Day 6 - Includes A Utopia of Sorts

In an attempt to resurrect our trip, we awoke and left early at 7:30 AM. It was a long drive to Battle Abbey in the bustling city of Battle. Fortunately it was very scenic so we weren’t bored. Mommy and I talked, listened to music, sang to the radio, and as we drove nearer to the beach, enjoyed the exhilarating fresh air with the windows rolled down. It was an indescribable feeling I indulged in as I let my hand hang out the window and let the wind blow through my hair. At the risk of sounding silly, it felt like flying.

After navigating our way through streets too tiny for comfort (we almost lost a mirror on the way), we arrived at the famed Battle Abbey. We paid the entrance fee and took the longer walking tour around the battlefield itself. On that fateful morning of October 14, 1066, two rivals for the crown of England assembled with their troops. Howard, with the Saxons, held the high ground where Battle Abbey now stands. William and his Norman troops, on the other hand, were at a huge disadvantage down in the valley. Soon what would become one of the most famous battles in history began.

For hours on end the battle raged. Those who lived to tell the tale describe the battlefield thick with body parts – the Saxons had special double-headed axes that the Normans did not own. The ground was wet with blood. At one point a rumor buzzed round the field that William had been killed. As his soldiers started to retreat in dismay, William, unhurt, lifted his helmet so that all could see that he still lived.

Finally the battle was ended and England claimed for Normandy when William used an ancient tactic: he faked out the enemy. The Normans pretended to retreat, and then turned round on the Saxons who were in full pursuit. It was a rout, and the Saxons retreated in shame. Howard was supposedly shot with an arrow through the eye and died.

To atone for his sins, William later returned to Battle and built Battle Abbey on the spot where Harold was killed. Unfortunately, most of the Abbey is closed to the public because it is a school building, but some rooms can be seen.

It thrilled me to my foundations to know that I was walking on the very spot where modern England was born roughly 1000 years ago. I could almost feel the heavy atmosphere of death and smell the blood in the air. What I would give to go back in time and see William lift his helmet to rally his frightened troops!

A funny story about William that we heard on the audio tour: when he landed on the shores of nearly Hastings, he fell flat on his face in the mud. Always a man of good humor, he grabbed two fistfuls of dirt and stood up. Lifting his arms above his head, he cried: “I have taken England with both hands!”

We spent a bit of time in the gift shop and soon were on our way to our next stop, Bodiam Castle. Famous for its romantic appearance, it is truly wonderful to photograph. I suppose I felt a little disappointed because the castle has very little history and it largely a ruin inside. Nonetheless, the moat is unusually large and the outside of the castle picturesque enough to deserve a visit.

But it was fun to observe the Brits on vacation there near the seashore. Almost like stepping back in time to a hundred years ago, people, their straw hats and picnic baskets scattered on checked blankets, had low lawn chairs out on the grass across the huge moat. Some were sitting under the ample shade of trees, painting, drawing, and using pastels to record their impressions of the castle. I wished that I could throw my pack down on the grass as well and simply drink in the atmosphere of the place.

But, as busy tourists, we had to get on the road. The final place on our itinerary was a surprise planned by Mommy, another castle called Scotney Castle. Nestled in the middle of Kent (The “Garden of England”), Scotney is a glittering gem. Most renowned for its extensive gardens, Scotney also has a small castle and moat supposedly haunted by a ghost.

The gardens were amazing – never in my life have I seen such flowers! Roses, lavender, jonquils, and every type that you could name, were there. Covering the estate from corner to corner were lakes, trails, dramatic weeping willows, lilies, and romantically draped ivy. Honestly, Scotney was my favorite place of all thus far.

The Castle had a bit more history than Bodiam, Catholic history in fact. The owners of the castle during the Reformation hid priests from the authorities in “priest-holes”. One of these was open to the public, surprising for anti-Catholic England. Sadly I don’t know much about Catholic British history (a victim of Protestant history books), and had never thought that such things were necessary.

While Mommy was explaining the history of the castle to us, two young British men came along. One, particularly talkative, was a Catholic who was traveling to America to study a Masters in Theology at Steubenville in the Fall. Shy, with curly red hair, he gave us some hints as to other Catholic sites in England and admitted some apprehension at going to school in a foreign country.

Eventually we had to tear ourselves away from this lovely utopia. The drive home was wonderful (again the windows were down) and uneventful. When we got home we all made dinner together, ate, and had tea before bed.