Bridgnorth and Beyond
Hello everyone! I am writing to you from Day 3 of our trip. I had to leave out Day 2 even though quite a few interesting things did happen, but since I figure that I will not have internet access more than once a week, I should keep my entries as brief as possible, and few and far between.
The main event yesterday was our trip to downtown Wolverhampton. It was basically a guided tour of dad’s childhood, as well as a day to kick the last of the jetlag out of us. Among the places we saw were dad’s old grammar school where my uncle David was headboy (perhaps, in our terms, the head of the high school student council?), my dad’s two favourite pubs, and the long line of shops and malls that litter the streets of the city. Of course, the shops and malls in England aren’t what we think of as being shops and malls in Canada. One must keep in mind that each building has a history that ranges from the reign of Elizabeth (though these are rare because they were made mostly of wood) to the Victorian era to the present day. To put it into perspective, the oldest houses in N—t range back to about the early 1800’s. Parts of houses and buildings in England on the other hand are easily traced back to the Saxon and Roman times. It is like standing in a swimming pool of history – you are swamped in it wherever you go!
On the walk home back from Wolverhampton, who should we happen to meet but my aunt and uncle, David and Christine driving by in their car, honking away on their horn. It was a funny coincidence because neither of us has planned to take that route home; it just happened! So we popped back to their place for what was supposed to be a quick cup of tea, but turned into a long conversation about family history, the strangely humid weather in Britain, and the important events that have happened between 1999 and now. Recently, they have been particularly fascinated with creating family trees, and a great find due to their efforts was that my grandma, who was adopted, has three long lost siblings born of the same parents, one of which resides in Canada of all places, and used to live on our street! The story created such a stir that a writer actually wrote about it in the Globe and Mail a year or so back. Anyway, it was funny to think that seven years had passed from the time I last saw them since nothing seemed to have changed. And I was welcomed to come by at any time and if necessary, to plonk myself down and fall asleep anywhere in the house.
Today was taken up by a daytrip with dad and grandma to Bridgnorth, a town located about twenty minutes away from Wolverhampton. For such a small town, I was surprised at how the people have jam-packed so many little houses along the miniature streets. In fact, each side street is only about as wide as a proper lane in Canada, and the highways only a tad bigger than Eagle Street. What is more, the curb is so narrow that one almost has to tightrope walk along it. My dad was almost hit by two cars today as a result! Another funny thing is that while in Canada, pedestrians have the right of way, it is the cars in Britain that have priority, making us poor pedestrians easy targets on every corner. Crazy stuff. So back to Bridgnoth…the town was a diamond in the rough. It had a very old castle which had been bombed by Oliver Cromwell in the 1640’s over the dissatisfaction with Edward I on the throne. It is the location that holds the pub where my parents got engaged. On top of that, it had an amazing train station with old locomotives that had been preserved purposely for historical purposes. The smell at the station was overwhelming – a waft of burning coal poured out by the engine of the steam train. You would think the smell would be off putting but it reminds me of a winter fireplace and is very soothing when put with the sound of the chugging produced by the train. I was also very taken with the old buildings and their placement around the town. Such a random arrangement of streets and buildings could only have occurred after years of gradual addition to and reformation of the town. It is definitely something we are lacking back home since Toronto was created during an era of modernization, so everything could be built within a very short period of time, and arranged neatly for convenience. But at the price of convenience, our towns lack the charm of buildings that have been built, lived in, reworked, fixed, and cared for over hundreds of years. Within a few years time of course, the buildings in Canada will have gained a history of their own if they are preserved, but it will take decades for this to happen.
So, all in all, it was a very good day for both my dad and me. We completed the day with a bus ride home which was boarded by millions of school kids in their black and white uniforms yelling at each other in thick Brummie accents. I was lucky to catch half of what they said, though I do find myself sometimes slipping into the accent every now and then. I wonder if it is a subconscious way of trying to fit in. Anyhow, I promise not to come back completely unrecognizable to you all – I don’t even like the Wolverhampton accent anyway so no worries. Until next time, terrah!
4 Comments:
Glad you're having such a nice time, Heather! London sounds wonderful, I'll have to go some day. It's great to be able to see where your father grew up and hear about family history, I love that sort of thing!
Keep posting! I love your updates.
Hi Steph! Thanks for commenting! It's been so difficult to get to computer, let alone a computer with a bus so I can tranfer stuff from my laptop (which this one doesn't have...boo hoo). Anyway, I'll do my best to keep you updated!
hi Heather! Sounds like you guys are thoroughly entertaining yourselves! I think I need to catch up on some European history - I'm not sure what Saxon or Roman buildings look like =S
I remember that lost-sibling thing! But I didn't know it was written up in the Globe and Mail... quite the honor lol ;-)
And are you guys renting a car? Somehow I pictured you hiking on foot all throughout England.. but that doesn't make much sense I suppose O.o
At any rate... Terrah! (..?)
um yeah.. that was me again.. wtf is wrong with my computer and why am I "anonymous" >_<
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