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Isle of Wight Outbound Exchange - May 2002
Arriving in London the next morning, we were met by five members of the Friendship Force of the Isle of Wight, including Shirley Higgins the exchange director. We traveled by coach from London to Portsmouth. Along the roadway we saw bluebells growing. At Portsmouth we boarded a hovercraft for a ten-minute ride to the Isle of Wight. Our hosts were there to greet us. They were from seven different cities or villages on the Isle. The island had lots of foliage, small villages and some very narrow roads. The Isle of Wight is 26 by 13 miles and has 123,000 inhabitants. We had a variety of living accommodations some were in apartments and some in homes. Most of us enjoyed gardens and conservatories at our hosts’ homes. We spent the first day getting acquainted with our hosts. May third we met collectively at a car park (parking lot) and drove to Morton Manor, where we had a tour of the grounds, house and winery. The history of the manor dates back to 1249 and the house was rebuilt in 1680. The gardens have won prizes both locally and nationally. Mr. Trzebski, the owner, gave us a walking tour of the historic house and his son led us on a tour of the grounds and winery. Although the elder Mr. Trzebski is Polish he was an air-ace for England and has two English Distinguished Flying Crosses. The house was furnished with many interesting objects. We had time too for photos in the gardens, where a profusion of flowers served as our backdrop. Shirley Higgins hosted the welcome party that evening at her home. Here we enjoyed the view at sunset from her vine covered brick-fence garden and conservatory as we sipped Sangria punch with fruit in it. A lovely buffet with meat, bread, pizza, sausage, chicken, rolls, salad, fruit, tortes and pie followed. The next day our hosts took us to Carisbrooke Castle. Originally the site was thought to have been of Roman origin until some excavations revealed distinctive feature of a Saxon fortification. It is one of the finest examples of a moated Norman castle in the south of England. On the grounds were many unique structures, which included the beautiful Chapel of St. Nicholas, a well-house with a live donkey treading on a massive wooden wheel to draw water, and ramparts one can walk around for a wonderful view of the countryside. Some of the Ambassadors walked the moat that ringed the castle while others had tea in the tearoom. A museum on the grounds gave a detailed history of the castle. Charles I was imprisoned here until his removal to London for his trial and execution. We left the castle and went to the home of Judy and David Whitmore for ploughman’s lunch, which was a garden party in their lovely garden with a small pond. Food was served buffet style in the kitchen and the day was warm and sunny. During the luncheon there was time to meet and visit with not only with our hosts but also other members of The Friendship Force of the Isle of Wight. Albany House, the Whitmore’s home, is a 200 years old Georgian style house set on two acres and it is on the National Register. When they acquired it there was considerable work that was required to make it livable. Sunday we had a free day. Some of us went to Portsmouth to the naval yard where we visited many maritime museums and went on board reconstructed historic ships. Many attended church with their hosts. Some visited an owl and falconry center and Appuldurcombe House. Monday It was cold and misty with a fine drizzle in the morning, but by afternoon the weather cleared. We had a tour of the Island with lunch at the British Legion Social Club, much like our American Legion Clubs. Our hosts drove us from place to place as we made the rounds of the Island. We drove through narrow country lanes with lots of foliage over growth on each side, which was very near the road. During the Island tour we visited a glass factory, the St. Lawrence’s Church that dates from the 12th century, and the Dinosaur Farm Museum. We ended the tour in Brighstone, a quaint village where host June Thomson open her home for tea, scones with jam and clotted cream, which made a fitting end for our busy day. The next day we had free time and met at noon for lunch at a popular establishment called the Folly Inn. Lunch was followed by a visit to Osborne House. Osborne House was the holiday home for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Osborne House is a palatial in size with beautiful gardens and grounds. The grounds are extensive and include other structures, one of which is a Swiss cottage Prince Albert had sent from Switzerland as a pre-fab to serve as a seaside playhouse for the Royal children. The week passed quickly and it was time for our farewell party. We had a buffet catered meal of pork, chicken & beef, new boiled potatoes, bread, relishes, tomatoes, spring rolls, and dip. For dessert, we had a choice of Pavlova with strawberries & berry cheesecakes. It was delicious. Tom Bodman, one of our hosts gave us a toast, a joke, and made some comments. Marie, another host with a cheery disposition, sang a song to us. We sang “My Country Tis of Thee” and God Save the Queen”. I received a certificate from Shirley Higgins and I gave her a pictorial book of Nebraska, a letter from Mayor Don Wesely and a key to the city of Lincoln. Ennis Lasko-Smith read a poem that she wrote for us. The evening ended with goodbyes and thank yous. The next morning we were up early to take the hovercraft to Portsmouth. Our bus was waiting in Portsmouth when we arrived. It was an hour bus ride to Salisbury Cathedral, which was built between 1220 and 1258 in Early English Gothic and has the tallest spire in England. It is as beautiful and splendid as art and technology of the time could produce. Two or three services are held every day, as they have been ever since the Cathedral was built 750 years ago. We then drove eight miles to Stonehenge, the remains of a prehistoric monument that was in use thousands of years ago. It was constructed in 3 main stages 5050, 4,500 and 3,500 years ago. We took an audio tour. The weather was cool and windy. Our next stop was Bath, England where we had lunch in the elegant “Pump Room” which opened in 1706. There was live classical music, fresh flowers on the tables, white tablecloths and excellent food - great ambience. We visited the Roman Baths and Museum. This city has been welcoming visitors for 2,000 years ever since the Celtic Prince Bladud discovered the healing properties of the magical hot spring water. Several of our Friendship Force group went to the Jane Austen Centre, which offers a sense of life and times in the city when Jane herself lived there. Leaving Bath we drove to the Thistle Hotel in Cardiff, Wales where we had a lovely dinner at one long table. We had our choice of Chicken on a nest of spinach served with mushroom sauce, Baked cod served with vegetable sauce, Tagliatelle served with basil tomato sauce. Some of our group had arranged to meet friends made during other Friendship Force exchanges to Cardiff. After an early morning wake-up call and a hearty English (Welsh) breakfast buffet we boarded the bus, which took us to Fishguard where we took the Stena Lynx Ferry to Rosslare Ireland. At Rosslare we breezed through customs with only a casual glance. Brian, our Irish driver and guide, met us. Our first stop was a reconstructed ship, the Dunbody, which is anchored in New Ross. This is a replica of one of the so-called coffin ships, which took refugees, including John Kennedy, ancestor of John F. Kennedy, to the United States. The Kennedy Foundation commissioned the building of the ship as a memorial to their ancestor and all Irish emigrants that helped build the U.S.A. Then on to Waterford, passed green, green hills and fields, gorse and hedges, terraced fields, and pastures with stonewalls dotted with fleecy white sheep, and thatched houses. At the Waterford crystal factory we observed the intricate process of blowing, forming, cutting and engraving fine, brilliant crystal. Then the women headed for the factory store with plastic at the ready. The following day we were off to Cork. We stopped at the Heritage Center to learn of Irish history. During the potato famines as many as a quarter million people left Ireland each year, and the famine-related death counts are confirmed at around 75,000. Then on to Blarney Castle, where many kissed the stone. Shops and the woolen mills, and pubs are near by. The Euro is in use in Ireland and it is very near to the value of our dollar, there is little headwork required when shopping. Among other things bought sweaters seemed to be the most popular. Or next visit was to farmer Tim O’Leary and his dairy farm of 70 cows. It was a family farm that his father was born on. We topped off our visit with scones and tea and met his family of four children. By 6 PM we were in the finest hotel of our trip, Cork Imperial, in Cork City where we were served dinner. Tim O’Leary came to the hotel at 8 PM for more conversation on Ireland. Most any topic chosen was discussed or answered by Tim, a knowledgeable out-going Irish farmer who was proud of his profession. Sunday we toured the Ring of Kerry by coach. It is a 110-mile scenic view of the Irish coast on the Iveragh Peninsula. As we traveled throughout Ireland we were constantly reminded of the potato famine, which is commemorated by plaques and monuments. Our travels the next day took us to the Cliffs of Moher where we ate a light lunch in a crowded visitor center. The cliffs are very dramatic with the waves crashing against the sheer rock walls. The next day we toured the area of Connemara north of the city of Galway. In this region we visited a farm that has been preserved in its natural setting. We visited a typical rural house in a beautiful, peaceful valley near a lake, which the owners have keep as it would have been about 100 years ago. Down by the lake was bog land where they cut turf and stacked it for later use. We went for a cruise on the Killary Harbor in the Connemara Lady. It is Irelands only fjord. It was a smooth ride with an interesting narration. Our last day we toured an oyster farm near Galway, then on to the city of Ennis where we stayed. That evening we attended a lively and entertaining medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle, a fitting end for our tour of Ireland. We found friendly people in Ireland and we now know why green is the color associated with Ireland, because everywhere one looks the landscape is dark green. The Irish seem to be doing very well. There is lots of new construction and it is hard to find an older car on the street. The next morning we said farewell to Brian our knowledgeable and jovial driver/guide who entertained us with Irish stories and history throughout our travels. At the airport in Shannon we learned that there was an air traffic control problem in London and that set the stage for a late arrival in Chicago and an unscheduled overnight in Chicago. |
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leven Ambassadors departed from the Lincoln Airport the evening of May 1, 2002 Wednesday. It was a very bumpy ride to Chicago due to rain in the area. We hurried to our gate on another concourse and arrived at our gate where passengers were boarding. As we boarded we met four of the six Ambassadors who were joining us from other Friendship Forces. On board the aircraft we met the remaining couple that had joined us in Chicago. Because of a rainstorm with lightening we sat on the tarmac for about forty-five minutes. This flight started out to be turbulent also. There were several times that the plane dropped sharply. Most agreed it was the worst flight they had experienced. After forty minutes we were in good air and food service began.