Suzy Says

Here, at last, photos from my trip to Europe last month. I know you have been waiting anxiously to see them, and at last, the suspense is over.

One warning: since I’ve been to England and Amsterdam so many times, I take fewer and fewer pictures, so now I only take pictures of what I haven’t seen before.

So, without further ado, here you go! Enjoy!

1. The view from my friend Colin’s patio. No, not that Colin, a different one, who lives in a pretty little village called Colyton, in Devon. Aren’t I lucky to have two Colins in my life? Some people don’t even have one.

2. An old mill near Exeter, in Devon. It is now used as a crafts center, selling handmade items by local artists.

3. Old oak tree, Widecombe-in-the-Moor (pronounced “Widdicom”). Probably ancient. The Other Colin thinks it’s hundreds of years old. I think it looks cool.

4. St. Pancras Church in Widecombe, known as “The Cathedral of the Moor”. Built in the 1400’s. The first vicar on record is John Andrewe, in 1449. The church is made of local granite and has withstood centuries of wild weather very well. I think it has a certain austere grandeur.

5. One of Dartmoor’s famous tors, outcroppings of rough grey granite.

6. Dartmoor, the setting for “Hound of the Baskervilles”. Hard to feel the horror on such a gorgeous day!

7. Close-up of two different kinds of heather and the brilliant yellow gorse that cover Dartmoor.

8. View from the window of my room at the Nobody Inn, looking over the ancient churchyard of St. Michael’s Church. What a peaceful and beautiful place to rest! Unlike many very old graveyards, this one is still in use, the new tombs mingling with the old.

9. The Manor House, where my room was. The original house dates from 1241, though this part is from 1604. Formerly the home of Sir Ralph de Doddiscomb, who gave his name to the village, Doddiscombsleigh.

10. Exeter Cathedral. One of the most beautiful and imposing churches in England, it retains its Norman (1114) towers, but was mostly re-built in 1270. The site itself has been used for Christian worship since the 5th century.

11. The burial mound of King R?dwald, one of the earliest English Kings (599-625), at Sutton Hoo in East Anglia. R?dwald was buried in a ship, along with marvellous artifacts. The mound was discovered in the 1930’s by an amateur local archeologist, Basil Brown.

12. The burial mounds of a young warrior and his faithful horse at Sutton Hoo, dating from King R?dwald’s time. The warrior’s presence in the royal graveyard suggests that he was either royal himself, or a favorite of the King.

13. New housing development in the Docklands of Amsterdam. Believe it or not, this is partly council housing or projects. In Amsterdam, low-income housing is mixed in with other housing, to avoid ghettos.

14. Rainbow over a canal in Amsterdam.

15. The wealthiest area of the new docklands development. No council housing here. I love the boats being drawn up to the houses – it reminds me of Venice.

16. Wild bridge in Amsterdam. Crossing it, with its sinuous shape and mesh floor, made me feel like I was on an acid trip. Very weird. Yet it looks so normal from a distance. Kind of like me.

17. And finally: is this the perfect poster for my niece’s first University dorm room, or what?