Saturday, September 24, 2016

Summer travels, 1910, and another mystery

Left London Aug. 8 Monday, 2:30.
Arrived Windsor by train (Paddington) 3:20 PM. White Hart rooms 5/ 6 meals most expensive and an air of graft which irritated me. --Viewed the castle and very imposing grounds.
Left Tuesday at 2:30 P.M. for steam boat trip on the Thames--to Henly--arrived 7:15 P.M.
This trip is decidedly not to be missed--
The beautiful homes and the estate of Astor--Cliveden--are a sight perhaps no where else to be seen in just in such a state of symmetrical beauty. The flowers particularly were so profuse and gay in color on the perfect lawns.

Arrived in Oxford 9:45 P.M.
Mike and I both cold and head-aching. And here was the evil-charm, the land which I shall not mention, as I hope to forget such a place exists. No--I do not for it was an event I shall likely never see in such another similar sphere.
[written in the margin of this page:
 “The Light of the World” H.H. Hunt
Keble College  Glorious masterpiece]

What was the “evil-charm”?  What “event”?

Will we ever know?

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Ima's 1910 Adventures in England, continued.

Left Canterbury Thursday  [Aug. 4, 1910] 2:20
       Arrived London 5:20 P.M.
       Drove (2/6) to Torrington Sq. where we found board (6/6) no lunch--clean rooms, nice people, poor food. In London we did the usual things. This time I enjoyed Temple Courts (Middle Temple), Wallace Collection, Kensington Museum, Cheshire Cheese Inn, walk through Fleet Street, Hampton Court boat at 4:30 to Richmond--walk up to the hill--gorgeous never to be forgotten view with sunset, and a fine dinner. Home by train and subway. At the Japanese-British Exhibit we saw the Japanese wrestlers, a great novelty and a strange thing, too.
       Heard Tetrazzini at Opera in Barber of Seville. Saw “Priscilla Runs Away” Wilson-Terry (charming)--“The Whip”--thrilling melodrama, but goodl.
        Am sorry I didn’t start this sooner for now I am trying to catch up and can not feel like taking time to tell the things which I have felt most important. Here’s one thing, we are seeing the life of the people--as upon the Thames, where were the house-boats, etc. as I did not before.
       The week of Cricket at Canterbury--National Festival--We went down Thursday. A wonderful sight and experience it was; throngs of enthusiasts who were self contained--, a brilliant sight on the velvety big area of green. A most scientific game is cricket but a very unexciting performance, I think.

We don't know what Ima's brother Mike thought.