DAY 283

Thursday 19 April 2012


Happy Birthday Irene! (Charles' mom, Nicole's grandma she never got to meet)


... So throughout the day we kept her in our thoughts, especially in the garden of the Glastonbury Abbey. We all got up early and after porridge (ah, England) decided to take advantage of Ina’s morning off and Richard’s position at the Abbey entrance gate. Walking from the house took only 10 minutes and we were knocked out by the beautiful condition of the grounds and museum. The legends abound there and with Richard guiding us we walked to the chapel where Saint Patrick stayed (and Ina’s choir
had performed a number of times), the grave of King Arthur and Lady Guinevere (some question this, but Charles overheard an older couple in the museum section and the gentlemen told his lady, "You know, some say Arthur didn't even exist..... that's ridiculous!") and the site of Jesus’ visit with his great uncle Joseph of Arimethea,  a metal merchant who travelled to Glastonbury when it was still accessible by waterway and was a huge trading center.

Tryouts for Fiddler on the Roof

We love the street titles such as these in England.

And these.

And these.

The herb garden was especially wonderful with the healing and culinary properties of each plant described on a card in front of each specimen. Since Irene had been an avid gardener we all smiled to think how much she would have enjoyed it. The duck pond, badger hills and Abbot’s kitchen were highlights as well. The museum contained lots of kid-friendly interactive exhibits with a sense of humor we don’t always see in the States. We continued on to the gift store where we bought an Andrews family crest magnet and some cards.

Glastonbury Abbey

Richard, Dian, Charles and Nicole at the Abbey

Finally. FINALLY, restroom facilities with TWO ladies' rooms so as to avoid a huge line from the ladies'.

Charles, Ina and Dian

The Happy Trails Gang wanted to find a CD of Guy Clark to replace the worn cassette Ravi loved so they went back to Tor Records. Alas Lesley, the manager, tried hard to find one but was unsuccessful. She was an animated conversationalist and also very knowledgeable about music so we ended up chatting for a while.  When she heard we were traveling for nearly a year she spouted, “I’m green with envy!” Which was very honest of her and probably a sentiment many of our friends and blog readers share. (Anyway, thanks for doing your best to hide your baser instincts from us friends and family. We KNOW we have much to be thankful for!) We bought a very good country music compilation CD for 2.99 (pounds) and bade Lesley farewell.

Richard told us that apparently, King Arthur's actual resting place is about ten feet from where it's marked for the tourists.

Where he is actually buried.

Tor Records

 Charles found a fantastic black western shirt with red roses and snap buttons at a thrift shop and then they all stopped back at DollyBirds – The Vintage Hideaway where Nicole had found her “cricket shirt” and
said hello to Esther. She was very sweet and confirmed that Nicole’s military style jacket was indeed from the ‘60s. A doll that had caught Dian’s eye was passed on again but she kept thinking about it. Finally the trio headed home after a quick visit to St. John’s Chapel on High Street.

Vintage store, DollyBirds

Ina gave us permission to put these up.

In the kitchen Ravi was busy making his famous kidney, mushroom and onion dish with a tomato and green onion salad on the side and hot rolls. With a bit of wine from the Andrews larder we were feeling good enough to dance on the table top (well, some of us) and decided to hike to the Tor, around 10 PM. (It's a strikingly sharp hill with an ancient tower on top which we saw on the way in, but didn't know about its long history and mystical connections and influence. Even area young folk will go there frequently, day or night. Of course, it's a good getaway/drinking spot as well, but then that's always been the case). The moon must have been new because Ravi, Ina, Richard, Katy the dog, Charles, Dian and Nicole had to climb up the hill by starlight and occasional torch (flashlight). It was exhilarating as well as a good way to work off a few calories and we lucked out with no rain. At the top, inside the Tor, Dian and Ina cackled like witches and played guitar (which Richard had gallantly carried). The songs we sang were from the olde English or Irish songbooks. Closing with an American folk standard, "Clementine", we left the summit and in a half hour were back by the cozy fire in Ravi’s house.

Photo by Charles

Photo by Charles

The Tor by nightlight