More Bones!

On Sunday we continued examining and putting together skeletons. I think, all in all, each group did three skeletons each, which is quite exciting. We also were able to look at group's skeletons as well. The following pictures are of a child (age 5 to 6) and a baby.

None of the bones in the skull were fused.

Notice the teeth coming in.

Fragments of the baby skull

The baby skeleton - amazingly complete.

Adult humerus, child humerus and baby humerus.

Was that Tom Barnaby I saw?

After admiring the Roman ruins, we cast about for a place to eat. Some suggested a noodle bar. I didn't make much objection, but I really didn't want to eat at a noodle bar on such a day. Chris, the only other male besides our instructor, scampered down the road and poked his head into an old inn called "The Rose and Crown". He came out looking triumphant: no big TV's, no crowds of boisterous youngsters (football is on, after all!). The noodle bar was a ways off. The Rose & Crown was at hand. We chose the latter.


Stepping in, I felt I was going back a good hundred years. On the right-hand of the door, was a large, comfortable room with an enormous fireplace, with old cooking implements standing by, like in a museum. The ceilings were timbered, and all. We ate in the left-hand side, which was almost as charming (though no large fireplace, and there was a TV in the corner, after all). There were a couple fliers up for a mid-summer celebration (or something like that), and the list seemed to include a lot of morris dancing, and heel-an-toe (which I thought must be a variation of the may-song I know called 'hal-an-tow'). And I suddenly felt as though I was in a cosy episode of 'Midsomer Murders' which was a delightful feeling.


Some of us shared a Spotted Dick for pudding. It was delicious! Served warm with hot custard poured on top. I think I must learn how to make it myself.

I was delighted by this crooked medieval building!

Outside the Rose & Crown

On our way back to the train station. There were many such buildings on this particular road.

Verulamium

Verulamium and St Albans as towns must have overlapped, as I believe the ruins of Verulamium are within St Albans. There is some evidence that Verulamium functioned as a town well into the 400, after the collapse (and withdrawal) of the Roman Empire. In a lush, green park, we found the traces of the thriving Roman town.

This is the old pub which I put in my previous post. It was near an old mill - thus the water.

Mill lade! Reminds me of the old mill in Glasgow.

It's not a clear picture, unfortunately - a mother duck on her nest.

A white duck! It reminded me of New York.

Isn't this wee fellow delightful? I'm wondering it it's a baby moorhen?

A moorhen. They were everywhere!

Ooh! Looks like a Roman wall to me! 

Glorious tree!

Looking back towards the cathedral. This is where the town was.

A bit of surviving mosaic!

The amphitheatre. 

St Albans

After playing with bones for awhile, we took the train over to the medieval town of St Albans, named after St Alban, the first British martyr, who was born in the nearby Roman town of Verulamium.


St Albans is a charming, beautiful town full of 14th and 15th century buildings, and a beautiful cathedral.

The market area.

Look at that building!

Medieval heaven.

The clock tower

The Cathedral. Apparently the longest nave in England. It was closed, unfortunately, but we walked all around it, and the whole time we wandered about, they were ringing the bells. It was magic.

An old dovecote, but it's been an inn for a long time, as Cromwell (and his horse) both stayed here.