Abbeys of the Cistercian Monks

Cymer

Cistercian monks originated in the French town of Cîteaux which apparently means 'reeds'. They were particularly successful in Wales and created a whole series of monasteries across the province. They were known for their piety and hard working natures and were thus accepted by the communities. The first monastery I saw was at Valle Crucis near Llangollen but Cymer Abbey is my first where I knew what they represented beforehand. The abbey is simple yet beautiful especially when you consider that through lack of funds the nave had no transept and thus no central tower. A tower was built in the 14th century but 'you know who' put paid to that in the 16th. I plan to visit more of these ruins and will update this document accordingly but for now here is an interesting fact. The monasteries are more or less 25 miles apart because that is the distance a monk riding on a pony could hope to travel in one day

Valle Crucis

Valle Crucis is special as one of the buildings still has a roof! The chapterhouse, while technically a ruin, is pretty much as it was at the time of the reformation. It always amazes me when this happens, the structure seems no stronger than the rest of the abbey and yet for some reason the reformers tore the abbey down but left the chapterhouse. I wonder what went through their minds as they loaded the canons or hurled the boulders. I don't think the destruction of an abbey has ever been recorded.

Finally, I made it to Strata Florida in August 2013. I think this is the abbey that is 25 miles south of Cymer

Abbey. The bad news is the abbey is almost totally a ruin. The good news is that the cruciform outline of the church is beautifully preserved and the west door in all its glory is still standing. Built on land provided by Rhys ap Gruffudd the abbey took 50 years to build starting in 1184. The abbey was one of the most important in Wales and was the base of Henry IV's operations against Owain Glyndwr. The church was demolished at the dissolution of 1540. Buried under rubble, the Victorians rediscovered the abbey and restored it to what we see today.

Comet C/2012 S1

A Comet is coming !

I know its early days but finally it seems like a major comet (C/2012 S1) is coming during my lifetime. Yes I know there was Halley in 1984 and there was one in the 1990's that I saw in the skies of Southern Ontario. But neither were anything close to challenging the brightness of the moon. Discovered by two Russian astronomers in September, the comet is currently visible to telescopes and should cross the naked eye visibility threshold in late October. From there, although this is not yet certain, it could brighten up to the level of the full moon and beyond. I have been disappointed in the past but I intend to keep an eye on this one in the hopes that finally I will see a comet that resembles the photos you see in magazines. Maybe even take my own photo that you can be sure will be posted to this page.

Stargazing live !

On the last show, Jan 10th, the comet was discussed. I have learnt that it is called Comet Ison and will pass within 800,000 kms of the sun. The excitement is based upon its already apparent brightness and its trajectory that will bring it close to earth.

Hubble captures comet Ison

Images provided by NASA indicate comet Ison continues to outshine other comets for its current distance from the sun (Just inside Jupiter's orbit in April 2013) Studies reveal that the brightness is caused by the comet vaporising CO and CO2 gases which are more volatile than water. There is still much doubt as to whether the brightness will continue to grow once water becomes the 'fuel'. But there remains a view of optimism that this could potentially be quite the show.

Comet Status August 2013

The comet is now between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars and continues to grow in intensity including the development of a tail as the solar wind starts to boil off volatiles. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope is now taking regular photos of the comet as it develops. I am still not 100% confident that this comet will be the display promised but I live in hope and also hope that more news starts to be give out as the autumn progresses.

Comet Status September 2013

Reports indicate the comet is currently 183 million miles from the sun and heading towards its November 28th perihelion. It is said to be dimmer than expected and hopes are always tempered by what happened last time when comet Kohoutek was predicted to be the comet of the century and basically fizzled out. A lot depends on whether the comet survives its perihelion only 900000 miles from the sun's surface. Hopefully it will survive intact and will then approach the earth within 40 million miles and be visible with the naked eye. If it breaks up, then its game over. If it emerges intact in early December then things may prove worth watching. NASA is also planning for its spacecraft currently on Mars and orbiting Mercury to turn their cameras in the comets direction. So all eyes are set on the comet and are prepared for whatever happens.

Comet Status November 2013

As the comet nears the sun the tail can now be seen in the east before dawn and in Wales the problem now is the weather. I am praying for a clear night but others may be luckier. The comet is brighter than I expected but so far not quite the event of the century. Still we live in hope as it gets closer to the sun and more material streams off. The hope is that it will survive intact and emerge from behind the sun in early December to give a good evenings viewing sometime in that month. 

Comet Status December 2013
The Comet Survived !!! After closely grazing the Sun's chromosphere NASA telescopes observed a small comet head emerge from the sun on November 29th much to everyone's relief. There is no certainty whether enough has survived to give any display here on earth but this comet has produced many surprises so we are still hopeful that we can report something later this month. 

Comet Status December 7th 2013
Despite a hopeful observation of the comet emerging from the sun in early December, it appears that the sun had indeed destroyed the comet since the light that emerged, quickly diminished, and went out like a candle being snuffed. The problem seems to have been that Comet Ison was a sun grazer. It followed an orbit that took the comet to the very edge of the sun's chromosphere. As a result it is believed that the intense heat and radiation melted the core and the comet broke up. What emerged was the disintegrating head that quickly lost its  contiguity. 

This has been an interesting blog to write and I was truly interested in the possibility of seeing a substantial comet in my lifetime. After the dismal Haley's comet in 1986 I was perhaps a little too enthusiastic. I look forward to the next visitor from the Oort cloud, you never know what may happen in the world of space billiards.

Turin - April 2012

So on April 5th we returned to Turin in much warmer weather than 2010. We are staying in the Hotel Parco Europa that doesn't look like much on the outside but inside it is pure art deco and fabulous. I hope that they never renovate the place but keep it like it is. The hotel is located in a small village hilltop town of Cavoretto that has been completely enveloped by Metropolitan Turin yet has managed to keep its small village feel. It is also home to the Parco Europa that affords wonderful views of Turin and the distant Alps. Our first day we pay a return trip to the Turin Cinema Museum but also take in the street life much more than last time. The warmer weather has brought people out into the open piazza's along with street vendors and you get a real sense of the city life. The second day was a walking tour of two of Turin's famous locations. The first was the Madama Palazzo, a castle built over Roman remains in the city centre. The corner towers afford magnificent views of the city. But perhaps more stunning is the secluded church, Capella di Mercanti. Outside it is just some shabby doors opening on to the street but inside is a magnificent church with painted ceiling of world renown. On the third day we were booked on a steam train trip to the city of Bra, a journey of some 50 kms and to be pulled by a steam train at speed was a wonderful experience. The engine was Trenitalia Class 640 No 640-143 in superb condition. Bra is a beautiful city full of old buildings and parks and lots to explore. Surprise surprise Turin has a modern mall. On the fourth day we went to Langotta Mall and Galeria, Italian in style but recognisable as a mall by any North American tourist. more impressive was a large department store called Eataly and located across the road from the mall. This is an open plan store with lots of air and space and what can I say but wonderful food. The olives, oh the olives. On the fifth day we joined a school class for a walk to Parco Valentino where a lunch had been prepared in local Piedmontese style in the park restaurant. The sixth day we flew home

Lyon - April 2011

Finally I was able to return to France. The last time I was here was 1993 and the time before that I was 14 in school going on a school trip. Plus this was a trip to southern France where hints of a southern clime is in the air. Needless to say I was excited...very excited. We left England on Easter Sunday and were in Paris in an hour. We booked a hotel next to the Gare de Lyon with its huge station clock so that we would be ready for the train in the morning. The TGV was so exciting reminding me of the bullet trains in Japan. Soon we were in Lyon and had lunch and a visit to the beautiful Cathedral on the hill in dazzling sunlight. The first full day we drove about 40 kms to the ancient hilltop town of Perouges. This town has survived intact from the middle ages, it was essentially abandoned and fell into disrepair but was not torn down. Before the wreckers had a chance to move in the town was rescued and is now fully restored and full of restaurants and artisans. The second day we explored Lyon and spent a lot of time in the Parc de la Tete d'Or. The beautiful wrought iron gates open on to a beautiful park full of trees and flowers and a zoo. The last day was another tour of the city but concentrating on the Musee des Beaux Arts which was full of some wonderful paintings across the ages. Next day saw us return to Paris and we walked all along the Seine passing Notre Dame, under the Eiffel Tower, up to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysees to the Louvre. Flew home the next day.

Barcelona - September 2010

Have you ever been to Barcelona. What a city, full of fascinating architecture and this all down to one man, Antoni Gaudi, who had a really strange view of architecture. I cannot describe the style and I cannot profess to like the style but it does capture the eye and for that I commend him to you. His great achievement is the Sagrada Familia, a colossal cathedral started in his lifetime and still being constructed today. We flew to Spain on Sunday September 26th 2010 and drove about 100 miles south to our hotel in Barcelona. In order to see the city we took a bus tour and were able to alight at whatever point we wanted. The first stop was Park Güell which is a park dedicated to the art of Gaudi and created by him. It contains the Gaudi House and also an amazing viewing platform from where the whole city is layed out in front of you. We also stopped at the Sagrada Familia and had lunch in a local cafe. I say 'in' actually it was out of the sidewalk but with the Sagrada as a backdrop it was fine. Our final stop was at the Olympic Stadium that dates to the 1992 Olympic games. The following day we visited 'old Barca' and toured the ancient medieval Barcelona Cathedral. We then headed down the coast to stay at a holiday resort in Cambrils. The following day was destined to be a tour of the countryside. We had the car so we wanted to make use of it so we headed inland to see the real Catalonia. We found a village,Mont Roig, in the classic hilltop style where I spotted a field of butterflies and spent some time photographing swallowtails. The village with its stone walls was cool even in the hot sun and we made our way through the old streets. We headed on up the valley to the hilltop monastery of Vilanova D'Escornalbou. The next day was spent in Taragona, much of the town is medieval but there is also a large Roman amphitheatre and roman ruins litter the landscape. The final day was a drive up through the country to arrive back at the airport in time to fly home. Spain is cool, very cool. I loved it and would love to go back. I have been spoiled by Catalonia but I am sure the whole country is wonderful and waiting for me to explore it further one day.