Algarve: the water, the wind, the wonder!

What is the hardest thing about swimming in the Portuguese Atlantic? Getting into the water!

Yes, folks, last week I learned that the Atlantic Ocean is, indeed, cold! Now lest you think I thought the Atlantic on this side of the ocean was as warm as it is in my home state on the east coast of the USA, I did expect that it would be cold. But I must admit, it was nevertheless a shock!

Proof that I did, indeed, conquer the Portuguese Atlantic!

A little context: NC, USA ocean temperatures at this time of year (late July) run between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius, or 80 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit (even warmer this summer, thanks to intense global warming). The Algarve region of Portugal, probably the warmest of the Portuguese Atlantic waters, ranges from 16 – 21 degrees Celsius or about 60 – 69 degrees Fahrenheit, and during our visit, the temps were about 18 – 19 degrees. Well then!

It was quite a wake-up for this soft NC girl!

The take-away: If you’re looking for a swimming beach vacation, maybe the Med is a better bet, so Spain and Italy are great choices. But if you want to find beautiful scenery and beaches that are warm and breezy for sunbathing, Portugal’s Algarve region can’t be beat.

We landed in Faro and grabbed our rental car and off we headed to Lagos. We stayed in an AirBnB in the city rather than a hotel on the beach, and I kind of regret that. It meant we needed a car, but we wanted a car anyway to explore a little further afield, but then it also meant that we had to drive every single day, whether all we wanted was to spend the day on the beach or not. The particular AirBnB also had really hard beds (mine was too hard for me), no kitchen (a tiny fridge), and neither a view nor a balcony. I was a bit disappointed. It was very clean, though, with on-street free parking, and it did have a pool (also with icy water), and also important, the owner was really helpful and nice. Note that some of the other rooms did have balconies. Just do your research.

Lagos Suite: the pool area, and proof the beds weren’t too hard to sleep on!

Lagos

This was to be a beach vacation, so all I really wanted was to lie on the beach (success!), swim (very little success), and EAT (too much success). We visited two beaches only, because one of our requirements is to be able to rent beach chairs and shade, and most public beaches don’t rent chairs and parasols. Our favorite beach was Mei Praia, as it features long, sandy stretches, a couple of restaurants, and ample parking. The two beach chairs and umbrella can be had for only 15 euros, a great deal. It is a little out of town, but only a 10-minute drive, and it is quiet. It also has a lifeguard (which is nice just in case you manage to acclimate your warm body to 18 or 19 degrees).

We also visited Praia Dona Ana, which we liked mostly for the view. It also has a lifeguard but was much more crowded, and at 20 euros, the less-comfortable chairs are a tad more expensive. Also, the parking situation is difficult; there is not nearly enough, so either one must park far away and walk a kilometer or so or, if you rent a teeny-tiny car, as we did, you might be able to squeeze into some teeny-tiny maybe-not-really-parking spots, as of course, we did! We were rewarded with the fantastic rock formations and brilliant blue water.

The other advantage of Dona Ana is the protection from the wind. It seems the wind blows all the time in Portugal (video at bottom of post), and with Meia Praia’s unbroken sandy beach, when the day is particularly windy, you are likely to have a [sand]blast of an experience! Dona Ana has cliffs on three sides, protecting bathers from the free and natural exfoliation provided by the gusts of wind. Check the weather before deciding which beach to visit!

Meia Praia, our favorite beach

(below) Praia Dona Ana: a feast for the eyes!

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I desperately wanted to see a sunset over the Portuguese Atlantic, so we did a little online digging, and we asked our host, and both recommended driving to Sagres to see the sunset. How I was looking forward to this; the photos I’ve seen of Portugal’s sunsets are magnificent! The night before we were to return home to Belgium, we hopped into the rented Up! (VW) and buzzed out of Lagos headed west. The closer we got to Sagres, the less we saw of blue sky; alas, a cloud seemed to descend from the heavens, and by the time we arrived at our destination, it was a misty mess, surfers and kayakers climbing the hills from the beaches, everyone bundled in windbreakers watching the drizzle. How the views would’ve been breathtaking… With heavy sighs, we loaded Up! (See what I did there?) and headed back, where we reminded ourselves of how lucky we were to have chosen Lagos for our home base, where the sun continued to shine!

Would’ve been a beautiful view!

As expected, the food in Portugal is wonderful, especially if you like seafood, and even if you are vegetarian, there are a lot of choices. Of course, I am vegetarian when I eat out and usually vegan at home. Well, I was a dismal failure at both for this vacation! I often say that the only flesh I miss eating is fish; having spent so many years on the NC coast, I love fish and seafood. I guiltily indulged during these few days. The cod is particularly delicious. The restaurants we enjoyed most were Pomo Italian restaurant, Os Arcos, and The Blue Whale.

Pomo was far and away our favorite, in spite of the long wait. There are lots of vegetarian friendly items on the menu (not so many for vegans unfortunately, but it’s authentic Italian cuisine, so cheese is everywhere), and the food is served uniquely, in the pans it is prepared in! The owners are from Puglia, in southern Italy, and the flavors are fresh and authentic. Service was attentive and friendly. We waited about an hour to be seated but we were able to enjoy drinks while we waited; I had one of the best Aperol Spritz’s I’ve had. They don’t take reservations because they don’t have to; they know they are going to have a full house every evening; it is well worth the wait. Recommended for cheese lovers: Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe. Recommended: Linguine Pesto Genovese (much less cheese-y). Prices are quite reasonable.

Waiting for seating at Pomo

Os Arcos serves a nice selection of seafood. There was also a wait, but not a long one, with friendly servers, and the prices were very reasonable. We luckily got a spot on the terrace, where we were serenaded by a street singer named Diego Mauas whose music I enjoyed. I had cod, which was prepared divinely with a very nice sear, baked with onions and served with crispy potato slices. It was a little oilier than I would’ve liked but it was still very good. My friend had the salmon, also baked and served with fresh vegetables and boiled whole potatoes. I remembered how much I miss fish… it was so delicious. (But being vegetarian (and even being vegan) is totally worth it 99% of the time – for the animals!)

The Blue Whale serves Thai cuisine that is a little higher end than most, of course with a lot of fish possibilities, something that is rarer here in Belgium. The ambiance is nice with white paint and ocean décor, and the servers are attentive. I enjoyed a sweet and sour dish, which I don’t often eat anymore as it is usually served with chicken. Here I had it with pieces of battered fish, and it was very good. My friend enjoyed, as she usually does, a chicken curry. She had to ask for more rice, and there was not as much chicken as she wanted, but what was there was good.

This was my first visit to Portugal, and probably my last for the beaches, as I do love to swim! But maybe Lisbon for a city trip sometime soon… +

Photos of food:

Dinner at Os Arcos.

My Pesto Genovese at Pomo.

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (Pomo)

Chicken Curry at The Blue Whale

Sweet and Sour Fish, The Blue Whale

If you go, let me know! I love to connect with my readers, so comment, and don’t forget to share! Bon voyage et bon appétit!

Malta, Part Two: Comino and Gozo

When you go to Malta, the excursion to Comino is absolutely obligatory. Whether you choose to go on a small or big boat is unimportant. Unless you are prone to seasickness; then it is VERY important. But I digress.

We chose a biggish boat, the Sea Odyssey. She is a fairly new boat equipped with a slide (!) and an extremely competent and friendly crew. We were picked up at the port of Bugibba in Saint Paul’s Bay, right on time! We headed out immediately; first stop: the Crystal Lagoon on the small island of Comino!

The Sea Odyssey: a modern boat and a competent and friendly crew!

Comino is a tiny island between the main island of Malta and the smaller one of Gozo. It is very sparsely populated, with only TWO permanent residents according to Wikipedia! Read more about Comino and its history of pirates and marauders if you like, here. The varied crystalline blues of the Crystal Lagoon’s warm waters are ideal for snorkeling and diving, and so that is what we did. Like most water-babies, I love to snorkel and share a bit in the exotic world just below the surface of the deep. The many small fish swim along with you when you snorkel calmly as a visitor in their world, and they delight the outsider with their nearness and behaviors. There were a lot of other boats but the lagoon is big and so it doesn’t seem crowded at all. If you are a good swimmer, there is plenty of the deep blue sea for all.

The Crystal Lagoon, Comino: so many shades of blue, and the water so clear!

Next stop: Gozo. We had only three hours to explore the capital city of Victoria. We chose to lazily wander the old streets and have lunch. It was stiflingly hot — August 2021 — so not great sightseeing weather, but we had lunch in front of a misting fan on a pretty little square.

Final stop on our eight hour excursion, the Blue Lagoon! We had been looking forward to this all day — my non-swimming friend would finally be able to get in the water because there is a sandy BEACH! Well, maybe not so much. This was the most crowded tiny stretch of beach we could have imagined, and in the age of Covid-19, in spite of both of us being fully vaccinated, it wasn’t quite as nice as we imagined. Yes, the waters are blue and inviting, but there were just too many people. We didn’t spend as much time in the water as we might have otherwise.

The Blue Lagoon: clear, inviting water but TOO MANY PEOPLE.

As we were leaving Comino to head home, we got to see some caves and rock formations. The most famous rock formation is probably the Elephant, pictured here.

I was impressed by our captain’s sailing skills. He got us up close and personal with the caves and rock formations!

Some of the pirate caves and grottos on Comino.

We booked our tour with Sea Adventures. Learn more about their offerings here. Highly recommended! But skip the Blue Lagoon in high season if you love to swim and snorkel. Have a great time in Malta! We did!

Malta, Part One: Saint Paul’s Bay and Bugibba

Malta, the smallest country in the EU, and the most heavily populated is also a whizz-bang of a vacation destination! Just returned from five short nights there and packed a whole bunch of fun into a few short and very hot days.

Malta is most famous to Christians as the island where St. Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked. It is mentioned in several verses in the Acts of the Apostles and those mentions are noted on the front of St Paul’s Shipwreck Church in Bugibba, Saint Paul’s Bay. The apostle’s importance is also commemorated on the outside wall of the little church. Unfortunately it was closed on the day we wanted to visit so we couldn’t see inside.

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There is also the little island or group of tiny islands, uninhabited, that are supposedly where he was actually shipwrecked. One has a statue of the apostle that can be seen from Bugibba, which is quite a distance away on the mainland.

Saint Paul’s Bay is a deep water bay that cuts into the mainland in various concave and convex curves. The resulting shoreline is varied and rocky, with a few sandy enclaves, mostly quite small. The resulting swimming areas are not as inviting as they might have been, as most of the areas really require swim shoes for the tender-soled among us. Nevertheless, the water is blue and clear and refreshing in August, quite warm this particular year (2021). It is a boater’s dream, with plenty of free space to anchor if you have a little boat to get yourself to shore.

Just anchor and small boat in to shore!

Note lady in the hat using the ladder to get in and out of the water.

The area we stayed in is called Bugibba, and it has stores, restaurants, a small port, and lots to do. We shopped a tiny bit, my friend adding to her bikini top collection and I bought a little beach ball and a beach bag at a great little store next to our hotel with brand names as well as beach supplies. There were lots of beach supplies stores, as well as Malta souvenirs and a few places with actual artisanal items. The little town is big enough to have other stores, too, like some for jewelry and clothing. The port allows the big boats to come in for the tourist day excursions, which I’ll post about later. There are car and motorbike rentals, as well as jet ski! And for the more adventurous, there is a kids water park and parasailing.

To the left, a TINY fraction of the water park, and to the right, the parasailing boat.

The green and yellow water park in the sea, and the mostly rocky beaches.

The small sandy area for accessing the sea by wading in

Such clear water!

There are several large, seafront hotels. We stayed at Seaview Hotel, having gotten a really good rate on Booking.com. We loved this adults-only hotel for several reasons. First, the rooftop infinity pool and bar. What a great way to end the day, on the roof, in the pool. A little disappointed it wasn’t open later (closes at 9 pm) but I understand why that is probably necessary. There is a good selection to drink and the hotel supplies the towels. Next, our room had a stellar view of the sea and a lovely balcony, but not all rooms do, so if that is what you want, make sure. Some rooms are on the side of the hotel and so the view is surely less spectacular. And of course, we liked the beds and the size of the room, and the amenities, such as coffee maker, water boiler, and safe. Even better, the staff was lovely. Of course everything wasn’t perfect; we didn’t like the lighting in the room. If you need to do make up or pluck the occasional errant hair, best have a hand mirror so you can do that at the table by the window.

Our hotel, the Seaview, taken roughly from in front of the Dolmen Hotel.

Rooftop infinity pool after 9 p.m.

View from our balcony.

Food in the area is varied and delicious. There is heavy emphasis on Italian, due to the proximity of Italy and the influence of that country on Malta’s culture. There is also some Greek, a couple of creperies, some eclectic eateries offering a little of everything, and a few places that had a menu that was too varied — pretty hard to be good at everything, of course. One of my favorite eateries is Nine Lives, a nice beachfront restaurant with an area outside to rent beach chairs, which we did twice during our stay. Recommended without hesitation: the vegetarian sushi roll, roasted cauliflower salad, truffle mac and cheese, and sweet potato fries. The pizzas looked great but we didn’t try them. The menu is just varied enough and the service was impeccable if not always speedy. And the location for our hotel was excellent.

Another favorite was Manakis, a Greek restaurant associated with our hotel. Now there are two of these; the one we frequented, also twice, was in Bugibba. On the second visit the waiter recognized us and remembered my drink choice from the first visit; I was impressed. We thoroughly enjoyed the spanakopita, a very large pie that is sufficient for two people to share. We had it with a shared Greek salad. The kolokithia, batter fried zucchini, is to die for, really. Of course the tzatziki is wonderful. The french fries were surprisingly good; my friend, who has lived in Belgium her whole life (i.e. loves Belgian frites) was craving fries and so we indulged. Inside or terrace dining, like Nine Lives, is offered and both are comfortable.

Final observation: if you want good food, lots to do, a little nightlife nearby, and a little nice shopping, Saint Paul’s Bay is a good choice. If you have a boat, it is an even better choice! If you don’t mind small, unconventional “beaches”, and if you can swim, still better.

Mamertine Prison in Rome

During this dearth of travel opportunities, what are you doing to keep yourself occupied? I am looking back on recent trips.

Last Spring, I took my second trip to Rome. If you read about my first trip there a few years ago, you know the city holds special meaning for me, as a Christian, with all its religious sites. The Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls remains one of my most beloved places, mainly because it probably does contain the remains of the writer of most of the New Testament, in a marble sarcophagus under the basilica. Carbon dating was used in 2009 to confirm that the bone fragments found there date to the first or second century AD and so likely are, indeed, those of the apostle.

San Paulo Fuori le Mura; the chains that bound Paul

Saint Paul’s head, however, is believed to be in Saint John Lateran, along with Saint Peter’s. Saint John Lateran is the Archbasilica and Papal Seat of Rome. It is another emotionally charged Roman site, of course because of the aforementioned remains, but also because it houses Michelangelo’s Moses, a huge marble sculpture originally intended as a tomb decoration for a 16^th century Pope. The sculpture is impressive because of its massive size but also because it seems to be about to come to life at any moment. It is second only to the Pietà, also by Michelangelo, and found in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, also well worth the considerable trouble to see.

San Giovanni in Laterano: the papal seat and Michelangelo’s Moses

Both times in Rome, I visited all three of those sacred locations. And I probably will see Saint Paul’s and Saint John’s again because they move me nearly to tears each time. But the first time I went to Rome, I didn’t get to visit Mamertine Prison, the Capitoline Hill location where both Paul and Peter were held before their executions. I promised myself I would see it the next time, and last April I did. Not only that, but we stayed in an Airbnb within a stone’s throw of the place and the adjacent forum. The Colosseum was also within walking distance. Best.Location.Ever.

Mamertine Prison is a tiny facility with a two room museum on the ground floor and the prison under the building. It takes all of thirty minutes to see. But for me it was a contemplative experience, knowing these two spiritual giants may well have spent their last weeks on earth in this location.

Mamertine Prison, anciently known as Tullianum

There are two prison cells, one on top of the other. The lower cell once could be reached only by a hole in the floor of the upper cell. Now the upper one is mainly an anteroom for the cell in which the apostles were said to be held, the one on the lowermost level. It is reached now by a stairway, at the top of which is a broken stone in the wall, said to have been broken by Saint Peter’s head smacking against it as he was tossed below. That may or may not be true but it is fairly likely that the prison did actually hold both Peter and Paul before they were executed, as holding before trial or execution was the main purpose of this particular detention area at the time.

Of course, the main attraction is the lower prison cell, a space about the size of a modern American living room. In the middle is the spring that Peter used to baptize other cellmates during his stay there. It is bare and once lead directly into the city’s sewage system, where dead prisoners were likely thrown to be swallowed up by the Tiber River. Normally there is an altar there decorated with an upside-down cross, commemorating how Saint Peter apparently died, upside-down because he declared himself unworthy to be crucified like the Lord. It has of late been under renovation of some kind.

The spring Peter used to baptize

Naturally prone to introspection, I reveled in the few minutes alone in the darkened space, spending as long as I dared down there, imagining how they must have lived for those weeks in that damp, dark space, leaving reluctantly only when another small group of tourists filed in behind me. The presence of the apostles weighed heavily on me, and I called to mind the recent film, Paul, Apostle of Christ, as well as passages in the New Testament, so much of the Christian Bible written by him.

Sensing that presence is indescribable, to be honest. Exiting into the blinding sunlight, my friend and I didn’t have too many words we wanted to speak aloud; we stood and basked in the sunlight for a few minutes, took a few photos and sauntered contemplatively on.

So I ask again, during this dry travel spell, what are you doing to quiet your wanderlust?

 

Normandy: Another Look

A few years ago, I wrote about my first visit to Normandy, and you can read about it here and here. Since then, I’ve returned several times. Each time, the place impresses me with its moving images and museums, and its stunning landscapes. The above photos were taken at Arromanches-les-Bains; it’s a relatively new memorial to the Allied military men who risked everything to liberate the area in 1944. Made of steel, each image fades out, an apparent acknowledgement that so many lost their lives there. 

The statue pictured at left also stands at the same site, a memorial to the men who have returned to commemorate the day and the battle buddies they lost during those difficult days and in the years since. The old man’s face tells the story of the lives he’s lived, with its joys and sorrows. He contemplates the statues above. Below him you can see the wreath of poppies from the 75th Anniversary celebrations that took place last June. Most of the veterans of that longest day are gone now, but the region makes sure they are never forgotten. 

 

 

Arromanches-les-Bains is where you can visit the 360° Cinema that impressed me so much the first time I went. Since then, the film has changed. It is still very good and extremely worth a visit. The film is shown on nine screens and the images are raw and often wrenching. It shows the landing and some other footage, and for better or worse, doesn’t subject us to the worst of the day and those following. See a clip here. A bit of the old film and an introduction to the theater are here.

The area remains one of my favorite places in the world, largely because the memory of the locals is long, at least for now, and I am so proud to be an American when I visit there. It also boasts fantastic beaches. And just to the south, Mont Saint Michel rises out of the bay like an eternal guardian of the sea, the sun often reflecting off the statue of Saint Michael at the top. 

 

A little further south, Bretagne, Brittany in English, with its rugged coastline and funny hats welcomes visitors with almost as much friendliness as Normandy does. Cancale village remains colorful and relatively quiet, with great restaurants, fun shops and a peaceful bay with fishing and pleasure boats a-plenty. Eye candy indeed.

I again took advantage of Saint Malo. I love a walled city, you know. And I recently read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Takes place in Saint Malo during World War II, and definitely one of my favorite reads. I highly recommend it, especially if you are traveling to Saint Malo sometime soon, or if you are interested in World War II. Unfortunately most of the walled city had to be rebuilt after taking heavy Allied bombardment to root out and drive back the many Nazi forces that had taken it. Nevertheless, it retains much of its charm. 

 
I can heartily recommend these two hotels, one in Saint Malo and the other in Courseulles-sur-Mer, at Juno Beach, where the Canadian forces landed on D-Day. Both offer great locations and comfortable beds in clean rooms. If you decide to stay in Cancale, look for a hotel or B&B in Cancale Village, as it is charming with a small-town feel. Cancale is a city and not nearly as charming.

I also recommend this old movie, The Longest Day, for its depiction of June 6, 1944. Chock-full of stars like John Wayne, Red Buttons (as John Steele, who I wrote about in the blog post referenced in the introduction), Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Henry Fonda, and a short scene with a very young Sean Connery, the film is realistic for its time and extremely well-acted, as you might expect. You see the Mulberry Harbors, the parachutists landing at Sainte-Mère-Eglise, and the Nazi mistakes that helped make the landing a success. It isn’t 100% true to facts, but they did a decent job.

Hope to see you next time I’m in Normandy or Bretagne, because there is no doubt I will return, if God allows.

The Wobbly Waitress

Recently revisited Normandy and as this is one of my favorite posts, I’m sharing it again. New post coming soon.

Americana en Europa

Betsy, my little Chihuahua-Pekingese mix, and I stopped in Caen on our way through Normandy, France to see the D-Day beaches and some of the related WWII museums. It was the first stop on our Spring Break trip. I chose, rather unfortunately, to leave right after church on Easter Sunday. Now Sunday is bad enough in Europe on a good day; relatively NOTHING is open, rarely even restaurants. We arrived in Caen at about 7:00 p.m. and checked into the cute (and cheap — but comfortable) little Caen Bellevue Hotel on Avenue Henri Chéron. I was quite taken with the room, and the proprietor was charming, in a shy, unassuming way. We were hungry, Betsy and I, so we asked the owner for a recommendation.

“Oh, Madame,” he said, in his funny Norman French, “I will see if the restaurants nearby are open.” He proceeded to make two phone calls…

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A Light Rail Mini-Adventure

A couple of weeks ago, on one of the first truly summery days of the year, a friend and I headed toward the Ardennes and an experience we were both looking forward to: les Draisines de la Molignée.

Draisines are light rail cars that are human energy powered, usually like a bicycle. The Draisines of the Molignée travel back and forth on six, eight, and fourteen kilometer journeys through a verdant region of Belgium near the National Park of the Ardennes. If you choose the six or the fourteen kilometer journey, you will take your midpoint respite at the Maredsous Abbey, where you can take a tour of the Abbey’s brewery and cheesemaking facility, and of course enjoy the fruits of those labors.

Photos by Anna Amato 

We decided to take the eight kilometer journey, both having visited the Abbey, and as we bought our tickets (they are super affordable at 18 euros per two way journey for up to four people), the seller told us that we could continue on to the Abbey if we wanted to when we reached our turn-around point; in other words we could buy the next trajectory at the turn around point and simply continue on. We asked him how hard the journey was and were assured that it was not difficult but the return journey was even easier.

As we pedaled out, we went mostly through woods so there wasn’t a lot of great scenery, but it was peaceful and fun and definitely not difficult. We stopped to snap a photo of the ruin of the Chateau Fort du Montaigle looking down on us. As we gently pedaled our way along, a trio of speedy youngsters caught up with us. They were kind of tailgating us and making us feel a little pressured to speed up, which we definitely did not want to do, so we stopped and offered to trade cars with them. Happily they took us up on the offer, and we watched them speed off ahead of us as we leisurely followed behind at our preferred pace.

The ruined castle, and the view on the way back.

At the halfway point, we dismounted and headed for the snackbar. We bought a beer, a water and a little bag of chips and watched one of the workers turn the cars around on the rails, which he did by hand because there were only a few to deal with. There is a machine that does this much faster when needed.

After thirty minutes or so, we headed back. The vendor didn’t lie; the return trip was so much easier that we barely pedaled at all. It is apparently a very light grade, imperceptible on the trip up, but super easy on the way back. We had a bit of fun with that, as you can see here.

This is a highly recommended outing. Pet friendly, too, so you can take your furry friend along for the ride. Grandpa and grandma or tiny toddlers will also enjoy the fun because there is two-person seating between the pedalers’ seats! And it really isn’t difficult at all. The Abbey of Maredsous is another recommended stop: great beer, and an even better tour.

Click for a video taken on the journey!

Click to find out more about the Draisines!

 

Culloden and the Bonnie Prince

Lately everyone knows the song linked here.

It’s called The Skye Boat Song, revised and shortened so as to be an appropriate theme for the runaway hit show Outlander, of which I am an admitted fan, largely because James Fraser is “The Perfect Man”. Ruddy and kilted and educated and strong and… ahem. I digress.

Yes, the song has been revised and shortened from its original form. Revised, you say? Yes, because the original was written by Robert Lewis Stevenson and goes like this: “Sing me a song of a lad that is gone…” If you also are an Outlander fan, you know the song sings of a “lass,” rather than a lad. Read the full poem below but I warn you, it is heart-rending and infuriating. Why, you ask? I will try to answer that question and a few other “why’s” in the few short paragraphs that follow.

First of all, why is it about a lad, not a lass? Because the lad was Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart, the Would-Be Scottish monarch, who in the vain hope of becoming the Catholic king for all of England, led his Jacobite followers to spill their blood on Culloden Moor in 1746. 1500 lost lives, 1000 of them fighting on the side of the Jacobites, all for the Bonnie Prince who wasn’t worth a gram of the lavender that covers the beautiful moors of Scotland. Pardon me if you are one of the thousands of people who admire him; I don’t share that view, and you shouldn’t either! If you watch Outlander, the portrayal of the young Pretender is spot on in terms of historical records, in spite of the mythic admiration that persists for the man.

Why, then, is the legend that surrounds the Bonnie Prince wrong? Born in Rome to a family in exile, he was brought up in ways that are anything but Scottish, and possessed none of the Highland fortitude that marked those who would die for him twenty-six years later. He was known to take to his bed sick when he didn’t get his way, even as an adult! In spite of a highly cultured upbringing and known talents for music and art, some historical accounts reveal him as a spoiled brat who later in life became a drunken wife-beater with multiple mistresses, although the account I read was of a book from the publishing house of the (Protestant) Church of Scotland and thus, perhaps stained by a certain bias.

Nevertheless, it is certain that the Young Pretender to the throne led a small army of malnourished and poorly equipped men against an army of well-fed and heavily-equipped professional soldiers in an ill-timed battle for a throne he may have been entitled to, but for which he wasn’t destined, nor which he deserved, in spite of his birthright. Why did he do it? Against the advice of all his military advisors, he went ahead to battle. Whatever possessed him to think he could win?

Young Charlie, bonnie as he was, wasn’t apparently very clever. Or maybe his pride overcame his intellect. In any event, he refused to concede even when he was advised, again and again, that his men were hungry and exhausted and needed to restore themselves; many, in fact, had already returned home for a needed break, knowing it was an unwinnable battle. The Outlander writers didn’t show this as strongly as they should have, in my opinion. Why not? I’m glad you asked…

First, promised supplies had not been delivered. Although the army possessed sufficient and advanced weaponry, much of it was still in Inverness. Further, needed support from the French had been intercepted and never arrived, devastating the Jacobites. The soldiers were weakened by cold, wet weather and by hunger. Even without Claire’s foreknowledge of the future, the prince’s able military advisors warned him to turn the army back and regroup. When the prince refused to heed this advice, the leaders of the battle groups decided to try to surprise the redcoats as they slept. For whatever reason, they miscalculated the time it would take them to arrive, and when they realized they were not going to make it to the British campsite before morning’s light, they turned back, hoping to rest and take whatever meager nourishment they possessed before the battle. Instead, the Young Pretender’s exhausted army faced the rested, advancing English, after having hiked 20 miles the night before and not having eaten in at least two days.

The ensuing battle cost the lives of over a thousand men, and as a result, the Bonnie Prince spent five months on the run, a hunted man, trying to escape certain hanging at the hands of the British government. And that leads us to my final why: Why is the Stevenson poem both sad and maddening?

The poem is the story of the Bonnie Prince’s escape to Skye, a fleeing figure whose legacy was not one of royalty but rather of ruin. Ruined lives, false hopes, families whose fathers and brothers and sons were lost. More poignant and stirring than the poem are the quotes at the museum at Culloden, which I visited a few weeks ago, just before the 272^nd anniversary of the battle.

Displayed at Culloden.

The museum is a moving timeline seen through the eyes of the British and the Scots, and it is rich in artifacts, media, and history. I had wanted to visit more for the battlefield itself, where the many bodies are interred, but the museum inspired me as well. My traveling companion had warned me that it was probably “just a field,” but I had seen a video about the site and was certain it was more than that. Obviously it was much more. I shot this video while there. Turn up the sound, as I was trying to be quietly respectful of the site.

Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone
by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.

Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
Where is that glory now?

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.

Give me again all that was there,
Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
Give me the lad that’s gone!

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.

Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.

References:

The most important reference was the museum itself; by all means visit if you can.  https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/culloden

Online sources:

http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-5145

http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/education/timeline-final.pdf

https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/bonnie-prince-charlie-was-drink-soaked-brute-1-3351662

https://www.scotsman.com/news/culloden-moor-april-16-1746-the-worst-place-on-earth-1-4420543

https://www.nts.org.uk/stories/jacobite-stories-the-battle-of-culloden

Scotland

I’ve a recent trip to Scotland that I am just itching to write about. I don’t yet know where to begin. Scotland pulls at my soul like a dream that I can’t quite remember but that keeps making itself known somehow. I can’t explain it.

For now I leave you with a few photos. More to come along with some details, maybe a little at a time. Here you have Loch Lomond, Loch Linnhe, Glencoe, and Eilean Donan, each in its own right worth a trip to Western Scotland!

Clockwise from top left: Glencoe, Loch Linnhe, the flag at Eilean Donan, Loch Lomond and Eilean Donan Castle.

See you here in a few days with more about the bonny land of lochs. 

A Castle, a Church, and a bit of Rain

A thirteenth century church, an equally ancient castle ruin, miles and miles of green pastureland outlined by ancient stone walls and worse weather than Belgium can only describe one place I know of: England’s spectacular Lakes District just south of Scotland. I spent a few days with friends there recently; there is a lot to love about the Lakes District. Except the weather.

Did I mention the weather? Here is a snippet of a conversation heard a few days before my return home to relatively-sunny-Belgium:
“So, did you see the sun break through yesterday?”
“What sun?”
“‘Twas about three in the afternoon, I think it was. ‘Bout five minutes. I put on me shorts.”
Not a lot of exaggeration, really. Maybe a little. About the shorts, probably.

Nevertheless, the wet weather makes for some very green countryside and early daffodils. And lambs. It was lambing time. If you read my other blog, What Living Feels Like, you know I’m vegetarian, and lambs are way too cute to eat even if I weren’t. Did you know lambs are often born in pairs? Twice the cuteness!

Honestly, is there anything cuter than a lamb? Well, yes, twin lambs butting heads!

The fifteenth century church is called Holy Trinity. It boasts an unusually wide nave, one of the widest in all of England, and it is very impressive both from the exterior and interior. It sits beside the Kent River on a very picturesque parcel of land called Kirkland, naturally. While it began as a Catholic Church in the thirteenth century, it is no longer. As you probably know, Henry VIII took over all the country’s churches and now it is part of the Church of England, and so of course, is Anglican.

From across the Kent River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Parr family, from whom came Catherine, the last wife of aforementioned Henry VIII, was pivotal in the community during the Church’s early life. Thus there is a Parr Chapel in the church. Some of the Parr family is said to be buried in the church, as was the custom in those days. In fact a lot of the burials are very interesting, dating from hundreds of years ago. Sometimes you can even read about the life of the deceased person.

I was especially taken with some of these rememberances. One tells the sorrowful story of a young and highly respected lawyer’s demise; he left a disconsolate widow and six children, the second oldest of whom lost her life only a year later. The image of the memorial is below.

Did you know that many Anglican churches have angels flying around them? Beautiful, painted angels adorn the ceiling. They are all different! You also know I’m a fan of stained glass, and some of the windows here are worthy of a glance or two.

If you visit, there will likely be a nice lady who will greet you and give you a flyer in your choice of one of a number of different languages. Be nice to her; her day can be very monotonous. Here’s a challenge: make her laugh once.

Kendal Castle occupies an imposing position on the highest point overlooking the town. There isn’t much left of it, but what remains is fascinating and getting there makes for an interesting and mildly challenging walk from the town. The ruins date from the 1200’s and belonged to the Barons of Kendal: the Parr family. They actually lived in the castle, along with a lot of other people who helped make their day-to-day lives easier. I suspect the lives of all were pretty difficult, as life in the Middle Ages was for everyone.

The site has been thoroughly studied and there are well-done signs here and there that explain the different parts of the remains as well as what once stood in different spots. You can easily see parts of a fireplace and a “garderobe”‘ which includes the Middle Age’s answer to a toilet: a hole in the floor that opened to the moat below.

Garderobe area, with the iron door marking the toilet room, and to the right the fireplace.

Probably the most interesting for me was the location of the apparently original well that supplied the site with water. I love imagining the people digging that well with their primitive tools, and the excitement when they found water and knew the hardest part of the chore was done.

Well in the foreground

You can walk all the way around the castle site, as well as inside the courtyard and the castle remains. The views from all around are stunning. You can see into Kendal from one side and into the countryside from the other. The surrounding trees are home to quite a lot of birds, and your walk will reward you with birdsong. Do be careful, though, as the ground can be quite spongy and you’re liable to end up at least once on your backside in the wet grass, as I might’ve done. I’m not saying I did or I didn’t. But I might’ve done. Wink-nod-eye roll.

Kendal proper is a mostly modern small city with nice amenities. My friends attend concerts, swim, walk, shop, go to church, the doctor and really everything else they might want to do as a retired international couple (he English, she American) without leaving the town limits. Kendal is a welcoming place to make a home, especially if you don’t mind the sparce sunshine. As a tourist destination, nothing special except as a gateway to the Lakes. If you want to read more about this beautiful area and see some photos of the lovely lakes, check out the post I wrote a few years ago.