Heights of Abraham

Recently we visited The Heights of Abraham in the town of Matlock Bath. We parked at the bottom of the hill in a typical "pay and display" lot and then walked down a charming trail next to train tracks to get to the lifts.

Unfortunately, the day was a typically rainy day in England, so the views were not as spectacular as they could have been. A guy squeegeed our cable car windows just before we left. Too bad we didn't have our own squeegee to use on the way up.

The way up

Emily and Jacob

Mommy, Lucy, and Daddy

View of the road, river, and rails below

A passing car

At the top we got off and made a beeline for the cafe. We all needed a snack after the long ride. The place was full of students on a field trip, so we had to go to the upstairs seating to eat our flapjacks and other treats. Finding this view was also a treat!

The misty valley

Jacob and Lucy wanted to play right away so they dragged Mommy and Emily off while I went and explored the Prospect Tower. Before I got to the tower, I ran into some fine feathered friends.

Peahens

Peacock

Another distraction on the way was the Olympic Torch Sculpture. The 2012 Olympic Flame visited The Heights of Abraham on June 29, 2012, less than a month before we visited. To commemorate the visit, local sculptor Andrew Frost carved this with a chainsaw and hand tools.

The flame that won't go out

Finally I came to the Victoria Prospect Tower.

Little more than a cylinder but it gets the job done

The tower was completed in 1844 and helps the visitors appreciate the amazing views of the Derwent Valley. It is 40 feet high (and 800 feet above sea level). The 54 steps were not too much trouble for me, though they were a little scary looking, especially at the top where they were wet and presumably slippery.

Windy stairs with warnings

The view, even on a rainy day, is totally worth the minimal effort to get to the top.

Higher than the cable cars!

A house in the distance

Cliffs

A nicer house in the distance

The trip down the stairs looked more scary than going up. Isn't that always the way?

Maybe it's just me

More sculptures are found just up the hill from the tower. These were part of a competition in 2000 to design something to be next to the High Waterfalls. The winning design was Medusa, of all things!

The face that petrified a thousand ships

The sculptor was also Andrew Frost, who made the nearby woodland family as well.

Father

Mother

Son with a lot on his mind

Up top is a small exhibit on the history of The Heights of Abraham. The name comes from the Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War in America). An important battle was fought above Quebec on the Heights of Abraham in 1759. British general James Wolfe was victorious in battle though mortally wounded. He became a national hero. In the 1780s they developed the land as a visitors attraction. They named the site after the great victory.

The exhibit also explained the history of the cable cars, which were not installed until the 1980s! The cars are permanently attached to the cable, which originally had a rope core. In 1995 it was replaced with a cable that had a nylon core. Passengers travel up 554 feet. Before the cable cars, people had to walk up to the top on paths that switch back and forth. I'm glad to be living today.

Another feature here is the mines. Two caverns are still available to tour. Originally, they were lead mines dating back to the Roman times. We went on the tour of the Great Masson Cavern. The tour guide had a great, dry sense of humor. Unfortunately, the kids were not too happy to be underground, so Mommy took them back up to the top while Emily and I continued further underground. We saw the three main chambers and heard lots of stories about the lives of the miners.

Into the cavern

Random rock formation

Spooky face

Miner's mark

Dripping rock

Exit!

Several visits to the two playgrounds happened throughout the morning. Somehow all the pictures are of Jacob playing there.

Jacob goes over the top!

Smiling for the camera

Rope bridge

Crossing the log

Jacob at the bottom of the super scary slides

The exception is this remarkable video footage from the super scary slides. They were super scary to the parents, though once Jacob convinced us to let him go down, it didn't look as scary as all that.



On our way down the mountainside, we got a slightly better picture of what was below. The reason for the step up in quality was not an improvement in the weather but the discover of a small window out of which I stuck our camera. Luckily I did not drop it.

I can see clearly now the rainy window is gone

Once down, we sought out nourishment. We wound up at the Fishpond Freehouse. We had some of the best pub food we've ever had. Though maybe not Lucy. She decided she wanted the lemon slice from our pitcher of water. She called it "melon." After licking it, she did not want to eat it.

Not like lemonade, alas

After that, Lucy demanded ice cream. Two stores down sold her a "bubble gum" flavor ice cream. The guy admitted to me that it was actually mint flavored, but I countered that there are plenty of mint flavored gums on the market. Neither he nor I felt too bad. Lucy never complained. She was happy to have ice cream, even in a cone.

With that done, we headed further south for more adventures. Off to Cambridge!

Walking Dead Season 3 Comic-Con Trailer

I finally watched the San Diego Comic-Con trailer for season three of The Walking Dead.  Here it is!



It's exciting to see Michonne helping out Andrea and the prison and Woodbury plotlines from the comics coming to life. I just hope the Governor (David Morrissey) isn't as needlessly graphic as in the comics. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. It's back on TV on October 14, 2012!

Farewell to Emily; Hello to New Playground

We dropped off Emily at Manchester Airport yesterday. We were sad to see her go and will miss her. Thanks so much for all your help and the fun times we had, Emily!

In order not to have a long drive back home, we found a playground near the airport. It's called Stamford Park in the town of Altrincham. We had a little trouble getting there but when we found it, we were delighted.

Jacob's favorite part was the various climbers that were just challenging enough to require a little help from me. Lucy naturally picked the furthest swing from the climbers so I went back and forth between them.

A boy's dream come true

Lucy gets into the picture

The other highly popular item was the slide. This slide was no ordinary piece of playground equipment. It went into the ground and through a wall!

A favorite for all the kids there

A tot playground was also nearby but Jacob never made it that far. Maybe next time!

It did have the furthest swings, so Lucy made it

The drive back was beastly hot, in the mid-70s Fahrenheit! We're not used to such hardships in the mid-morning. especially in an un-air-conditioned car. Every time I'd roll down the windows Jacob and Lucy would try to talk to me from the back seat and I couldn't hear them. So the windows kept going down and up. We made it home okay and had a tasty lunch before settling in for naps.

Before napping, Jacob made me promise that we'd go back to that playground again. So there may be a future post about it!

Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) directed by Mark Webb

Did the Spider-Man franchise really need a reboot? Like all great stories in our culture, it is quite common to bring out new versions. Think of Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes or Batman or Hamlet or Ebenezer Scrooge or any number of popular characters who have been played by great and not so great actors in many different formats (radio/audio dramas, TV, movies). These stories resonate with us which is why we keep listening again and again. Spider-Man is no different. The story of a young man who has to come to grips with new-found powers and his own looming adulthood mirrors a situation we have all faced or will face. A fantastical element is added to heighten the drama and to draw out ideas and themes in higher relief. A new take on an old story is always possible, if not always well-advised or well-executed.

So is this new Spider-Man movie well-advised or well-executed? The second question is the easiest to answer. Though the story does have some stumbling blocks, it is well told with a suprisingly leisurely pace for a summer blockbuster. Peter Parker's origin story is expanded from what was seen in Raimi's film and has more details and unresolved bits than is typical for a summer blockbuster (though they do hint at future explanations, i.e. sequels). His parents' disappearance is revealed though not fully explained. The story is different enough that it makes for an intriguing retelling.

The effects are quite well done, though I have begun to see certain scenes in 2D movies that are clearly designed to be seen in 3D. Of course Spider-Man slinging his way through Manhattan should be a delightful 3D spectacle. In other scenes they just throw things at the audience or some object/person hangs in the air a bit longer than they should, which might be a treat in 3D but stands out in a bad way when seen in 2D. Or maybe that's just me noticing.

One of the poor parts of the execution is the villain. Scientist Curt Connors works for Oscorp on gene therapies that combine various animals' attributes. Helping the weak and uniting the outcast are his noble aims, as well as curing his own amputated right arm. But both the writing and the performance by Rhys Ifans lacks the luster of other big screen villains. In a fantastical story like this, a larger performance is needed. The CG Lizard that he eventually turn into is convincing but not outstanding. Most of the fight scenes aren't as well done as they could have been. So the new movie is sort of well-executed.

The question remains: Were they well-advised to have a new take on the Spider-Man story? The movie downplays Peter's economic woes and the role of the Daily Bugle (it's only seen once and J. Jonah Jameson is nowhere to be found). The focus is shifted to his home life with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, ably played by Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The personal story is well-grounded. Also, his growing relationship with Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) is interesting and they have good chemistry together (even if they don't look like high school students). Some bits of their relationship aren't quite convincing, so it wasn't as touching as Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man 2. The new take is interesting, but is full of strengths and weaknesses.

Taken as a whole, I found this film entertaining. It has certain flaws but has enough originality to justify itself as more than just a cheap grab for more cash from a summer blockbuster franchise. I enjoyed the film and look forward to where they will go with the story.

Basilica of San Zeno, Verona, Italy

The Basilica of San Zeno, known as San Zeno Maggiore, is located a bit away from all the other attractions in Verona, making it a place you really need to visit on purpose and not just take in as you are enjoying Roman ruins or pseudo-Shakespearean homes.

Built between 1120 and 1138, it is dedicated to the patron saint of Verona, Saint Zeno. More about him later. The church is one of Italy's finest examples of the Romanesque style.

The exterior of the church is quite exquisite, boasting of a 273 foot bell tower.

San Zeno in Verona

The bell tower of San Zeno

The west doors are also amazing. Built in the 12th century like the rest of the church, it has 24 bronze plates depicting various scenes from the lives of the saints. Flanking the door are two massive marble bas reliefs, as well as another above the doors depicted San Zeno himself.

The bronze-paneled doors

Marble sculpture on right

Marble sculpture on left

Saint Zeno flanked by the Veronese population

Inside is a high-vaulted nave that leads up to the raised area for the main altar. This layout follows the style of the Roman basilicas, which were halls of justice that lead to the judge's raised seat. Just before the altar is a shrine to Saint Zeno.

Nave

Zeno's coffin? Everything else says he is buried below in the crypt.

The main altar features an altarpiece by Mantegna (c. 1457) and an amazing ceiling.

Main altar

Ceiling

Off to the left of the altar is a statue of Zeno from the 12th century. He features a delightful Romanesque grin and seems to be using his shepherd's crook for some fishing.

Front view of St. Zeno

Fisher of men, indeed!

A smiling saint

Going down into the crypt is slightly spooky, with the forest-like columns supporting the main altar. Zeno's remains have been buried here since the 10th century.

Stairs up to the main altar and down to the crypt

Not as well lit

Just as well decorated

The main body of the church features dozens of frescoes from different eras. Some of the frescoes have even been painted over other frescoes!

Even the columns!

Madonna and Child, not just for statues

Fresco on fresco

Ever popular St. George and the dragon and the princess

Another Madonna and child

St. Christopher is big, really big, here

Here's some other stuff that I thought was cool.

It's all Greek to me

What's more dangerous than a lion who reads?

Unidentified saint down in the crypt

Who was Saint Zeno?

Details of Zeno's life are sketchy. He was born in northern Africa and came to Italy as a young man. He became a monk in Verona until he was appointed bishop in 362. He was the eighth bishop of Verona and died 380. Legends say he had a zeal for converting pagans and Arians to the true faith and worked tirelessly for the people of the town. About 90 of his sermons have been preserved. In addition to being the patron of Verona, he is also the patron of fishermen and anglers, newborn babies, and children learning to walk and talk. His feast day is April 12.

See the Butler's Lives of the Saints entry on him here.