Tuesday 18 April 2017

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 18 April 2017 - T for Bath and Easter


Hi folks, I hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday. Too much chocolate? Then you all have to go to the gym!

I'm joining Elizabeth and Bluebeard at Altered Book Lover in T for Tuesday, where we all share something with a drink in it (doesn't have to be tea though...)

But first I would like to share some postcards with you. My pile of postcards on my desk had become so tall that it fell over and I had to put them away somewhere. Now I always put off this moment as I love having my postcards on my desk and I love looking through them etc. (I have hundreds in boxes too). So these postcards were destined for the storage box. Then I found these. They are from Bath in England. We used to live not far from Bath. In fact we lived in a small town in between Bristol and Bath, but nearer to Bristol, which is where I worked. Bath is very beautiful and is always full of tourists. I suppose I would avoid Bath a bit for that reason, but it really is a lovely city with beautiful architecture, independent shops and a great atmosphere.

This is the façade of Bath Abbey. We used to just walk in but nowadays you have to pay to go into the abbey. In the summer they hold concerts etc and I have happy memories of Christmas midnight services.

This is the famous Royal Crescent. The houses, made with Bath stone (Limestone), are built in a semi-circle. There is a large lawn in front which has a ditch called a ha-ha, so the sheep (in the old days) wouldn't stray off the area.
Wikipedia doesn't mention the sheep, but that is what I have always been told by the locals.
"In front of the Royal Crescent is a ha-ha, a ditch on which the inner side is vertical and faced with stone, with the outer face sloped and turfed, making an effective but invisible partition between the lower and upper lawns. The ha-ha is designed so as not to interrupt the view from Royal Victoria Park, and to be invisible until seen from close by. It is not known whether it was contemporary with the building of the Royal Crescent, however it is known that when it was first created it was deeper than it is at present."



The Royal Crescent overlooks the park (Victoria Park).

Here's the last card of Bath. It shows the Circus from 
the air. Again, very spectacular. 
Wikipedia gives this information:
The Circus is seen as the pinnacle of Wood's work. It consists of three long, curved terraces designed by the elder John Wood to form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration behind which was the Colosseum in Rome.
Like the Colosseum, the three façades have a different order of architecture on each floor: Doric on the ground level, then Ionic on the piano nobile and finishing with Corinthian on the upper floor, the style of the building thus becoming progressively more ornate as it rises.

We've had a hectic week. It has been Holy Week (Semana Santa), which is big is Spain. People have time off work, most of the week, and everything stops as businesses are closed. There are processions and religious activity all week, Family from far and near visit and the village is jam packed. Processions are the big thing. Even our small village has an impressive display:

The photo is not mine as I don't attend these things. I apologise to anybody who is Catholic.No disrespect intended. (just my opinion). I hate the pageantry and the people worshipping the statues instead of the Lord Jesus. They are there for the wrong reasons. Where you walk in the procession, reflects your social position in the village. It's all about see and be seen etc. Then there are those people dressed up in Ku Klux Klan outfits, which send shivers down my spine. I once asked one of them what the meaning was of those outfits, and they couldn't tell me. "Tradition" was the answer. 


The ladies normally wear black and put their hair up with those traditional combs (called peinetas) and then drape black lace (mantilla) over their heads. It looks very pretty I must say.


Our Easter was a quiet affair. We celebrated the resurrection of Christ in our little church. After the service we had a 'bring-and-share' meal together. Before we started our pastor explained about the Jewish Passover. I had cooked a leg of lamb and someone else provided the bitter herbs.

Oh, there is wine on the table to qualify me for the T-party!

My hubby usually plays guitar and we sing our hearts out. This time one of the girls had brought her ukulele. That was great fun! I took some photos but they are on my phone. I'll show you in my Friday blog. We had a really good time.

I'll leave it at that I think. Please join us at the T-party with a drink of your choice.

Happy T-Day,
Have a good week,
Hugs,
Lisca


19 comments:

  1. When I was in college, I had an internet pal who lived in Bath. He told me it was very touristy because of the baths that are supposed to be healing.

    He also told me about the Royal Crescent and how lovely it was, but only if you were rich.

    I agree with you on the pageantry. I simply don't like to comment on religion, but those tall hats put shivers down my spine, too.

    Thanks for sharing your Easter meal and wine, as well as your awesome Bath postcards for T this Tuesday. It sounds like your Easter was enjoyable, at least.

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  2. Good evening, I really enjoy your postcards-and I love all the history you share-I am not into going to places any more with lots of people-hubby and I atay home and just enjoy the day that way--I do enjoy reading about all our adventures! Hugs Kathy Happy T Day

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  3. Sounds like you had a beautiful Easter celebration! Love those postcards-and how I would LOVE to see the town of Bath in England versus the old and quaint but dinky town near where I live:)
    Yes, the pageantry can be overdone-especially in Europe, but being I don't see it much I would enjoy it once in awhile. Happy T day!

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  4. I enjoyed seeing the procession photos. We don't have them here in my neck of the woods at all and they look so "foreign" and very rooted in a different culture than mine. I also enjoyed our post cards of Bath. That's a place on my list to visit some day, I hope. Glad you had a wonderful Easter, and I hope you have a good week too. Hugs-erika

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  5. Love the pictures of Bath. I have been there a few times and have fond memories

    Your musical time sounds just like I the time we share with my daughter and son-in-law and I can imagine how happy you all are doing that

    Happy T day

    Love Chrissie xx

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  6. Bath is such a beautiful town, thanks for sharing the pictures. Very interesting photos from the semana santa processions, too, and I love the Easter meal that you made. Nice to have music, too. Happy T day and have a good week. hugs, Valerie

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  7. Bath is a lovely destination, the photos and card you shared look lovely.. Your Easter meal sounds lovely and good to spend time with friends.
    Happy T day.
    Yvonne xx

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  8. I enjoyed the Bath pictures and the images from the processions as well! What a fantastic Easter meal!
    Seems you had a wonderful time!
    Happy T-Day dear Lisca!
    oxo Susi

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  9. Your postcards are wonderful and I really enjoyed the tour around Bath and learning about the history - it is a beautiful place and full of amazing architecture! I have fond memories of Bristol too, as I use to work there on occasion :-) . Your Easter celebrations sound perfect, I'm glad you had a lovely time and the meal looks delicious! I'm looking forward to seeing more on your Friday post :-) . Wishing you a Happy T Day! J :-)

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  10. Loved seeing the Royal Crescent and the Circus... places i will never see in my lifetime. Thank you so much for sharing that Lisca.... and i love the information you include..not alot just enough... Not religious here and tend to agree with your thoughts on the statues and idols and extravagance... Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb

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  11. i would love to spend the holy week in spain one day. but then, i´m really of the masses of People there in this time... i´d better go to bath;) awesome photos/postcards! and interesting info, thanks!!
    have a great week and happy t-day!

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  12. Wonderful postcards and interesting info about Bath, Lisca. Have you thought of putting your postcards into binders that you can flip through? I decorate my old Franklin Planner binders mixed media fashion They're the perfect size for postcards.

    I'm Catholic but consider myself very ecumenical. I don't like the type of pageantry you shared here. Those outfits are truly chilling. So I had to learn more.

    I found that "The origins of the pointed hat in Spanish tradition are unknown, but the face is covered as a sign of mourning for the death of Christ. On Easter Sunday the hats are taken off in the jubilation for the resurrection of Jesus."(http://www.valenciavalencia.com/culture-guide/semana-santa/ku-klux-klan-semana-santa-spain.htm).

    And regarding the KKK costume: The KKK didn't have a "uniform" until after "DW Griffith's wildly popular 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, which lionized the Klan and dressed them in white hoods and robes (perhaps influenced by Freemason outfits or garments worn by Holy Week penitents in Europe)." (http://www.newser.com/story/219119/think-the-kkk-always-wore-hoods-no-way.html)

    I'm glad Mexico - despite the Spanish influence here - never adopted that awful pagaentry. Our village has a very moving Passion Play. I've never attended because I can't stand crowds.

    Wishing you Easter blessings and Happy T-Day! Hugs, Eileen

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    1. Thank you Eileen. That was useful information. I didn't know that. I'll go to the sites you mentioned and have a read myself.
      One of the villages in the area do a lovely passion play, but I am like you, I hate crowds, and large crowds make me feel claustrophobic and panicky.
      Blessings,
      Lisca

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  13. Love your postcards and description of Bath. I love the combs and lace worn by the women. Happy Tday

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  14. I love Bath, haven't been for a few years though! The procession does look very grand - not the sort of thing our church does either! Trying to be brief as the action is hotting up here! Happy T Day, Chrisx

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  15. Been to Bath all 3 times we've been to England! Just adore that place. Last time we went to the 'new' spa & it was FABULOUS! I'm not too keen on those processions, but I understand they are more steeped in cultural considerations than religion, & it is NICE that some places still keep these traditions up, I think. The costumes don't worry me at all. It's the heart not the outfit that I think about:):) Glad you had a GOOD Easter & the lamb looks YUMMY!!!!

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  16. That procession looks very dramatic.
    How special to see the ladies in their mantillas.
    I had no idea the Peinetas could be that large but of course it makes sense.
    Ah Bath ... said in my best British wannabe accent ;-)
    You have lived in so many wonderful places.
    As it happens we arrive in London on Thursday for a tour of Devon and Cornwall (not mentioning it beforehand on my blog). We are happy that we'll be visiting Bath again this trip.
    We were amazed last time how many people there were in the supposedly "off" tourist season. IT is a people magnet kind of place. Hoping to focus on Jane Austen while we're there this time around bringing the traveling tea cup too.
    Thank you for always sharing interesting and exotic places.
    Arm chair traveling is my next favorite to being to actually visit a place ♥
    Happy day after T Day dear Lisca oxo
    p.s. as a girl I was lucky enough to visit Holland during tulip festival time and the memories have stayed with me all these years

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  17. Great postcards and love the pictures and descriptions of Bath. You are not the only one who is late visiting the "T" day post. Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

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  18. What a wonderful armchair tour this week. Enjoyed the architecture, the elegant lace mantillas, and different holiday customs. See you next week!

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