Medieval Rochester

I feel exhaustion deep in my bones this week. 

It seems working hard constantly for months on end is beginning to take it's toll.

Thank God I'm headed home this weekend. 

My mum and step-dad are coming back from Dubai for two weeks and I haven't seen them since early December so that should be nice.

Last weekend, however, I went to Faversham, right after work, to my dad's place.

I've only been there 3 times and only twice on the train after work. 

But I noticed the first time and this time going past a stunning harbour with a crumbling, cobblestoned town.

When we pulled into the station not long after these sights, the sign said 'Rochester'.

And funnily enough that's where my dad suggested we go the following day.

It  was supposed to be such a beautiful, warm weekend, but the weather wasn't all it was meant to be.

I still had a good time though.

We settled in to watch the Olympics on Friday night, my sister arriving a couple of hours after me.

And then on Saturday we headed to Rochester Castle where there happened to be a medieval festival on as well.

It  was definitely an interesting day.

People genuinely dress up in medieval gear and live like they did back then for an entire weekend.

Imagine that?

Medieval stories always fascinate me - Robin Hood, Merlin and Arthur, The Musketeers.

There's just something about sword fighting and men in armour that will capture my attention every time.

Anyways, I'm getting diverted. After wandering around the stalls for a bit (maybe stalls isn't the right word) and catching Pokemon, we decided to stay and see the falconry show.

There were about five birds they showcased - an eagle, two owls, a falcon and a vulture.

They were incredible.

They introduced their different talents: speed, sight, smell, flying.

I enjoyed watching the vulture the most. Apparently they are rubbish flyers, preferring to hop about. It's hilarious.

Another could watch TV from 2 miles away (if it was so inclined), it's eyesight is amazing.

They really are beautiful creatures.

There was a beautiful cathedral nearby but we didn't go in it in the end, just took photos of it.

We didn't go inside the castle either, but there was probably more to see in the grounds anyway.

We finished off the weekend watching The Hobbit, playing countless games of Uno and reading.

It  was such a relaxing weekend, I just wish it didn't go so quick!

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The Silmarillion

By J R R Tolkien. 

Narrated by Martin Shaw.

[The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien's world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part. The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.

Included in the book are several shorter works. 'The Ainulindale' is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. 'The Akallabeth' recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age and 'Of the Rings of Power' tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.]

I've been wanting to read this one for a while now and I had, in fact, started it a long time ago but I just found it quite difficult to get my head around, so I thought listening to it would be a bit easier!

I certainly understood it better, especially as I read a review beforehand saying that you should think of it more as a bible instead of an ongoing story, a bible of how the Tolkien world and specific characters came about.

I thought, overall, it was good, a lot to take in, and interesting to see how everything was created and linked up to the following novels. I must admit, I got confused at times and still had to read a summary guide after each chapter just to make sure I understood what was going on. The narrator had a very soothing voice so I kept missing bits as well, my mind wandering away to other things!

I also tended to get very excited whenever someone I knew was mentioned (i.e. Galadriel, Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron, Aragorn, Frodo, Elrond and even Shelob's ancestor!)

Definitely worth a read if you're interested in knowing a full in-depth backstory. Very descriptive as always and am even more eager to re-read Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit again.



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