by When I decided to move to England last year, this past Father’s Day weekend was the type of photographic utopia that I imagined. I went to Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath, and Oxford during a three-day pilgrimage with my church family here in England. Those of you who have followed my photographic journey know that Deborah, Jordyn and I visited Stonehenge and Salisbury last year. Unfortunately, Deborah and De’Lawren did not attend this event.
It started with a bus ride from RAF Alconbury to RAF Fairford where we stayed during the weekend. Each morning we had breakfast and devotion to start our day. The first stop was to Salisbury where we toured the famous cathedral. Afterwards, we traveled approximately a half an hour to Stonehenge and we stayed there for approximately 1.5 hours (I love to take photos. However, spending nearly two hours walking around large stones is way too much time).
The next day we traveled to Bath. The city of Bath is simply stunning! As we drove into the town, I saw clusters of homes built along the side of the hill. There are breath-taking views throughout the city. This town is indicative of Europe. It is an English town that was built during the Roman’s ruling period. The architecture of several landscapes speaks to that influence. There were some many picturesque sites that I knew I had to return even before I got off the bus.
We started with the tour of the Roman baths. I took the time to listen and read about the history because I often go to places, take some photos, then I leave not knowing much than when I arrived. A friend and I walked around grabbed some more shots before we did a tour of the Bath Abbey. The Abbey like most cathedrals in England has the large bells that chime throughout the day. When we did our tour, we went to the room containing the large bells…and guess what. While the guide explained how often the bells chime, they began ringing!!! Thankfully, we all left with our hearing intact. The day concluded with two fellow participants getting baptized in the Avon River in Bath. That was spectacular to witness.
The third and final day began with an attempt to worship at Christ Church in Oxford. We arrived too late. Therefore, we had a private service in public. We had a short devotion near the church grounds. We spent the day with a guide explaining the various religious monuments and the history of the Protestant church as they dealt with the Roman Catholic establishment and those who died for their faith.
There was much to learn and take from this weekend. It’s difficult to articulate how fortunate and blessed I felt to learn about the English history this weekend and take some photos of the gorgeous landscape. This is what I envisioned when I decided to move to England. I wish more of my family could’ve participated in the event. Nevertheless, I think I took some great images to share with them and you all. Thanks for taking the time to visit.
P.S. If you want to see them in a larger format, visit my Flickr page and click on the image.
-Roger
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