Treasures of Umbria - Lecture in March

Clare Ford-Wille impressed the audience with her detailed knowledge of the history of the art and architecture of this area of Italy.  She spoke, without notes, to her slides, using two projectors to compare and contrast various aspects of her subject.  Her enthusiasm and love for this region of Italy was evident.

If Clare inspired you with her lecture, our society is visiting this area in October and there are still a few spaces left on the tour.

Munich and Oberammergau   7 – 12 June 2010

During the time we spent in Munich we had a comprehensive tour of the city led enthusiastically by Evelyn Eaton. We visited the art galleries, the Residenz palace with its famous Antiquarium, (a Renaissance hall), Treasury and Theatre, the grand Nymphenburg Palace, and the main churches, but also had a lot of fun and saw the Olympic Park and the site of the Octoberfest. We experimented with the delicious food and had one meal in the beer garden of the English Garden! Some of us went to a concert which featured 9 organs, while others went to the opera.

We spent one night in the pretty village of Oberammergau where we experienced the impressive Passion Play. It lasts for five and half hours with an interval of three hours for dinner. The vast stage caters for a cast of 1000 villagers, including a choir and orchestra plus several animals, and we were part of the large audience of nearly 5000. It was a moving experience

More treasures were to be seen on our way to the Airport next day - the famous rococo Church of Die Wies (a UNESCO site), and the Linderhof Castle which belonged to the mad King Ludwig - a splendid way to end our excellent tour!

On the 14 July members of Bedfas ventured, by coach, down in to Hampshire.

We started with a guided tour of Winchester Cathedral: good guides but so much more to see and hear about than their time allowed. However, there was plenty of time for lunch and a chance to look around the attractive shops: some even made it to the top of the hill to the Great Hall with a view of the Round Table.

We then concluded our day with a visit to Chawton. This was the home of Jane Austen from 1809-1817. Here she revised her earlier manuscripts of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Encouraged by their success when published in 1811 and 1814, she devoted the rest of her life to writing. The cottage, surrounded by a tranquil garden, has become a place of pilgrimage for all lovers of Jane Austen and her books.

(Our thanks to Doreen Dickson for this review)