Morning rolled around a bit early today, Cliff, my host drove me on over to Jean's house to be taken with Kristin and Lizette to the York Boat Cruise Tour. Jean would be acompanying us as we all went down the Ouse River to see the sights. At approximately 11am the cruise set off and we went up and down the river for about an hour seeing the city from a very different persepctive. It was a cold morning so all of us - minus Sandy as she enjoyed the cold - went downstairs where it was warmer.

After the time was over, we went back into town to do none other than revisit those shops from our earlier city tour and do some shopping. Sandy went with her host to the Viking Museum so we split up and conquered the likes of York!

Sonya, Kristin, Lizette and I wondered the streets, armed with a map, and saw the city center with a whole new perspective! Starbucks made it on our list of places to visit as well as a location for lunch. We found a little french cafe and enjoyed the rest after all that walking. At about 4pm we called Jean and out she came to pick us up. What a day!

Tonight we are to be hosted for a farewell party at the Fairfax House. At approx. 7pm we set off for the party. When we arrived to the town center we were met with a surprising amount of traffic. Jayne and I went into the Fairfax house as Cliff went to park the car. The house was built hundreds of years ago and now stands as one of the largest collections of 16th century furniture. Once everyone arrived we were given a tour of the facility to which was ended with a lite buffet and wine for socializing. We had a special guest! One of the Rotaract members that we had met in Scarborough came by to participate and wish us farewell. He spent some time discussing setting up a new community based Rotaract with Lizette and Kristin. Yes, that was prompted by me of course, but Im hoping they are interested enough to follow through.

A month has come and gone so quickly it is hard to believe! Tomorrow morning we will be on the road to set off for home. There are not enough words to express what this trip meant to all of us - however we hope that this blog has given you some insight as to what a GSE trip can be like.

Side note to Friday, October 17th:
Thanks to Brian Skidmore, Wilfred Smith, Bill Kerr and Roger Percival for meeting us at the airport at the ungoddly hour of 4:30 am. They were a welcome relief to help manuever us through the check in process with all of our luggage. And it was so nice to see thier faces, after all this time, at the end of our trip. Thank you all for the experience! We hope we have made as big of an impact on you - as you have on us!

Today is a vocational day for all of us but Kristin. She had the Yorkshire Bank on her list, however after already visiting two other branches she opted to not go. I had the morning off and spent most of it getting caught up on this blog! HE HE

Once 2:30 rolled around I was on the outskirts of the town center on a visit with Paul Featherstone of Goldtempest Advertising. He was busy with a pitch so he had a limited amount of time to meet, however we made the best of it. I asked him a myriad of questions about his clientelle, his new business development approach, etc. After 4pm rolled around we called it quits and Jayne (my host) picked me up.

Once we got home it was time to get ready for dinner. We were to dine in another club members home tonight - he is a member I believe from the Rotary Club of York. A delicious meal, wonderful conversation, and by 11 pm we were all shattered and made it back to the house in time to roll into bed.  

It is raining today, but it is so nice to see the change in weather. None of us mind as we tour the city on foot. We met with Frank Peterson this morning and began our trek through the city - starting out at the National Railway Museum and heading into the city Center. WOW, the history in York, old buildings, beatiful 'redundant' churches being put to good use as facilities for seniors or locations of gift sales for charities. We went to our first Starbucks in England - wow I know, but we couldnt pass it up - come on - it was Starbucks! The ladies saw many great looking shoe stores, so of course they took copious notes on where they were so they could return there later.

At the end of the tour we were handed off to Graham (Ainsty member) and his wife at the Kings Manor in downtown for lunch. They could not stay with us long - through lunch and to the rendevous for the next tour, but we enjoyed their company and appreciated that they took the afternoon to be with us. We surprised him with how quickly we ate...allowing us at least an hour to do some gift shopping before our Minster tour. So off we went.

After identifying where we would meet our Minster guide, we split up and purused the shopping area. So many wonderful boutique shops with unique purchasing opportunities! Im sure we all did a little bit of damage to our pocket books there! After one hour, we regrouped in the Minstry where we met Steve Burton, a Rotarian and volunteer Minster guide. He took us through the church and explained so many wonderful stories about what the history of the church was and all of the renovation works that go on there on a daily basis. The stained glass windows were amazing. They have an elaborate schedule on how and when the various windows are removed and renovated. What an undertaking! An hour and a half went by very quickly!

Before we knew it, it was 4 pm and it was time to be collected by our hosts and head back. Sue Scanlan was kind enough to collect us all and after walking Sandy back to her hosts, we all went back to Sue's house where we waited for Jean (Kristin and Lizette's host) to pick us up. Tonight we are all to split up amongst other people's homes for dinner.

Once I was dropped off to my host home, we got ready and I visited the York Viking Club meeting where my host is a member. The all men club had a business meeting so I was able to hear all the things they are working on, etc. It was an interesting visit as in my short years in rotary I have never been to an all men's club before. But, alas, glad for the experience - they are no different after all than any of the other clubs I have visited in the past.

So, we are being hosted by the three clubs in York; Rotary Club of York, York Ainsty and York Vikings. We are all split up with our homestays with various club members from these three. Today we are going to the Lord Mayor's House to meet with him. He is a very nice man, again the same situation as the previous Mayors, his role is strictly cermonial. Although in York - becuase it was the home of the King at one point in history - it is a bit more formal. The Lord Mayor is able to live in the house that all previous Mayors have lived in and he has his position for one year. With his busy schedule he was kind enough to give us just over an hour of his time, over tea and biscuits so we could all learn about eachother.

Once we finished here we went to the National Railway Museum. Sandy's ankle was bothering her so she went back to rest and we continued on. The NRM is the largest in the world of it's kind. We were guided through the facility by two members of the Friends of the Museum and we saw a grand history of trains. We didnt ask 'gear head' technical questions as they may have expected, but we did ask questions. And of course we spent plenty of time in the gift shop! We also had a chance to take a ride on the Yorkshire Wheel, our club guide David Heaseman, poor man, had to pose with us in the cab as we sat hundreds of feet in the air dangling over York!

In the evening we had our last and final club presentation. I think we were all a bit glad to finally have those behind us. It went smoothly as usual. We had several questions from the crowd and we of course thanked all for their time. Seems that with Alasdair (our club contact) being really ill we need to find someone to take us to lunch tomorrow, Im sure they will sort it out.

My hosts - Cliff and Jayne - took me to a pubquiz tonight. What fun - the local pubs have an evening of quizes and there are prizes to those who get the most questions correct. What a great idea. I helped out where I could, but most of the questions were rather England in nature... A full day, and much needed rest.

Pack again, up early and check out of the hotel. We will be doing our presentation this morning during official check out hours so have to leave our luggage in the lobby. Moving slow this monring after a late night and little sleep.

The presentation I think made us all a bit nervous. We met for breakfast and went over our reflections, timing oursleves as we only had 2.5 minutes each to speak. It wasnt really as important to fill the 2.5 minutes as it was that we did not overlap into someone else's 'section' of the presentation.

Anyway, a bit of polishing here and there and we off in our posh uniforms to represent our district and rotary and gse and let's not forget ourselves! We got to the conference room early and distributed as many brochures as we had with us amongst the 900 seats in the audience. Checked in and we were set. Nerves jittery, speeches in hand and in short order we were in que to go on stage. After Rod did his speech were motioned to come up and off we went. No fixing or polishing left to do. The crowd was there, a bit thin as it was Sunday morning - the lights were bright in our eyes and the visual presentation was going on the two very large screens behind us. In usual order we gave our reflections; I started, then Lizette, Sandy, Kristin, and Sonya finishing off. Once we were done, we were surprisingly presented with roses by Tony Caunt from Bradford West, a follow up to a joke I made about rose petals being thrown onto the stage during our presentation. It was a relief to finally have that portion of the conference complete.

Once we were off stage we were all flooded with praise on how well we did. Im so thankful we took the time to go over our reflections over breakfast! It was almost like being a celebrity, everyone wanted to talk to us. What fun. We spent some time in the House of Freindship, I thanked the Rotaract club for showing up to see the presentation, despite the late night and lack of sleep.

And now, off to the hotel to wait for our next pick up to be taken to York - the final step in our 4 week adventure! At the hotel we changed back into daily wear and after meeting our new hosts and rides we packed the cars and off we went.

We all stopped at a carvery on the way and had a large lunch and discussed our week stay in York. Many of us were just shattered after the presentation so foun dit challenging to be engaging - thankfully they all understood and did not seem to be upset at the fact that most of us nodded off in the cars during the remaining drive into York.

I met my new hosts; Cliff and Jayne Gladwin. A younger couple with 20 year old children, their daughter still living in the house and their son over for a family meal. It is so nice to be here. They are understanding of my being tired, needing time to get caught up on me time and helping with laundry, etc. I like Cliff and Jayne, we have great conversations. Between Cliff, myself and Tony from Bradford you would think we could repair all that is wrong with the world.

Sleep never came so readily!

Lizette and I went back to the bar this morning to get online yet agiain. The others stayed behind to rest. Lizette and I walked a different way through town - the more residential way, what fun. It was the longer route, but we got to see more!

We all met in the lobby at 12:00 noon to head over to the conference center, time for the foundation luncheon and the presentation by the peace scholars. We finally meet DG ROb and Maureen for the first time. They have been here for a week or so, however our paths have not crossed yet.

The Peace Scholars gave an excellent, moving, inspirational presentation. How I love the work that Rotary does! Im so proud to be a part of this organization. We were able to reconnect with many of our hosts throughout the district. Ken from Halifax just about ripped me off my feet with a big hug when he saw me. Pauline was there as well with her wonderful, warm smile. Ken was eager to hear how the trip was going so we spent time in the afternoon, discussing RYLA and GSE. I spent some time showing the ladies the House of Friendship and we each did our own thing in the afternoon.

In the evening there was a cocktail party for the DG and proceeding that was the dinner and theme dance at the conference center. We all had other things on our mind through dinner. I had given us all an assignmen t to come up with a telling reflection of our trip which we would present the following morning during the visual presentation. Wewere all still writting the formats that very evening, at least I know i was! I was able to sit next to a former president of RIBI and had soem very interesting discussions about RIBI's involvement and the necessity as a laision between RI and the UK and Irish clubs. Finally a lightbulb went off and I understood the necessity!

After dinner we parted ways again; Kristin, Sandy and Sonya went back to the hotel and Lizette and I went to the theme dance in the conference center. It was so fun to see those that dressed up in the theme of the 60s. They had a live band - The Searchers, apparently very famous with many UK hits from the 60s. It was interesting to note that at our conference when the music starts most people leave, when the music started here everyone showed up! The dance floor was packed. It was loads of fun - Lizette and I made ourselves useful and took pictures with all the dressed up people, danced with out hosts, and met the Rotaract club - a very fun group of people Lizette's age. We made some great contacts with them and exchanged cards with promised to stay in touch and exchange Rotaract knowledge as Kristin and Lizette have shared an interest in being a part of that arm of Rotary.

Off to Scarborough, I will miss Tony and Judy! They are such wonderfully nice people, they have many interests that we shared...photography, painting, gardening, family. They helped me sucure the music I needed for the presentation - I will be every grateful for that, especially after spending an hour online looking for a way to download music from the internet from the UK with an American credit card. What a nightmare!

Anyway, Scarbrough it is, a Victorian city located south of Whitby on the eastern coast of the England. We are planning on arriving at 1 pm so we stopped along the way and had coffee on the beach at the nothern end of the city. It reminded me so much of Santa Barbara, I knew this was a sign that we would have a good weekend!

We arrived at Bradley Court Hotel and Kristin was already there. Sonya was soon to follow as well as Lizette. Everyone was famished. We waited a time for Sandy but she must have been running late. Eager to get an internet connection at a local WIFI cafe and everyone with growling tummies, we left a note for Sandy and off we went to discover the little beachside city. Rotarians were everywhere, we ran into several of our host families that were there for the conference. It was like being in D5330, everywhere we looked we recognized somebody.

So, the search - we stopped at McDonalds, yeah I know - but they had Free WIFI, and it was horrible. So off again - an internet cafe, but we have to use their computers, no go - on the hunt again and we find a little/big joint called the Baracuda. By now it is 3pm and Lizette and Sonya have left us to go back and check on Sandy and her arrival. Kristin and I leave a series of notes at various estalblishments that Lizette and Sonya are expecting to come find us at. It was pretty funny actually, a little treasure hunt. Kristin and I made great use of the time at the bar, checking emails, etc. And who whoudl appear but Lizette and Sonya with Malcolm (Halifax) in tow! I love this town!

We pack our stuff and head back to the hotel. Sandy apparently had gone into town on her own and the ladies never ran into her. On the way back we decided to check out the conference center and we ran into all the Peace Conflict Scholars, Vanessa included! It was so great to see her! They have 14 scholars here and they will present tomorrow at lunch.

We met up and sans Sandy we went to a Mexican restaurant we had found on the cliff, can you believe it! We were dying to find out if it was any good so in we went for dinner! It was enough to curb our craving for mexican food, but certainly not to par with our restaurants in California. After our meal - back to the hotel, inform Sandy of our plans for tomorrow and we all called it a night!

Another day in the UK. Today we are off to Saltair, a village created by Sir Titus Salt. We really dont know what we are in for, but wow what a treat! This village was built around the woollen trade - not from sheep but from Alpacas. Titus as a very ingenious man and he was way before his time. He discovered how to refine alpaca wool which was finer and had a silky texture, unlike sheep wool. Once he accomplished that he built a mill and a village for his workers in order to build his business. We got a tour through the historical city from a tour guide in costume and she really played the part - it was so very interesting. She has us in stitches the whole way through. The mill, since it is no longer used to produce wool, has now been put to use as a shopping center and gallery for David Hockney's artwork as well as a cafe, very posh. We had lunch there and then we were all wisked away to our vocational visits, if ones were secured.

I went to This is Chemistry. I had actually met them during my first week here back in September. I had a great afternoon learning about their management structure, their creative process and what they are doing to get through the 'credit crunch'. They are a dynamic group of people and they will undoubtedly do very well fro themselves. The energy is amazing! I could have stayed all day - but alas, an afternoon was going to have to be sufficient. At 5 pm Tony picked me up and off we went!

Tonight we presented ourselves to the Bradford West club. They had a full house at approximatley 45 people. We had duck for dinner, yes Sonya, I tried it. Did not particularly like it, but that is okay, there was plenty more to eat. We did our presentation and the ladies were asked the usual questions; "What do you think of the UK?", "What are the things that have impressed you the most?" yadda yadda. The ladies were very articulate tonight and I am proud to say represented our district and our group very well! Way to go ladies!

A full day, and Im shattered! Off to bed, tomorrow off to Scarborough. Oh, and our Friday has been secured. We will miss the Friday night black tie affair, however Bill was most kind in helping us through that process. Thank you Bill! We need the day to catch up, have some free time and refuel our batteries. Oh way, and finalize the presentation to give to Keith! Tony has been such a great host as well as his club that we have to add them to the presentation as a way of saying Thanks!

Well, it's off to another club - Bradford West. Once we get settled it is time to move on. WOW, this can get exhausting. I emailed Keith - the conference media guy and informed him I would have the presentation ready for him by end of day - the internet connection at Brian's house was a bit unpredictable so was unable to get the music selection I wanted.

So, Bradford West is a club in Bradford and very close to Halifax. I am hosted by Tony and Judy Caunt, the president of the club. They are very nice as everyone has been and are very interested to know how our trip has been so far and if there is anything they can do to make my stay more comfortable. Well, naturally my first response is - YES! I need a good internet conn

ection to send the presentation and time to finish it! So, I used his computer to go online and worked on the laptop to finalize the presentation. I know - boring, but such is the life of a GSE team leader! I called around to make sure the ladies were all set with their hosts and called Bill to confirm we had Friday all set in Scarborough. I have promised the team some individual/free time on Friday to help recoup some energy for the conference. Their seems to me some confusion about the black tie affair which we were told was Saturday - it may infact be Friday. We shall see.

So, we went to the Industrial Museum today and got the history of how Bradford came to be - millwork and the wollen trade was very big and waht put Bradford on the map. Probably the most interesting thing for me was they had a 'print house' on the premises with the some of the first print presses in the industry. The gentelman working that area were so fun - they presented us with paper bookmarks that they had customized with text for us as well as posters!

In the evening we had a meal in an Indian Restaurant with the Deputy Lord Mayor. We are finding that what they call Mayors in the UK are really cermonial in nature, not really administrative. They may or may not be from a council, but they are purely for cermonial purposes. So, we had a wonderful meal and I was introduced to more Indian food and learned about the different spices and how to eat the 'mild' items as we all knwo I dont do very spicey food. Another long night followed by completion of the presentation and sending off as a preliminary file to Keith so he could que the presentation.

Today we are off to Knaresborough. The club handover is at 10 am and later in the day we go to Fountains Abbey. We all get picked up and as usual, there is always a bit of a shock at how much luggage we all have. Somehow we always manage to stuff into the cars that come to pick us up. I meet Brain Souter, my next host. He is the president of the Knaresborough club and a retired Graphic Design/Art teacher. Im excited to learn more about his background.

We travel over to Fountains Abbey right away. It is a local park/historical site that is just phenomenal. The structure itself of course has been used as a quarry to build the Fountains Manor...after the dessolution of the churches, Henry VIII sold off all the abbeys and the owners would use the abbey stones to build their new residences on the property. So, slowly the abbeys were dismantled of their grandeur. This particular structure was so large there is still a great deal of beauty to behold. The park surrounding it was stunning as well. It was a cold day but the skies were blue and clear so we were able to take many, wonderful photos. Brian was able to give us a great wealth of history of the property and the numerous structures located on it. The property had beautiful formal gardens and I belive that even in two days we could not span the entire park and it's wonders.

Sandy had a little trip and twisted her ankle, but got her back with what we hope is little damage to her ability to walk...

Tonight we have a presentation to give to what turned out to be approximately 88 people. It was at Nidd Hall in Knaresborough. The DG for 1040 was there as well as the outbound team to arrive to our district on the 25th. They did their presentation for the first time live and then we did ours. It was great to see their presentation and not be in the only hotseat for a change. Their team leader is a wonderful rotarian and I look forward to seeing them on my home turf.

So today, thanks to Della, we have been able to take a day and get some of our materials in order. She has a bungalow on the back of her property, totally self sustaining; kitchen, bathroom, living room, washer and dryer, TV, bedroom, etc. She helped us arrange a day to ourselves and stocked the bungalow with drink and food. This is the first day we have been able to debrief on how the trip is going, discuss anything that needs revising, etc. We spent most of the day going through out photos and sharing them in order to prepare the presentation for the Conference. We also attempted to bake scones with our new recipe books. That was kind of a disaster as they tasted more like pancakes, but at least we tried. We relaxed, Della prepared lunch for us and wjen 5pm rolled around she took everyone home for the evening.

Della, Michael (her husband) and myself went to Simon and Ginny's house where Sandy is hosted and we all had dinner together. I cant remember the last time I was so full at the end of one of our days here! What a day!

I emailed Bill today and followed up with a phone call to discuss final arrangements for the free time in Scarborough and our vocational visits. Based on feedback today the vocational visits have been a bit of a challenge. With the banking system here going into fits, Kristin has had a hard time getting 'behind the counter' to see how things are done here. Also, she has found that alot of the things she might be interested in learngin about are actually run at other banking centers so that has been a challenge. Also, I believe basedon feedback that what Sandy does for the city of San Jacinto doesnt really have an equivelant fit here in the UK. So, we are really working hard to establish some good ideas on productive fits for her. Sonya is finding that she can really go to any business to discuss HR and that it doesnt not have to necessarily be a medical clinic environment. I have learned that articulating what you want to do while on a GSE trip and the extreme details of your profession are really critical in the pre- planning for a trip like this. Bill is a pleasure to work with and has been a great asset in working out some of these kinks. Thank you Bill!

Back to the blog, I have been a bit remiss on blogging, this have been so busy and hectic with the final weeks upon us at this point. So the 4th, in Northalleron. It was so cold here I had to buy a new coat and scarf! Simon and Ginny (Sandy's hosts) were kind enough to see that I had a quick moment to dash off to the store to purchase one. Simon is President of Nothallerton-Mowbry and he and his wife are precious! I would pack them up and take them home with me if I could. I am hosted by Della Cannings. She is almost the spitting image of my deceased Mother-in-law. I knwo that sounds a bit morbid to some, but honestly it is with a high level of respect that I say that. Della is phenomenal! A former Chief Constaple, she is a strong personality with many soft edges. She was an absolute breath of fresh air. She will be the GSE Leader to Tanzania for 1040 so we shared many details of my experience here as the Team Leader so she would have some additional information to add to her experience.

We went to Sutton Bank today - a beautiful nature park that is at the highest point in the Northallerton area. It was extremely cold as you will see from the posted photo. Hang Gliders usually use this bank to fly off from and we even were shown a very secluded lake that was formed by the glaciers many thousands of years ago - they claim there has never been a determination as to it's depth.

From here we went to Whitby the eastcoast of Yorkshire - apparently Dracula has some history in this town - that was an interesting detail. Also, they have an additional celebrity noted from this area - Captain Cooke. We walked around and tried to take some shots, but the weather was actually very cold and stormy so it wasnt the best of days. Here is a shot of the famous abbey on the hill...

From here we went back to Northallerton and attended their charter dinner. It was a very 'posh' afair. That means fancy to those of you who dont speak Yorkshire. It was black tie and three clubs attended. They named the tables after the team, each lady had a table named after her - I thought that was nice. Anyway, we had an excellent meal, and excellent speaker and here is a shot that Della took for us to commemorate the event.

What a bunch of hotties! LOL!

October 3, 2008

We left the Pontefract Rotary Club and were handed over to the Northallerton Mowbray Rotary Club today. We will be with this group for three days. We first went to the James Herriott museum in a little town called Thirsk, very cute town. James Herriott was the pen name for James Wight a a famous Vet in  1940'sYorkshire who wrote about his adventures as a Vet. You may recognize (one of his many books) "All Things Great and Small". Later we met at an Indian restaurant and I had a great dish (not sure of the name) I think it was Malayan, it was chicken, coconut, pineapple, bananas and curry. Very tasty.

October 4, 2008

We went to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and saw some amazing landscape (photos soon to follow), then went to a little seaside town called Whitby. Beautiful town along the North Sea. This town was visited by Captain Cook (who also sailed to Anchorage, Alaska where I grew up) so there is a large statue of Captain Cook by the sea wall. One unusual feature of Whitby is the Dracula connection, a large portion of Bram Stoker's famous novel was set in Whitby, describing Dracula's arrival in Britain. Twice a year there is a large Gothic festival of Dracula lovers (I guess it would be similar to a Treky (Star Trek) convention). 

We attending the Northallerton Mowbray 13th charter dinner at Bedale Hall this evening. Bedale Hall is a beautiful building  that was built in the 17th century it is now a hotel. The charter dinner was held in the ballroom, which is a stunning room with very interesting carvings on the ceiling. Several of us were warned by a Rotarian that being as we were proper ladies we should not look up at the ceiling...well, we had to look and it was ornamented with cute little cherubs and creatures that were half women half??? Anyways it was artwork so it was ok that we looked. The dinner was very nice but I must say we learned a lot about Yorkshire humor from the speaker that evening, I don't recall her name but she was very funny. When I get her name I will put it on the blog...you have to look her up. Great Fun.

Vocational Day for us all! I was wisked off to Wakefield for my Vocational visit where I spent the morning with Ian Shackleton of Shackleton Rollin, a Graphic Design firm. We spent the morning discussing his firm, type of clients, the management background of his firm and who manages what, etc. I found it interesting that this is the second firm that actually owns the building the work in - their pensions thay say. I had told him that I had not yet experienced a traditional English Pub. He of course thought that was a travesty, so he took me to a 100 year old Pub for lunch. It was certainly worth the walk in the cold as it is a unique experience.

So, vocational visit over and on to the evening activities at Xscape! An interesting place in Pontefract - an indoor shopping center that also has snow skiing, mountain climbing, bowling and fast food. We spent the evening bowling a round. Im not that good, but I can boast that I got at least one strike. After bowling a round it was off to dinner - a local Chinese restaurant. We were all actually a bit surprised to find that the entree items on the menu were a bit different than what you would find in a Chinese Restaurant in America. So, I guess Chinese is different in other countries... LOL!

After all this we got back to my hosts home and for the first time on this whole trip I excused myself early to bed. I was exhausted!

Today was our first real day of rain, rain, and more rain. We are in Pontefract now, did the handover from Wakefield yesterday - the 30th. So, today we toured Pontefract - a very old town in English history. We toured the Museum which was created by John Carnegie, and is the center of the old Pontefract Market. In what we would define as sub-zero weather we walked around the old market center freezing and walking quickly to maintain body heat. Poor Sonya had to buy ear muffs to keep her little ears warm...

So, in total we saw the Pontefract Museum, the Market, the historical Pontefract Castle, All Saints Church, and the Hermitage. Most of these locations are very unique to the area, only so many in the world sort of unique. The castle has a very lengthy history over the many centuries and since has suffered through the years and much of it has been demolished, yet there is still so much that they can research for what is left behind. Below the Castle was the All Saints Church which houses one of three helix staircases in the world. So, that means one of three staircases that actually has two sides that you can enter into. It was quite a feat of engineering. The hermitage is also a very unique site. Back during the era of the plague, hermits were hired by wealthy families to pray for them and 'pay' for their entrance into heavan. There was a famous hermit who lived in this cave and there had been carved out a well for a water supply, a chapel, and a cave for living. It was all underground, and quite damp and cold. But, history shows that he did live there and was paid well for his services.

In the evening the club had a very formal meeting and we conducted our presentation. The Mayor of Wakefield was there and so it really escalated the 'pomp and circumstance' of the meeting. It was a big event and we seemed to make an impact. Julie Hoole was there again to greet us and we will see her again on Monday - she will be a great team member to our area.

On to another day!

Today we were handed over to our new hosts in Pontefract. It is quite close to the area of Wakefield. I spent most of the day getting caught up on the blog and playing So Duko - thanks to David from my Wakefield homestay, I am now addicted!

Anyway, We had a lovely dinner here with the Club President Wilf and his wife Margeurette, Roy and his partner Leslie and club member Andrew. Brian Skidmore and his wife Jean are lovely hosts. Brian was a GSE team leader for 1040 to Sri Lanka and his wife is a Inner Wheel member. They are very active in Rotary so we have much to talk about.

So Sonya told you all about the Coal Mining Museum! I wont bore you with more other than one detail, we also got to see the ponies they used in the coal mines. The poor creatures were left in the dark in the mines for 50 weeks out of the year. What torture for them!

I spent the afternoon in downtown Wakefield and while they have some beautiful historical buildings, it looks like the city might be struggling with combining their history with modern times. There was a lot of construction taking place and small shops that historically would have been present, were out of business as the bigger shopping areas were replacing them. My hosts have taught me the art and addiction that is SoDuku. David and I spent the remaining of the afternoon strugging over the numbers game with titles like 'Hard', 'Very Hard' and 'Frenzied'. We did not quite get through the challenges, but we have persistence and we have heart!

Our evening presentation went very well. Julie Hoole, the GSE Team Member coming to our district was present, very likely trying to steal ideas from our team - not really that was a joke, she is a very lovely person and if I may (Milt) I hope we get to host her at our house. She is a lot of fun - and if this is the indicator of the caliber of the team coming to 5330, we are all in for a treat!

So, highlight of the evening presentation. We were asked by the audienece what we have enjoyed or not enjoyed about our trip so far. We all had some nice things to say, and then Sandy got to speak. She started out by saying; 'Im going to tell you what I DISLIKE about this trip - and she went on to say that we have have said all nice things and she has a dislike that she feels compelled to share.' It was about then that I had visions of the big stage hook coming out to grab her and throw her off stage...but I hunkered down and said to myself - have faith! So she continues on, no leftover food has been thrown at her yet, and she proceeds to tell our audience that she was been told of all the English rain and she has been sorely dissapponited to not have seen any yet. And lo and behold everyone responded for her to look out the window, as if on que the rain began to fall during our presentation. So, now we all have nothing to be dissappointed in - especially me and as it seems - Sandy!

I did something last night that ended my day on a really high note.  I got a chance to sit down with my host family, Alister and Claire and watch Pride & Prejudice.  Ok, it was really just me and Claire but Alister came in towards the end of the movie.   I definitely don't think I would have enjoyed or even watched that movie before now.  Having just went to Chatsworth that day and then to sit down and watch the movie really made it more real and significant to me. 

As for today we went to the National Coal Mining Museum for England and went down 450ft in an elevator for the underground tour.  Before we could even go down in the elevator though, we had to leave all our belongings, "contraband" at the desk (put away safely of course).  Anything that had a battery including your watch, cell phone, camera and car keys.  These things were considered unsafe in the mines.  We were then given hard hats and a light that had to be straped on to use with a belt and power pack before we could proceed.  Right before we entered the elevator we were given a coin like a token.  This was used to ensure that everyone in our party was accounted for when we got back.

The part that really stood out for me, not to far into the tour, was when the tour guide had us turn off all our lights and we saw what it was like to be in complete darkness.  As if that wasn't bad enough, there were statues of people (and one horse) that replicated what the people would have been doing back then and there was this one little boy sitting down by an open door who we found out would have been at least 5 years.  His wrist would have been strapped to the door because if they wandered off they would get lost.  His or her job was to open and close the door for the people (in many cases their parents) who were working on the otherside of the door chiping away the coal and loading it to come outside to be taken away.  This child would have to sit there for a full 8-12hours a day in complete darkness!  Now if you're wondering, like we did, what about the toilets well, they had to do everything right there!  The other thing is when women worked in the mines loading the coal, because it was so hot down there they did not where any shirts or bras.  Of course it was so dark and the labor was so intensive, what did it matter right?  The only source of light they had at that time was candles and there would only be 1 candle in their area.  Now although we saw a lot more than what I just mentioned my mind stayed on that scenario the rest of the tour.

So I won't leave you thinking I was filled with despair, they did eventually pass a law where women and children could no longer work in the mines and that is when they brought in horses that did the jobs the women were doing.  These "pit ponies" were brought in and actually lived in the mines (for the most part) and were even treated better than the miners were because they had to be fed and cared for.

We finished the day together by eating at the museum, seeing the horses/ponies and then going our seperate ways.  I had a chance to have some quiet time to sit down and enjoy the movie Calendar Girls that was filmed here in England and more specifically I think in York.  You can truly see what the scenery and homes of England look like and what we are experiencing right now (as far as the scenery is concerned ).  I'm definitely going to try and get one of those calendars before I leave England! 

Ok, I'm off to get ready for our presentation tonight!

What a day!  We went to Chatsworth today and walked around the home, garden and sculpture areas.  I especially enjoyed the artwork on the West Stairs that depicted Samson and Delilah and I was amazed by the huge sculpture outside entitled "Planet" by Marc Quinn (which looks like a giant baby) that layed on its side without anything holding it in place.  We went through the maze in the garden but became a little disappointed to only find a tree in the middle instead of blooming flowers.  We spent a little time in the gift shop buying souvenirs and all sat down for a quick lunch in the Carriage House Restaurant.

I thourougly enjoyed my time at Chatsworth but was happy to come back to my host families home and rest my tired feet.

Today we went to a very interesting place - Chatsworth - the home of the Duke and Dutchess of Devonshire. If ever you are in the area, you must go! The grounds/gardens were just beautiful and they have done such a phenomenal job of maintaining the property, furnishings, artwork, etc. Each Duke (currently the 11th Duke resides in the estate) has collected various pieces of art, they have amassed an amazing collection of paintings, sculptures, china - you name it! There are no amount of words I can use to describe this place. Nothing would do it justice! It was a beautiful day and we strolled through the gardens looking at a contemporary sculpture exhibit on display. I rolled down a hill and Kristin got in on video, she has threatened to blackmail me with it LOL! We all went through a maze and with the help of others found the center. A bit dissappointing as the inside was just a sad looking tree.

On to another social/dinner party for the evening! We are all enjoying ourselves...Lizette has a new nickname; Poser! Everytime a camera points her way she has the perfect smile ready to be photographed!She giggles everytime we call her that! And we have found our mascot - Shepley the Sheep! Sandy picked it up from her first host as a parting gift and now all she ever talks about are sheep  - well maybe a stretch but we are glad to have our new mascot on board BAAHHH...

Today we said goodbye to our Denby-Dale hosts and moved on to Wakefield. We will miss our new friends. So, now we are in Wakefield. This area is really only about 10 miles away, but they are so different here. The area is a bit more populated and there are many interesting sights. We spent time getting settled in with new hosts, my hosts David and Dorothy Pickover took me to an ancient castle/stronghold just blocks away called Sandal Castle. It was unearthed not long ago, excavated and the covered back up becuase it was deteriorating in the weather.

We had a very nice dinner at Waldon Hall with the club this evening. We sat at a series of tables set up in a square so we were all facing eachother and every time there was a new course brought in the team had to get up and rotate in order to meet someone new. It was really great socializing! 

Time is just flying by! Today we were taken further about town to see various local sights. Starting off with Wentworth Gardens, a very old coal family estate dating back into the 14th century. The home was 'posh' as they call it here - but more fantastic in my opinion were the gardens. The acerage of the property was massive and we walked for at least an hour viewing the many wonderful formal and informal gardens. The family that owned the estate even built a 'fake castle' on the grounds and we of course had to walk up the tower. They have been given many millions of dollars via a national lottery to help rebuild the structures on the property. It really is an interesting visit.

After Wentworth we visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It is a very famous local attraction. It is literally a park with the scupltures on display throughout the grounds. It stretched for miles and miles. We spent one hour and could really only sit and ponder all the various sculptures that we migth have seen. They had on display such work by artists like Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Sophie Ryder, etc. It was a beautiful day for it, the sun was shining and the air was crisp. Pictures will be posted soon. Somehow, we all got on the subject of scones, and after the park we all raced to Chris and Arlene's house (my homestay), where Arlene gave us all a lesson in how to make English Scones (in 15 minutes or less). We all ate them and they were delicious!

On to the evening, the Pig Races. I was able to meet my homestays eldest son and his wife, I introduced myself to him as his newly adopted older sister. I really felt like one of the family in Chris and Arelen's home. So, the pig races. Yes a rather odd name for an evening social in Rotary. I really thought it was a local event and did not ask any questions, only expected to be out in the cool evening air, watching a bunch of pigs running wild in the field with numbers painted on their backs. As we made our way to the golf club where we were to have dinner, I realized I was quite mistaken. On a very long table was a self made track of sorts. And on one end were a row of six, fuzzy mechanical stuffed pigs. They had numbered 'vests' on and when they were wound up they raced down the track and the winner would press a piece of foil lighting up the lightbulb that designated his lane. It was a fundraiser you see. They sold each pig to buyers and then all there could bet on the winning pig. When the pigs were off (or on as it were after being wound up) we all gathered round and rooted on our pigs! You have never seen something so hysterical - look out Elsinore Rotary - I have a new fundraiser coming to town! As with all evenings we were up until the wee hours socializing in a members home.