Day 16: Hastings Battlefield

Today was our last and final day in England. Though I am sad that these adventures must come to an end, I am so thankful for the blessing of all the experiences we have had and the kind people that have helped us on our way. God has blessed us and provided for us in so many ways while on this trip!

This blog has been so much fun to write. At times it was challenging to keep up, but the satisfaction of jotting things down overrided any inconvenience caused. I would liken myself to a sponge, as I would be busy absorbing the experiences throughout the day. The writing of this blog has been a "wringing of the sponge" so to speak. I get out all my thoughts and rambles, fresh from my brain and stored away for later use and contemplation (and sometimes editing, if I've misspelled something.) :)

Today was the day we planned to visit the battlefield where the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066. This trip was added to the itinerary at my request. Being fascinated by Early Medieval and English History, this particular battlefield was one that I just couldn't pass up.

It made an appropriate visit for our last day, I might add, because this particular battle resulted in the complete and lasting conquest of a previously Anglo-Saxon England. In a way, the outcome of this battle and the new Norman king it ushered in is responsible for creating the English culture that we know and appreciate to this day. More on that in a minute.

We took the train to a little town called "Battle." No, I'm not speaking in jest, it is actually called Battle, and the tiny train depot is called Battle Station. :) We got a kick out of that. Hilarity and puns ensued.

It was only a 10 minute walk from the station and through the tiny town to get to Battle Abbey and the Battlefield. We opted to walk the battlefield itself first, as it was the thing I was most keen on getting to see. It was so lovely to be in fields and woods once more! Not to mention the fields and woods of an ancient battlefield. The audio guides that we got were wonderful, and as you walked through, it would tell you about the battle and made the history really come alive. The walk ended up being around 30 minutes long and went around the entire periphery of the field.

So, on to the battle and the context. If you don't like history, skip it.

The Normans were originally Vikings that settled themselves in the northwest of what we would call modern day France in the early 10th century. They took control, and intermarried and blended with the original inhabitants and essentially took over, styling themselves Counts and Dukes of Normandy. They created a powerful state around the mouth of the river Seine. William had a claim on the throne of England, due to the fact that he was descended from Richard the II, Duke of Normandy, who was the uncle of Kind Edward of England. After King Edward died childless, the throne was greatly contested, but a man named Harold Godwineson was chose by the Witen to take the throne. King Harold was Anglo Saxon, of course, being of Germanic and Danish descent.

Meanwhile, William, having success with conquering Italy, decides to shift his sights to England.

Harold, hearing of William's plans, musters his forces near the little town of modern day Battle. After landing at and promptly conquering the town of Pevensy, William and his 7,000 well trained troops meet with Harold's forces at Seniac hill on October 13, 1066. The battle was close, but in the end, the Normans won out. To get an idea of the scale of this battle, the average English town held 2,400 residents. On that day in October, over 7,000 men were killed. After the battle, William continued his conquest northward and on Christmas Day made it to London and was crowned king in Westminster Abbey.

So, why is this battle so important? For one thing, the Norman conquest was responsible for our modern day English language. The French spoken in the Norman courts gradually blended with the Anglo-Saxon tongue, resulting in modern day English. They also created many of the castles and grand architecture we enjoy today, such as the Tower of London, which was the first of William's many castles. The Normans were also able to but a stop to the Vikings' "hit and run" style raids on the country. In all likelihood and in my opinion, if England had been left to itself, the Vikings would have probably taken over the country, and I might be typing this blog post in a Germanic-Scandinavian tongue instead.

I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. Such an awesome place to visit! Nothing like walking up the hill of a thousand year old battlefield with the clear blue sky overhead and the soft grass beneath your feet.

We had lunch at an adorable little tea shop, where we enjoyed some awesome soup and a proper cream tea. We hadn't had time to drink much tea while we have been here so it was nice to finally enjoy some. :) Such a lovely little place!

We are mostly going to be packing tonight, as our plane leaves tomorrow morning at 10 am. When I get home I will try to post some pictures at some point. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think I've written about a thousand words for every picture I've taken. :)

Here's a few
Quoteables from the Travellers

*retrieves his tickets from the self service ticket machine*
"There's nothin' like the smell of hot fresh tickets in the morning!" ~Galen

"I heartily give my seal of approval. Not that it's worth anything. Why did you ask me my opinion anyway?"

"Hold on.....allow me to put in my speech impediment (his retainer.) ~Galen

"You know, when I was little, I used to wish that I'd get hit by an ambulance. Awkward!!"

"I'm as happy as a duck.....I mean, a clam!"

*Ferrari drives by, dangerously close*
"You know, if I had my choice, I'd rather get hit by a Ferrari than any other car!"

"Yes, I have always wanted these two things to happen to me, to pass out, and to have a nosebleed."

*at the underground, waiting on a train*
"Ick, I just got something in my eye! It was, like a cinder or something!"

And, I couldn't resist this one overheard at a restaurant:
*thick British accent*
"So, Mary, when you were in the states, did you have this stuff they refer to as.....ah..... 'Peach Cobbler' whilst you were visiting?"
"Oh, indeed, it was quite good, and it's like a pie but not quite, not crust but a topping instead. Then again, I never met a pie I didn't like......"