Subjected to Testing

Just taking a moment to write here about what I have to do in the next few days that is scaring the living HELL outta me!

After all my procrastination and lazing around, I finally had to make some decisions about my life and put the plan into motion.
Luckily, my trip to England had the desired effect of clearing the cobwebs from my brain and I came home ready to get started on a new career and a new life.

I still harbor my dreams of writing (finishing) a book and studying or writing also about Tudor England, but I'm no longer deluded into believing I can pay the rent doing either.

I haven't made the information public yet, (I'm fairly anonymous here) but I have decided to go back to school - Montgomery College - to *try* to pursue a career in Diagnostic Medical Sonography. That's doing ultrasounds and sonograms. I haven't chosen a particular specialty yet but I will have to soon - if I get into the program. It is not enough to want to do this, you need to qualify and be accepted into the program by the college.

To get in, I must take a placement test and then pass the required pre-requisite classes before March 1 of next year. I have an appointment to take my test tomorrow afternoon. I am so freaking scared! I need to do well in math and I have NEVER done well in math!

Yes, I have been reviewing and studying but I am still worried I will do very poorly on the test.
Moreover, what the hell will I do if I can't get into the program?

Which Jane Austen Heroine Am I???

Love this cute quiz...
Being a big Jane Austen fan, I had to see which Austen heroine I would be and no surprise at all:

Take the Quiz here!

iPhone, Therefore I Am

Today is the day!
Apple has launched the latest incarnation of its iPhone, the 3G S.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE my iPhone.
When I went to England last month, the loss of my iPhone on the way to the airport nearly brought me to tears. Living without it for two weeks was a struggle.

I have owned an iPhone for the past two years and in that time upgraded from 1st generation to the 3G. Although I hadn't owned my first phone long enough to upgrade without paying a penalty, the charge was covered by the sale of my 1st generation iPhone on eBay for almost $400! The 1st generation phones could be jailbroken and used on carriers other than AT&T, which made it more valuable than a new 3G which could only be purchased with an AT&T contract. (Without would cost an astronomical amount!)


I could do the same thing this time around - sell my 3G on eBay and upgrade to the S with a penalty. My current contract doesn't expire until December 2010, so I am not eligible for the upgrade pricing. Sale of the 3G would likely offset some of the price of the new iPhone, but since I am unemployed and about to start college again, I am not really in a position to pay any extra money for the latest gadget - which I don't need, but want.

So, if you're still with me and you bought an iPhone 3G S or know someone who did, please send me a note! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think! Is it super-fast? Is this your first iPhone or can you compare? What do you love or hate about it?
Tell me... I need to live vicariously through you!!!

Long Lost Love

I was poking around on Facebook a bit this morning and decided to check out the pages of some old high school friends. Despite all our silly, immature fights and break-ups we were all able to become cyber-friends.

One page led me to another and finally I landed on JSD's page. This was not my first visit to his page, nor was it the first time I looked through his family photos. I am always moved by them, but in different ways depending on my mood and place in my life at the time.

Today, I am happy and hopeful for the future. My trip to England renewed me and gave me a HUGE boost to my self esteem. And yet, I reacted more to JSD's photos than I have in years. It was not, however, the photos of his children or his wife which stirred my emotions. It was JSD himself.

The first thought (besides damn he looks so good) was this: Will there ever come a time where I can look at him and not feel my heart beat faster? Will there ever be a time I do not get a lump in my throat? Will I ever, as long as I walk this earth, not love this man?

It has been more than 25 years since I first met him in person and more than 30 since I first began hearing his name amongst my friends. All this time and I can close my eyes and see his 17 year old face kissing mine. I know that you never forget your first love but are most people able to remember these details? It's not even that want to remember this clearly. I have thrown away all of my journals with detailed accounts of our relationship and purged my life of all memorabilia. It's not that I look at him and yearn to be with him as I used to... I just feel this overwhelming sense of love for him. I just don't know what to do with that.

Moving My Tudor Stuff

For those of you who look at my photos and see only "random buildings" (Misha!) I am moving all of my Tudor and Anne Boleyn-obsessive posts to a new blog meant especially for that purpose.

The Tudor Blog will not only have facts and debunk the myths about Anne Boleyn and the Tudor Dynasty, but will have more of my photos taken in England and it will also be my place to communicate or debate with other enthusiasts.

Stop by sometime!

www.TheTudorBlog.blogspot.com

Leave it to Hever Part II

Being the reason I wanted to come to England, Hever certainly deserves more than one measly post!
Plus, I just have too many photos that will sit forever in iPhoto with no one to see them but I.
As I mentioned, I was able to get away from the crowds and children by walking in the Italian Garden. Because it was only May, many of the flowers and roses were not yet in full bloom but the garden was still lovely.

I was able to further escape the crowds, indeed I was completely alone, when I found a path that led to the outskirts of the property. Along this path was the "Blue Garden" which I could see - even out of season - would be remarkably striking in bloom.In a recent Google search, I found another blogger who had taken this exact same photo (above). I thought this very strange since I saw no other visitors there and have never seen another photo or mention of this place at Hever.
The outside path had several inclines made only of rocks and slate with a brook with waterfalls running alongside.
And finally, the Rhododendron Walk which leads back to the castle.










There were many things I saw at Hever which stirred emotions that no one else would understand without a study of Anne Boleyn's life. To most, this would be nothing but a photo of a honeysuckle but to me, I immediately see the tester on which Anne embroidered her initials with Henry's intertwined with honeysuckle. Who knows, perhaps this very bush was the inspiration?

Leave it to Hever

Well, I'm skipping the story of The Plough... for now...

The day had finally arrived. Tuesday, May 26th was not only my 41st birthday but it was also the day I planned to visit Anne Boleyn's family home at Hever Castle. Truthfully, it was my desire to see Hever that inspired this whole trip. I had originally only planned to stay in Kent but then figured if I could afford the stay in London, I should do that as well.
This was my birthday gift to myself. Well, the whole trip is but specifically, going to spend the day at Hever. When I came down for breakfast, Lynn and the other B&B guest, Jacquelyn had placed cards and small gifts by my place setting.
Despite the sweet start to the day, the weather wasn't looking very encouraging. Tuesday started out as a dark, damp, cloudy, rainy day in Kent. I was so incredibly relaxed by this time, I wasn't even upset about it. I would simply go to Hever Wednesday. I couldn't be bothered with being bothered. After a late morning nap, I soaked in a lovely bubble bath using one of my birthday gifts. By the time I was dressed and made-up, the sun had broken through the clouds and it had turned into a beautiful day.

A quick taxi ride to the hamlet of Hever and I was ready to come face-to-face with Anne Boleyn and her family home. I walked through the gatehouse and purchased my tickets, then made my way down the hill toward the castle. At first glance, I could only think that it was a very small castle. There are also extensive grounds which include a Yew Maze and Italian Garden. But I couldn't wait, I had to see the actual home where Anne Boleyn grew-up first.
The castle is double moated, the second you cross by wooden drawbridge which replaced the original stone. This leads to a portcullis - so popular in the 13th century, when Hever was built.

This leads into a small, open-air courtyard added to the castle by Thomas Boleyn (Anne's father) and built completely in the Tudor style.

So this was not the original entrance. Thomas Boleyn added this attachment as a type of hallway or foyer on the ground floor and a long gallery upstairs which now displays portraits of Anne's daughter Queen Elizabeth I and other cool relics.
I saw the most famous portrait of Anne Boleyn in the National Portrait Gallery, but my favorite portraits are housed at Hever. It is very similar to that famed sitting with the French Hood and black gown but Anne looks slightly younger and prettier. I've never been one of those people who thought Anne was ugly but in this portrait, I find her truly beautiful.
Then there were the portraits of both "Bullen" sisters painted when both were very young and both wearing the "old fashioned" Gable Hoods.



These portraits of Anne (left) and Mary (below) were clearly painted in their youth. I believe (with no evidence) that they were probably painted when the girls were 12 or 13 years old, perhaps just before Anne was sent to be a fille d'honneur in the court of Archduchess Margaret and then went with Mary to serve the French Court.







A teeny, tiny staircase carved into the stone of a wall led to a small room with one window which served as Anne and Mary's bedroom. (Told ya this was a tiny castle! Sisters in a noble family had to share a room.) In the room is a carved wooden bedstead that I was very anxious to finally see in person. To my disappointment, it was pretty obvious that this was never at the head of the bed in which Anne Boleyn slept. (Despite the words actually carved into the wood proclaiming it was!) Even the guide book for the castle says the wood has been dated to Victorian times - not Tudor.
After Henry executed Anne Bolyen and her father died 2 years later, Hever reverted to the crown. Henry then gave the castle to Anne of Cleves in her divorce settlement and her initials and profile remain in some rooms.
After the house tour, I took a stroll in the gardens. I tried to imagine Anne taking the fresh air but I knew that what I was seeing was planted centuries after Anne's life. Except when I looked back upon the castle from the gardens. I stuck mainly to the gardens close to the castle first before venturing out into the Italian garden and sculpture garden and to the lake.

One of my favorite things about the garden was that it wasn't nearly as crowded as the tiny castle. We were a little too cramped in some of the rooms and there were a few too many children touching things and running around. But the gardens were open and clear. Hidden among the bushes and secret paths were an unusual set of chess pieces carved out of bushes surrounding a brass astrolab.
Anne used an astrolab in her signature when she was being courted by Henry VIII. Could it be?
The gardens were a great place to play amateur photographer...


And then more to see and photograph at the lake...



I fell in love... with a little family of swans. Once again, memories of Henry and Anne...

Although these two had far better luck with childbearing...

A Week in the Country

I was a bit nervous about catching the right train in order to get to my B&B in Kent and even more nervous about the prospect of transporting my heavy luggage on the tube and to the train. The only drawback of the London Underground is the existence of too many steps in some stations instead of elevators or escalators. With the weight of my suitcase, four steps seemed too many!
I struggled through and even enjoyed the hour-long train ride south to Kent. Thankfully, there was a taxi kiosk just up the street from the Edenbridge Train Station. My taxi would be a while, so the manager offered to watch my luggage while I go into town to have lunch and walk around to kill time. Edenbridge, like the other little hamlets around Kent, was steeped in traditional Tudor design and charm. Every other building was in the Tudor style with trademark black and white woodwork. I know I looked like a nutter taking photos of random old buildings that the locals totally take for granted every day. I could completely imagine myself there hundreds of years ago - no cars, taxis, skateboarders - walking on cobblestones or even dirt paths.

Pulling up the long drive to Starborough Manor was like a dream. It was all far more lovely than the photos on the Internet. Granted, the gardens were not fully in bloom, but the it was still lush and green just like I imagined. Jonathan Mathias, the proprietor of the B&B, showed me in and carried my heavy suitcase up the three flights to my room. The house was stunningly beautiful. But it was gorgeous in a comfortable way - not like a museum where you'd be afraid to sit or relax. My room was far more charming than it looked online. The views from my windows were so pastoral and idyllic; I couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to experience the English countryside. To the southeast, my window overlooked the backyard and Starborough Castle with it's moat.

And to the north, my bedroom and bathroom windows overlooked the Coach and Stable Houses, garden and adjoining farms.

As long as I live, I will never forget the cooing sounds from the large flight of doves that gathered every day on the roof of the barn in the back of the stables. I loved to look out and see the rose vines climbing up the brick walls of the Couch House. Even on the cloudy, rainy days, I would sit and look out the windows and feel so calm and at peace.
Jonathan offered to book me a taxi for dinner that evening at eight and left me to sleep. I sank easily into the bright white sheets and feather duvet and fell into a deep restful sleep in my beautiful new room.

When I awoke, I had a nice cup of tea in my room and took a shower. This was to be the only disappointment of this leg of my trip: low pressure shower head. Not good. So I resigned myself that I would take baths for the rest of my stay. As Winston Churchill said, "Why stand when you can sit?"
I dressed comfortably and went downstairs to meet my taxi which would take me just up the road to a pub called The Plough. I panicked slightly when we pulled up and I saw groups of good looking people gathered and drinking outside. I kept my head down and went straight in feeling a little shy.
I ate dinner and had a couple of glasses of wine and couldn't help but notice the abundance of really attractive men. Young men, but very cute. They certainly outnumbered the women in the pub. Eventually, one or two of them noticed my accent started talking to me. That was all it took: I stayed at the pub with them til the wee hours.
More on that in the next post. Maybe.

V&A by Night

Many people told me to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum. Okay, one person. But I'd found a few Tudor related things online which I looked forward to seeing at the V&A.

Because they are trying to attract young singles and couples to go to a museum instead of a pub on a Friday night, the V&A has a special promotion with Friday evening hours and cocktails. This would work well with my schedule, I could see Kensington by day and peruse the museum that night.
Upon arrival, I went ahead and purchased tickets to the special exhibits of Hats and the Baroque period only to find that both were of only moderate interest. No matter - there was still the Tudor Wing!
After Hats and before Baroque I went upstairs to find the Tudor exhibit. I was looking at the very first displays in the wing when the VERY RUDE guard came in and informed three of us that the wing was closed. He did so in a way that made it seem like we KNEW it was closed and snuck in... despite the fact that there were no ropes or signs. Until AFTER we were removed. Clearly we had no idea it was closed.
Besides the fact that the Tudor wing was the only reason I really wanted to be there, I was really put off by this guard's attitude! It was really my first unpleasant experience in London. I really hate being treated like a criminal when it's their fault we were in there!
But I stayed. I'd paid for the Baroque exhibit and I was going to see it!
Some of it was interesting, but it was - as to be expected - centered on religious pieces of the period which were all Christian. Like my visit to the British National Gallery, there was really only so many paintings of Christ I could take. Yes, the art is magnificent and beautiful but I needed more variety and more Tudor and less baby Jesus!

I continued to walk around a bit, checking out the courtyard fountains and flowers. The museum itself is very nice. With a little more imagination and an outdoor bar, their Friday night event would be huge!



I was exhausted and my feet hurt, so my indignation was magnified. I did find some interesting casts of funeral effigies in the back and the gift shop was lovely. Insanely overpriced, but lovely. Now I know how they pay for the overly elegant cafeteria. Check this place out: I felt like I should be wearing a ball gown as I stood in line with a plastic tray!

I had had enough and it was time to go. I wish it had been more enjoyable. Time to leave the museum and time to leave London. Some room service, a good night's sleep and I would move on to my next adventure... Anne's home at Hever!

Finding Kensington

By Friday, May 22 I was starting to feel a real time pinch. There were still so many things to see and do in London but I had only one more day to do them. On Saturday I would have to catch a train and find my way to Kent and my second leg of my journey in the English countryside.
I knew I would have to hit two places on Friday, but which two? The two would have to be close together because my feet and ankles would just not be able to handle too much walking. As much as I wanted to see Buckingham Palace and Windsor, I decided they would have to be the casualties of my exhaustion and lack of time. Windsor was just too far away from the center of town and Queen Elizabeth is currently in residence, which would reduce greatly what I could see inside the palaces. Since they were in the same vicinity, I chose to close my stay in London with visits to Kensington Palace and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I took the tube to Notting Hill and walked around for a long time looking for Kensington Palace. I found the gardens easily enough, but couldn't seem to find my way to the actual Palace. I searched for easily an hour but I would not give up! I'd purchased a pass to all the Historic Royal Palaces online before I left the States, and I'd be damned if I didn't use it as much as possible!!! I backtracked to these huge arches I'd passed a few blocks before the park and walked through. Turns out this street was much like "Embassy Row." Huge, gorgeous mansions stretched along the beautifully landscaped street with little plaques claiming them for their respective countries. At the end of the street, the main entrance to the home of the late Princess Diana, Kensington Palace. Finally!

There is an ongoing exhibit of some of Princess Diana's dresses and details of where and when she wore them. The dresses were in cases and the light kept extremely low so as not to speed the deterioration of the fabrics.

Sadly, that was really the only acknowledgement inside the palace of this being Diana's residence.
The rest of the exhibits referenced mostly the reigns of William & Mary and Queen Victoria. On the flight over, I'd watched a new movie starring Emily Blunt called "The Young Victoria." This prepared me perfectly for what I was seeing when I arrived in her apartments: the bedroom, exactly the way it was, when Victoria was awakened and told she was queen. It was attached, of course, to the rooms of her mother - the Duchess of Kent - who kept her young daughter under her thumb.

Outside, the gardens were just starting to bloom and the day was a mix of sun and clouds. This made for an interesting backdrop for couple of photos of the iconic Victoria statue - taken within a few minutes of each other. An ominous moment:

And moments after:

Although I found the path in the garden dedicated to Princess Diana, I didn't find the memorial fountain because I couldn't continue to walk through the park. I'm fascinated by the fact that the Tudor Rose is so often used in association with Diana. Although I have seen numerous charts connecting her lineage to royal houses like the Stuarts, I have not seen a connection to the tudor Dynasty.

And like so many of the palaces and castles, the ponds and lakes were filled with ducks and swans and the parks full of deer. After The Tudors' season two finale, swans will never look the same to me again. The symbolism and connection to the monarchy will stick in my mind forever.

Courtship (well, barge)

When I started planning my trip to England on my computer I researched a few "Tudor Tours" but all were overpriced and few even returned my emails. I did get a couple of suggestions from friends who have been to or live in England. One such suggestion was to visit Hampton Court Palace by boat.
Thursday morning I made my way right back to where I'd spent the day before: Westminster. This time I stayed on the north side of the Thames and bought a ticket to Hampton Court leaving from Westminster Pier by river barge. I would sail to the palace from London exactly as the Tudor kings and queens had done! Unfortunately, it sounded way more romantic than it actually was.

It turned out to be a decent day - mostly sunny but just a little windy and cool. Lovely for a river cruise - if that cruise was about an hour. Even two hours would be tolerable. Three hours on a barge were a bit much. But I stuck it out, taking random photos of homes and other things along the Thames to occupy my time. The one good thing was the lack of walking for three hours. Whew - I'm looking rough as I sit on that barge!
But it was all worth it when we pulled up beside the magnificent palace that Cardinal Thomas Wolsey built.

After the Tower, this was the place where I knew I would come in direct contact, yet again, with Anne Boleyn and all the places and things I have been reading and dreaming about for three years. Sure enough, the very first thing I encountered reminded me Anne was here:

More surprisingly, though, just inside the palace I was promptly invited to a re-enactment of the wedding of Henry VIII to Kateryn Parr: his sixth and final wife. Just moments later, I came upon the bride and groom greeting people in the dining hall.

And then the newlyweds we presented to us in the great hall just outside the privy chamber.

As goofy as it was (and as bad as Henry's beard was) it was actually kind of fun too. I really enjoyed the talk by two courtiers explaining each piece of their clothing and the type of people they would be at the court. I loved walking through the rooms escorted by a woman dressed in the same clothing she would wear in 1540! History and fashion geek that I am, I LOVED it.
More than "feeling" the souls of Anne or the others as I did at the Tower, Hampton Court bewitched me with it's authenticity and preservation of a 500 year-old, Tudor-era palace. They keep the kitchens just as they were when they would serve up to 1000 guests one meal at court!

A 16th century kitchen prep area...

Although I couldn't take photos inside the chapel royal, I did go in and stand in the Holy Day Closet where Anne worshipped and the obstinate Spanish Ambassador paid her obeisance just before her fall from grace. Knowing this was so intense. There was also a plaque inside that claims although Jane Seymour's body is interred with Henry at Windsor, her heart is rumored to be buried there. (Although I can find no other documentation of this.) It was at Hampton that Jane gave birth to the future King Edward VI and died there shortly after.
Although the white portions of the palace behind me here are clearly additions made well after the Tudor Dynasty and more in the Georgian style, the beautiful gardens and grounds are laid out the way Henry VIII had planned them.

Another of my favorite parts of Hampton: The Astronomical Clock - designed in a time when they believed the Sun moved around the immovable Earth. I love that it was showing the correct date, time and astrological sign!