British Saints' Days and Celebrations

Celtic Cross Ireland by Geoffrey Sutton 2019

When touring the UK you may find a celebration of a national saint. This post lists the days. Of course, if you are an American, you probably know St. Patrick's Day.

1 March is for Wales

St David's Day

St David is the patron saint of Wales with a history dating to the 500s when he was the founding bishop of Glastonbury Abbey.  He may have been born at Henfynyw in Ceredigion. St David's Cathedral is on the site of a monastery he founded in Pembrokshire. He is pictured with a white dove on his shoulder. The date of his death is not known but 1 March is the traditional date and St David's Cathedral is the traditional burial site.

Look for the Welsh symbols of daffodils and leeks. And feast on Welsh rarebit. Expect to hear Welsh music.

Welsh Flag

Flag of St David by Stemonitis

17 March is for Northern Ireland

St Patrick's Day

St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and recognised as a missionary in the 400s. He may have been born about 386 in Wales. He was captured and sold as a slave by the Irish. He escaped and responded to a call to be a missionary to Ireland. St Patrick's Day is the traditional date of his death in 461.

The legends include his use of the shamrock during his sermons and banishing snakes from the island. Expect to see parades, green decorations, and plenty of Guinness.

(Of course, the Republic of Ireland celebrates too but they aren't part of the UK.)

Traditional burial site of St Patrick at Downpatrick Cathedral. (See Down Cathedral, Northern Ireland)

St Patrick burial site/ Photo Geoffrey Sutton 2019

23 April is for England

St George's Day

St George is the patron saint of England and venerated as a Christian martyr. According to tradition, he was a Roman soldier of Greek heritage. His bones are buried in a tomb at the Church of St George in Israel. The 23 April is the traditional date of his death in 303.

The famous legend is portrayed in many pictures of St George slaying a dragon.

The day is celebrated with parades. In London, the main place to be is Trafalgar Square. Expect to see English food and the English flags flying.

English Flag

Image of St George on horseback. 

St George Fresco Credit (wikimedia)

30 November is for Scotland

St Andrew's Day

St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and some other nations too. He was one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus and brother of St Peter. The estimated data of his life are from about 5 to 60. There is a shrine at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. In church tradition, he died by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross.

In Scotland, St Andrew's Day is a feast day and time for a ceilidh (party) or perhaps a Scottish soup like cullen skink. The St Andrew's Cross is in the national flag of Scotland.

Scottish Flag

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Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky USA Part 2 of 2

 

Mammoth Cave National Park / Geoff Sutton 2021

Mammoth Cave National Park is located in Kentucky, USA. In addition to the fantastic cave system, which is the longest in the world, there are more than 80 miles of trails. Previously, I posted scenes inside the cave. In this post I look at some of the trails around the park.

As I walked on the trail past the historic entrance to Mammoth Cave, I reached the site of the historic landing by the river. Here's a short video taking with my Google Pixel 4 phone.

Walking along the nearby Styx trail leads to the River Styx Spring, which you can view from the wooden platform. (Video from Sutton Travels on YouTube)

Following the road to the Green River Ferry leads into the water as seen in this video from Sutton Travels on YouTube.

Near the ferry is the Echo River Spring Trail. To the left of the photo sign you see a new picnic table delivered when I was there. There's a car park and portable toilets nearby. The trail begins as a concrete path but leads to other traditional trails.

As I walked along the trail, the results of recent flooding could be seen on the high levels of mud on the tree trunks.

Trail video clip from Sutton Travels on YouTube

The Sand Cave trail includes story boards telling of the Floyd Collins mystery, which captured a great deal of attention in 1925. On Friday 30 January, Collins explored the area of the family-owned Crystal Cave. He became trapped 60 feet below the surface. His family could not rescue him. The news spread. Volunteers worked for 12 days to reach him. Eventually, he was found on 16 February but he had died.

Below is the site of the rescue efforts on the Sand Cave trail.

If you enjoy biking, there's an old railway trail--of course hikers and joggers use it too.

And there's a short trail circumnavigating the pond at Sloan's Crossing.

Mammoth Cave National Park includes lodging and campgrounds. There's a restaurant --check out the 2021 prices on the board.

There are lots of picnic tables. I ate my lunch near the old train exhibit, which is close to the Post Office and store south of the Visitor's Center.

Here's the link to my Mammoth Cave post with scenes inside the historic cave entrance. And here's the link to the National Park website.

Map Link:   https://goo.gl/maps/cyXG9z8u4PD2fjxq5

A helpful book on the US National Parks

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Hampton Court Palace England UK

 

Hampton Court Palace is a historic Royal Palace near central London. It's close enough for a day trip-- only 12 miles southwest in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames.

The magnificent clock can be seen in many movies. The palace opened in 1514. It was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who was the chief minister of King Henry VIII.

Clock above a palace entry.

We've visited Hampton Court Palace by boat and train. Here's from a visit in 1980. The boat trip is upstream on the River Thames.

Hampton Court Station

 

Actors make history come alive for children and adults in a magnificent context-- the palace of King Henry VIII and the Tudor dynasty. These photos are from 2019.

Hampton Court Palace Play 2019 / Geoff Sutton

King Henry VIII actor 2019/ by Sandra Sutton using Samsung Note camera

The amazing kitchen might make you hungry. There are places to enjoy a picnic lunch. The photos are from 2019 and mostly taken with my iPhone.

Wine Cellar, Hampton Court Palace / Geoff Sutton 2019 using Apple iPhone 

There's lots to see so, check out a few more inside photos.

Amazing toilet right?

Sometimes it's worth looking up to appreciate the art.

And those ceilings!

Before leaving, we wandered about the palace grounds, which are magnificent as well. 

After a full day, we walked across the nearby road for fish and chips before taking the train to London.

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases

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You can learn a lot more at the Hampton Court Palace website. 

        https://www.hrp.org.uk

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The palace address is: Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KY8 9AU, United Kingdom.

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Google Map showing Hampton Court Palace

Memorials for Memorial Day USA

From time to time my wife and I visit places in the US and overseas where Americans gave their lives. These are awesome moments as row after row of markers represent American lives and their families who paid such a price for freedom. Here are a few memorials honoring Americans.

WWII Memorial Washington DC

US WWI Memorial, Meaux, France

US Memorial at Chateau Thierry, France

Memorial Normandy France

USAF Memorial at RAF Museum London, UK

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Mammoth Cave Kentucky USA Part 1 of 2

Mammoth Cave / Geoffrey Sutton / suttong.com 2021

 I visited Mammoth Cave National Park 8-9 March 2021. This post is about the cave itself--I'll write about the park in a separate post (See March 14 Mammoth Cave 2).

The entry to the park is free as is parking. I came in from Cave City and followed the signs to the visitor's centre. Mammoth Cave is part of the US National Park service. The site became a national park on 1 July 1941 and has been a World Heritage Site since 27 October 1981 and an international Biosphere Reserve since 26 September 1990.

I arrived early for my 9:15 tour time. Some people were able to sign up onsite but I purchased my ticket online. There are fees for the guided tour; however, during the pandemic restrictions, there were no ranger guided tours. Rangers were posted along the cave route. The route is not long compared to the more than 400 miles of explored passages, which make Mammoth Cave the longest cave in the world.

I took the photo below using my Pixel 4 phone in night mode. Flash photography is not allowed. I took my Canon SLR but found my phone easier to work with.

Mammoth Cave/ G Sutton 2021

There's some evidence of people living and/or working in the cave thousands of years ago. They found stick torches and there's soot on the walls from many users over the centuries. During the Civil War, miners worked the area--you can see evidence not far from the entrance. (Pixel 4 phone, night shot mode)

Mining in Mammoth Cave / suttong.com 2021

One interesting experiment was the treatment of tuberculosis. Small huts were built inside the cave. Unfortunately it didn't work. Apparently, cave air is not that pure.

Cabin for TB patients / suttong.com 2021

As I climbed the steps on my way out, there was a bat on the wall--nine steps down from the first landing.

Bat Mammoth Cave / suttong.com 2021

Notes

• There's a list of things not to bring on tour so, click to see the website for details.

                For example, no tripods, large packs...

• Some roads were flooded so, see the website alerts
• There are no toilets inside the cave but they are available in the visitor's centre and some other places in the park--See the park map.
• In 2021, there were discounts for the price of a tour. For example, I got a lower price with my national park pass.

I write various blogs and books. Please subscribe to this blog and see my website suttong.com

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A useful book on US National Parks

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Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Wales

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Photo by Geoffrey Sutton 3 August 1990

 

We first stopped by this touristy place on a UK tour 3 August 1990. It is located on the Anglesey coast in Wales.

Post Card from the town 1990

The story goes that the locals expanded the town's name as a tourist attraction. The name includes several words as you can see at the bottom of the post card. See below:

St Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near to the Rapid Whirlpool of Llantysilio of the Red Cave

Like most places in the UK, people have lived in the area for 1000s of years and the Romans were here too. In the medieval period, it was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. In 1826, the Menai Suspension Bridge connected Anglesey to Wales. And the Britannia Bridge was significant for linking the area to the rest of Britain.

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I know I cannot speak Welsh like a native but it's fun to give it a go. Here's my attempt:

If you are really interested, try watching this Welsh woman explain how to say it. Gwyneth does a better job.

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