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The British and American flags mark the dock where the Mayflower left England for American in 1620. The dock is in the city of Plymouth, which is in the historic county of Devon, England.
It was 16 September 1620 when 102 passengers and crew boarded the three-masted ship, which was about 100 feet long.
The journey had begun in the summer in London at Rotherhithe on the Thames but there were complications along the way with the second ship, the Speedwell.
It was 19 November 1620 when they saw what is now Cape Cod. Eventually, they landed at Plimoth in Massachusetts USA 21 December 1620.
Near the dock, you can stock up on Mayflower gifts.
Enjoy an ice cream
or some other sweets
Ad. Learn about British-American Language and Culture in Mind the Gap
Cambridge is the home to Cambridge University, which
seems to dominate the city. It’s a beautiful old city where you can enjoy fine
food, a punt on the River Cam, peaceful walks, modern shopping, historic
buildings, and many museums.
As of 2021, Cambridge was the home of more Nobel Prize winners than any other city.
The city has a long history with finds dating to the
Bronze Age. Many artefacts document the Roman and Viking times. Henry I granted
a town charter around 1120. The university was founded in1209. The construction
of King’s College chapel began in 1446 under King Henry VI and continued for
several years—eventually, it was completed during the reign of King Henry VIII.
It has become a symbol of both the university and the city.
I stopped by Hobson’s Conduit, which is the location
of the fresh water brought to the city in the 1600s. Later, the town was a
significant site during the Civil War and under control of Oliver Cromwell.
Hobsons Conduit/ Geoff Sutton 2021
The city expanded in the 1800s. Rail service began in
1845. I arrived by rail during my most recent visit.
Cambridge was an important centre during World War II.
The RAF had a training centre and a 1944 meeting at Trinity College included plans
for the invasion of Europe.
Codebreaker, Alan Turing, Remembered
Nearby is the only American Cemetery in the UK. The land was given to the United States by Cambridge University-- 3,811 American soldiers are buried here. And, 5,127 names are listed on the Walls of the Missing. Link to the US website.
American Cemetery Chapel Cambridge /Geoff Sutton 2021
Left-USAF Veteran John McClaran /Geoff Sutton 2021
Museums
In a sense, the university is a museum as you observe
the magnificent buildings. But there are several museums containing a variety
of collections—some focused on a specific discipline.
Fitzwilliam Museum: A magnificent
structure housing a great variety of paintings, art objects, books and
manuscripts and more. [Fitzwilliam Museum books]
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambidge / Geoff Sutton 2021
Museum of Zoology: A small but
interesting collection of birds, sea animals, insects, and other animals from
around the globe. It’s housed in the David Attenborough building. One of the
collections on display includes some contributions from Charles Darwin. [Book: Darwin's Fossils]
Darwin's Octopus, Museum of Zoology
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:
The displays in 2021 emphasised the diversity of cultures around the world along with local finds like the Trumpington Cross.
Trumpington Cross
The Polar Museum: This unique
museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, focuses on arctic and Antarctic explorations. A copy of a Shackleton
expedition lifeboat is outside. [Book: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage]
The River Cam offers attractive scenery and an
opportunity for boating. There are paths for walkers and famous bridges
including the notable mathematical bridge designed by William Etheridge, a master
carpenter, in 1748.
River Cam/ Geoff Sutton 2021
There are several streets for shopping throughout the
city as well as a market centre and a Grand Arcade on St Andrews Street anchored
by John Lewis & Partners. There's a great variety of cafe's, pubs, and restaurants too.
Market Centre, Cambridge UK
I enjoyed Nanna's Burrito
Eagle Pub, Cambridge UK
Also, there are several parks and many trails to
enjoy.
One example is the Cherry Hinton Brook and Pond by Cherry Hinton Hall close to where I stayed.
Travel Resources
Day Trip: Cambridge is about 60 miles north of London and can be visited as a day trip. I spent part of three days there in 2021 and had visited before.
Toilets: In addition to pubs and restaurants, toilets can be found in the Grand Arcade and most museums.
Rail Service
I arrived at the historic Cambridge railway station on a Greater Anglia train. The station is CBG on Station Road. The postcode is CB1 2JW. It is a mile SE of the city centre. The station was built in 1845. In 2021, the trip from Kings Cross in London takes about an hour.
Bus Service is available. In 2021, I got around on a Day Saver pass.
As I was visiting the National Parks in Colorado, I couldn't resist heading northwest to Dinosaur National Monument, which overlaps Colorado and Utah.
The Allosaurus is one of more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils visible in the rock face of the Quarry Exhibit Hall. The skull below is from the local quarry. The cast above is from a find in Utah.
The Quarry Exhibit Hall is a large two-story building with walkways on two levels. The photo below give some idea of the size of the exhibit.
In this zoomed photo, you can see some of the detail.
There's an opportunity to "touch the past" suitable for children of all ages.
Outside, you can follow the fossil discovery trail.
Signs along the way point out different finds.
A panorama along the fossil trail.
Here's a short video overview from YouTube
Some basic information about visiting Dinosaur National Monument
Although the monument spans Colorado and Utah, the visitor's center is in Utah. I arrived after lunch and had plenty of time to see the main features. But there are other things to do like camping, other hikes, and river rafting.
Visitor Center
You can walk or take a shuttle between the visitor center and the Quarry Exhibit Hall.
Included Shuttle Service
Enclosed Quarry Exhibit Hall
Back at the visitor center are restrooms, a few exhibits, a short film, and a gift shop.
Visitor Center
There is an entrance fee. National Park passes are accepted.
The Gettysburg National Military Park is located in south central Pennsylvania close to the Maryland border. The Civil War battles fought there in July 1 through 3 of 1863 were critical in determining the future of the union.
On July 4th, heavy rains came and General Lee led the Confederate army away to the south after losing more than one-third of his men. The human toll was horrendous. As the tide of battle raged back and forth, casualties mounted to some 23,000 Union and 28,000 Confederates men.
Entrance to the Battlefield is free but there are fees for tours, a film, Cyclorama, and a museum. We decided to purchase a package onsite because of a fairly strict refund policy. We entered the visitor center when it opened at 9:00 am. We secured an 11:00 bus tour and got into the first film show.
Waiting for the Visitor Center to Open
The informative film, A New Birth of Freedom, is narrated by Morgan Freeman and provides an overview of the three-day battle. Following the film, we entered the 360 Cyclorama painting of Pickett's Charge, which was also narrated. The painting is incredible and offers a sense of the battlefield as you walk around the room. Beneath the painting are battlefield artefacts adding depth to the experience.
A Cyclorama Scene
We got the bus at 11:00 for a two-hour tour. The guide was a local history teacher who provided an excellent summary of the three-day battle as we stopped at various spots. He added personal stories to give you a behind-the-scenes feel for the 1863 battle.
One of the first stops was the memorial flame atop a hill giving a nice overview of the area leading to the July 1 battle.
We drove past various state monuments making our way to Little Round Top where the Union had the high ground advantage as can be seen in the photo below. In the distance to the right of center are the boulders of Devil's Den. We are learning about the second day of battle.
Our tour ends with a summing up of the events on Day 3. Although both sides lost so many men and the Union appeared to have the upper hand, General Meade did not pursue General Lee's troops. The war would continue another two years.
We left for a late lunch at a nearby restaurant then returned to see the museum. There was so much to see so it took us till closing time at 5 pm to wend our way through the story beginning in the prewar years. The museum contains what we would expect nowadays--uniforms, weapons, writings, enlarged photos, and historic films.
Unfortunately, like many museums I have reviewed on this blog, the old style lighting makes it difficult to read some text and masks some artefacts in shadows. The audio from poorly situated videos blends with ambient sounds of people having little interest in the experience and the seating leaves you twisting your neck to watch the screens.
Despite the shortcomings, I recommend the package unless you have considerable knowledge of the battle and the battlefield.
Before leaving the area, we stopped at the cemetery. As we entered, we saw the memorial honoring Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Nearby a guide waited to offer a free walking tour of the cemetery. This was most informative.
We learned about the symbolism on some of the memorials, poignant stories of a few soldiers, and the likely scene where Lincoln delivered his famous speech, which was likely not at the site of the attractive memorial below.
The Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863
Soldiers National Monument, Gettysburg/Sutton 2021
In the photo below, a licensed guide tells about two lads from Rhode Island.
Below is a video taken from Little Round Top showing the advantage of the Union troops looking toward the Confederate line. The group of boulders is Devil's Den. A few people in the video give some perspective on the size.
Some notes
There are two websites to check for information.
1. The National Park Service site: https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
2. The Gettysburg Foundation where you purchase access to the tours and other experiences:
There is a large gift store in the Visitor Center.
Restrooms are in the Visitor Center and elsewhere on the battlefield--see the official map for details.
There is a bag check upon entering the Visitor Center. When we visited in June 21, the sign said no backpacks but women carried in bags larger than my daypack and at least one man went in with a backpack.
You can take backpacks on the Bus Tour.
There are other tour options available.
The History Channel has a helpful overview of the Battle at Gettysburg
