Fountain's Abbey

Last Sunday I went for a bimble around Fountain's Abbey. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, and generally impressive place to wander. We certainly don't have so many closely cropped vast expanses of lawn at home.

The abbey was founded in 1132 and is a ruined Cistercian house. The grounds include a nice water garden, but like most English landscape gardens, it's all very wide and flat. The pictures don' really convey just how massive the place is.




After visiting, I had an overwhelming urge to watch Pillars of the Earth. I recommend it if you're not already watching. There's also a deer park:

Illuminating York

This week there was an event downtown called "Illuminating York". The centerpiece was a series of images projected onto York Minster set to music and poetry. Here are some highlights:

See you later.

Malham

I made it to England alive and in one piece, and now I'm off to explore York. I started last Sunday by taking a hiking trip to Malham. It's a village in the Yorkshire Dales that's popular with hikers and known for its limestone structures.







That gray patch in the middle left of this picture is the same cove from the second picture. Needless to say, there was a lot of walking involved.