Photo Travel Themes | The Travel Lady In Her Shoes

Thursday Doors at Great Dixter, UK

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

Great Dixter is the private home and garden of the late gardener and gardening writer, Christopher Lloyd. First let’s look at the doors I found there!

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

We had a great deal of action with doors here……. keep the door open……..

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

Ring the bell loudly………

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

Don’t go in……..

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

Go in……..

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

Duck or grouse (grumble or complain because you have hit your head)…….mind your head……….

Great Dixter Garden, Sussex, UK

We rang, we opened, we closed, we ducked, we minded, but did not grouse, and we enjoyed all the doors!

Soon we will explore the history and walk the grounds of Great Dixter! See you in the garden!

This is just one of many photos in the Thursday Door Collection featured by Norm2.0! Won’t you join in or take a peak at all the doors?

Pashley Manor, A Walk Around the Ponds

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

There are just so many many beautiful details to this garden I couldn’t resist showing more sculptures, the manicured garden and the walk along the ponds! Which way should we walk first?

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

A cottage is nested in the woods!

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

These little guys have a grand place to play!

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

Maidens take a dip!

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

We’re about to tuck into an arbor here!

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

Here is one of my favorites, Goose Girl by Marion Smith!

Pashley Gardens, Ticehurst, UK

I am so glad we were told about this garden. I must remember to always ask the locals about gardens in the area where we are staying! What a treasure Pashley Manor is!

For Information about openings and special events at Pashley Manor Gardens look Here! See you tomorrow in the garden!

November: Stay at Home

Plas Mawr, Wales

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.

James A. Michener

A must see, Plas Mawr, an Elizabethan house built in 1576, in Conwy, Wales by the Wynn family, has been extensively refurbished to it’s original 16th-century appearance. The tall lime walls reflect the status of the builder, Robert Wynn, a well traveled courtier and trader who rose to grandeur in the Welsh gentry.

Plas Mawr stands as a symbol to a prosperous age and of a man of great style and taste. The house is noted for the quality and quantity of ornamental plasterwork, revealing the initial “R.W.” in the crests and coat of arms. The furnishings, many original to the house, are based on an inventory of contents in 1665. The tour describes the restoration and the life of Tutor gentry and the work of the servants who helped maintain such a lavish lifestyle. There is also a garden on the rooftops!

Plas Mawr is also noted to be haunted. Robert Wynn was married twice. Both his wives were named Dorothy and both had pre-mature deaths. His first wife died from an illness at a very early age and his second wife died when she fell down a flight of stairs in the house while she was pregnant and carrying one of the other seven children. The doctor was summoned, but he failed to save her or the child. When Robert Wynn returned home he found both his wife and child dead in the bed and the doctor’s whereabouts unknown. The doctor is rumored to have suffocated in the chimney while trying to escape from Robert because he could not save Dorothy. Sometimes the ghosts of the two women are seen in the house and the house has been studied for supernatural activity.

Architecturally, Plas Mawr is almost unchanged from the 16th century, and is considered to be “the finest surviving town house of the Elizabethan era.”

To me, November is everything about the home. We are preparing our homes for the shorter days and longer dark nights; settling in so to speak with a good book and a cup of cocoa in front of the fire. November is also all about the family and food and sharing. So through November I will share tidbits about the home and some fascinating photos of homes around the world. Enjoy!

Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, UK

Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, UK

While I was touring homes and gardens of the National Trust and National Garden Scheme this year, there were also two independent gardens that were recommended to me by my hostess at the Potting Shed. One was Pashley Manor near Ticehurst in Sussex. One afternoon we made our way there………

The land was owned by the family of Passelewe or Passele, a prominent family in medieval times. Simon Passelewe held many judicial posts including that of Justice of the Jews in the reign of Henry III, but his prominent role was extorting money from religious houses on behalf of the king. Sir Edmund de Passele, in 1317, built a hunting lodge on an island that fills the greater part of the largest of three ponds. On his death it took twenty years to solve the dispute over his property because two wives claimed his inheritance and one was willing to murder in order to keep the inheritance for herself and the children. During the War of the Roses, around 1454, Sir Geoffrey Bulleyn, great-grandfather of Ann Bulleyn, a prosperous merchant and Lord Mayor of London, bought the property. The property consisted of 600 acres of land, a garden, watermill and an iron furnace.

Then over the next several hundred years the property changed hands many times and in 1922 Dr Hollist sold the estate and it sat vacant up to 1945, when it was occupied by troops and families escaping the bombings of London, for brief periods of time during the war.

The present owner bought Pashley Manor in 1945, as it was, then described as a haunted house. In 1950 going from the Grimm’s sketches of the manor from 1780, that were found in the Burrell Collection at the British Museum, the family was encouraged to restore the manor to it’s original closely timbered look from the early seventeenth century. The ivy on the house, was held in place by thick wire, and was a foot thick, but seemed to be a protective layer against the weather, and the boarding underneath was well preserved. The original color of the house was a hot shade of ochre yellow with dark brown trim! Even the brickwork was washed over in a dingy yellow, but now over the years most of the bricks have faded to a warm red. The wash that was placed over the hot yellow ochre turned the house into a soft shade of pink and I found it quite striking! It is the first thing that gets your attention as you enter the long driveway to the house and gardens!

The Landscape of Pashley Manor

The Driveway of Pashley Manor

Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, UK

The first sculpture as you enter the garden is His Eminence from Pisa!

His Eminence from Pisa, Pashley Garden

We were soon to discover this is no ordinary garden! This garden shows off beautiful sculptures as well, from April through September. Twenty-three artists offer one hundred and thirty pieces of their artwork for viewing throughout the garden, and they are for sale also! Each piece is marked with a sign from the designer. Oh my, we are in for a treat! Let’s go in!

The Rose, Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

The garden was meticulous! The flowers breathtaking, so let’s just wonder!

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

There are the formal gardens, the rolling countryside and three ponds to wonder about!

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

Each piece of artwork was in a perfect spot in the garden to show it off!

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

I liked the use of twigs to make a fencing and to support the plants.

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

There is also a fine restaurant on the premises as well as a gift shop!

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

Without a doubt my favorite flower was this one!

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

There were sculptures everywhere!

Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

This was my favorite groundcover, saxifragis x urbium. It is called “London Pride,” and has been grown along garden paths since the 1700’s. It has a fragile, spiky, soft pink flower in spring. Many of the elderly folks are drawn to this plant because they are reminded of their time in the war and Noël Coward’s song, by the same name, recorded during the Blitz. Cuttings from this plant quickly re-colonized at bomb sites and reminded Londeners that they too could re-build and move forward! Listen to it Here! Do any of you remember it? The video and music is a tear jerker!

London Pride, Pashley Garden, Ticehurst, UK

There is so much to see and admire in this garden. We’ll be back tomorrow! See you in the garden!

November: When I Go Home, It’s an Easy Way to be Grounded

A Cottage In Chipping Campden, UK

When I go home, it’s an easy way to be grounded. You learn to realize what truly matters.

Tony Stewart, Nascar Driver

Some of the lovliest homes are the thatched cottages in the UK! Don’t you agree?

Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so the water flows away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost, local vegetation.

In developed countries it is now the choice of some affluent people, who desire a rustic look for their home or would like a more ecologically friendly roof, or who have purchased an originally thatched cottage.

To me, November is everything about the home. We are preparing our homes for the shorter days and longer dark nights; settling in so to speak with a good book and a cup of cocoa in front of the fire. November is also all about the family and food and sharing. So through November I will share tidbits about the home and some fascinating photos of homes around the world. Enjoy!

November: Home is Where One Starts From; Ireland

Gallarus Oratory, Dingle, Ireland

This past year I had my DNA tested. I have over 45,000 names in my family tree and have done extensive research on my family including going to the villages of my root families in France and the UK. I have traced my family on my fathers side (France/Germany) and mothers side (the UK), both back to the 1600’s. But, as it is, you get so many pieces of DNA from your father and from your mother, who in turn got pieces from their mothers and fathers, ect….. My DNA determined, that a big part of me, (43%) is Western European, specifically from France, Germany and Switzerland. I am (15%) Scandinavian, specifically from Norway and Sweden. and (12%) from Great Britain…. I thought that was extremely low since that figures so much into my family tree and where I have done so much research. But, my biggest surprise was the (28%) Irish! I could find only one family in my family tree with actual Irish descent! Maybe that explains my love of story telling and writing! So here is a photo of me in front of the Gallarus Oratory in Ireland!

The Gallarus Oratory name is interpreted as either “rocky headland” or “house or shelter for foreigners,” and is a chapel located on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. It has been determined to be an early Christian stone church by its discoverer, antiquary, Charles Smith, in 1756. In 1970, archaeologist Peter Harbison, determined it was a a 12th-century Romanesque church, and in 1994 it was determined to be a shelter for pilgrims. The local tradition prevalent at the time of the oratory’s discovery attributed it to one Griffith More, being a funerary chapel built by him or his family at their burial place. I am glad to see the oratory was a combination of its roots too!

Home is Where One Starts From!

To me, November is everything about the home. We are preparing our homes for the shorter days and longer dark nights; settling in so to speak with a good book and a cup of cocoa in front of the fire. November is also all about the family and food and sharing. So through November I will share tidbits about the home and some fascinating photos of homes around the world. Enjoy!

Thursday Doors: Père LaChaise Cemetery, Paris, France

Père LaChaise Cemetery

Today, I thought I would do something different for Thursday Doors. This is a video I made of Père LaChaise Cemetery in Paris, France! Lots of doors here!

The cemetery is named after Father Francois de la Chaise, (1624-1709) the confessor to Louis XIV, who lived in the Jesuit house that was on the property at one time. The sight opened as a cemetery on May 21, 1804 with the burial of a five year old child. That first year only thirteen people were buried here because it was felt the cemetery was too far from Paris. Also, Catholics would not be buried here because the Catholic Church had not blessed it. Later in 1804, with great fanfare, the decision was made to transfer the remains of Jean de La Fontaine (poet) and Molière (actor/writer), seen as rock stars in their day, to the cemetery. Again in 1817, the purported remains of Abélard (philosopher) and Héloise d’Argenteuil (his lover) were also transferred with their monument’s canopy made from fragments of an abbey. This strategy led to the desired results: people were determined to be buried among the famous citizens. The famous and wealthy people buried here would try to out do each other, even in death, with beautiful burial chambers, most the size of a phone booth, but some very extravagant. Père Lachaise was expanded five times and today over one million bodies are buried here in 110 acres. Many, many more are in the columbarium, which holds the remains of those who have requested cremation.

Today, strict rules apply to be buried in the cemetery. To be buried here one must have died in Paris or lived there. Also there are 50, 30 and 10 year leases on the burial sites. After the lease is up the remains are removed and placed in Aux Morts, (to the Dead) an ossuary, similar to the famous catacomb sights. When the ossuary is full, the bones are cremated and then returned to the sight. I wanted to see the graves of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, and Oscar Wilde. A roster of all the famous people buried here can be found on the internet. I would suggest taking a map of the cemetery with you or download the Maplet of Père Lachaise Cemetery on your IPhone as we had. After all there are 110 acres to explore and it is very steep and uneven with forest like ledges in some areas. Also note, that at 4pm in the winter, bell ringers ringing old fashioned school bells, walk the cemetery to announce that the cemetery closes at 5pm. You do not want to be locked in the cemetery left to scale a 20 foot gate! I hope you enjoy the video!

This is just one of many photos in the Thursday Door Collection featured by Norm2.0! Won’t you join in or take a peak at all the doors?

November: A Man’s Home is His Castle; Ireland

Obriens Tower, Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

To me, November is everything about the home. We are preparing our homes for the shorter days and longer dark nights; settling in so to speak with a good book and a cup of cocoa in front of the fire. November is also all about the family and food and sharing. So through November I will share tidbits about the home and some fascinating photos of homes around the world. Enjoy!

Let’s start in Ireland! The English judge and jurist Sir Edward Coke (pronounced cook) declared in a ruling known as Semayne’s Case, that there were strict limits on how sheriffs could enter a person’s house. In a famous and much quoted decision from 1604, Coke declared that “the house of every one is to him as his castle and fortress as well for defense against injury and violence, as for his refuge” which over the years has become simplified to “a man’s home is his castle”.

The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the crown. It may be frail – its roof may shake – the wind may blow through it – the storm may enter – the rain may enter – but the King of England cannot enter.”

Honoring the Dead: Graveyards; The Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague

The Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, The Czech Republic

Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, The Czech Republic

The Old Jewish Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe and one of the most important historical monuments in Prague.

Starting at the middle of the 15th century, the gravestones record is a continual time line of burials. The final gravestone is dated 1787.

For more than three centuries in which the cemetery was in active use, it struggled with lack of space. Respect for the dead does not allow for the abolishment of old graves. When space ran out and Jews were no longer allowed to buy more ground, they had to gain space in other ways. Another layer of soil was heaped on the old graves and more people were buried! There are sections in this cemetery twelve layers thick! The older graves remained intact this way, and some of the older headstones were moved to the new higher surface. This explains the dense forest of gravestones that one sees today. The surface of the cemetery is much higher than the surrounding streets and retaining walls are necessary to hold the soil and graves in place. This is one of the saddest and most unusual graveyards I have ever visited.

JNW’S Halloween Challenge: Costume

The Last Witch Standing Wins!

I Hope you have enjoyed JNW’s Halloween Challenge!

I know I did! Thanks Jennifer!

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Posts tagged ‘Photo Travel Themes’

Thursday Doors at Great Dixter, UK

Pashley Manor, A Walk Around the Ponds

November: Stay at Home

Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, UK

November: When I Go Home, It’s an Easy Way to be Grounded

November: Home is Where One Starts From; Ireland

Thursday Doors: Père LaChaise Cemetery, Paris, France

November: A Man’s Home is His Castle; Ireland

Honoring the Dead: Graveyards; The Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague

JNW’S Halloween Challenge: Costume

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