Sojourn # 7 Two Weeks in Merry ‘Ole England

Now close to the end of my European junket, I am having two weeks in England. One week I was at a Bible conference in Keswick, northern England, the rest of the time I was in southern England with friends I met through connections with the mission in Bourofaye, Senegal.

This post features photos from a day we toured  three well preserved villages around Chippenham. Most of the buildings in these villages are from the 18th & 19th centuries, some are much older. They are closely monitored by governmental agencies for historical preservation.

The archway into the Malmsbury abbey features the 12 apostles, 6 on either side. The last one on the right is Peter. This abbey was a destination for pilgrimages where the faithful would kiss the feet of Peter’s statue.  Notice that his feet have been knocked off. This damage happened in the mid-16th century when the Protestant King  Henry VIII destroyed many vestiges of Roman Catholicism.

 An almshouse in Malmsbury built in 1691.  Almshouses provided shelter for the elderly and homeless.  Some are still in operation.

An illumination from a 14th century hand copied Bible.

 Arched stone bridge with woolen mill in background. The woolen industry has long since died and the mill has been transformed into apartments.

The Snooty Fox pub in Tetbury . A favorite hang out for Prince William & Prince Harry. Prince Charles has a country home nearby.

The tomb of King Athelstan, the first king of the U.K. His feet rest on a lion, symbol of the fact that he participated in a Crusade.

The tomb of a count also with his feet on a lion but his legs are crossed, indicating that he participated in two Crusades.

Sojourn #6: Amsterdam: The Renaissance vs. the 21st. Century; How Things Have Changed!

The last days of July 2016 found me in Amsterdam, Holland, a city I have visited several times and each time I am awed to be in a place where one experiences the fast forward movement of history’s 500 year kaleidoscope, 1600 - 2000.

 

Klaas and Erica Leegwater, my Amsterdam hosts in Hoofdorp, just a few miles from Amsterdam. Klaas is a communications manager for Dutch railways; Erica is an optometrist. They are active members of the Hoofdorp Mennonite Church. They have two adult children, Erica is a portrait artist and Klaas is an avid sailor with a 30’ sailing yacht.

 

In Holland, Mennonite churches are ‘Doopsgezinde’ (those who baptize upon confession of faith).

These two photos are a commentary on the sad state of affairs on Christianity in Europe. After nearly two millennia of conflict and corruption European Christendom is essentially DOA. Solid edifices that were once Christian churches are now serving as stores, recreation halls, and art galleries. These two photos are of a former Hoofsdorp Protestant church, now it is a gathering place for those needing the solace of alcoholic spirits and camaraderie.

On July 27th I crossed the Channel from Holland to Harwich, England aboard the world’s largest ferry. Here two of the ferry’s engineers keep watch over navigation propelled by 36,000 hp in the engine room.

My favorite place in Amsterdam is the Rijksmuseum. The collection contains more than 2,000 paintings from the Dutch Golden Age by notable painters such as Jacob van Ruisdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, de Hooch, Rembrandt, and Rembrandt's pupils. I took about 175 photos in the museum; I share a few of them here. The advantage of viewing the paintings in the museum is that each one is accompanied with a couple descriptive paragraphs about the work.