The Pleasure of Seeing Where You've Been - and Relishing It All Over Again

That pleasure was last night's viewing of a travelogue visit by DVD to  "Bronte Country," Haworth, Yorkshire, Great Britain.

We have actually been there, while visiting great friends Frank and Anne, who graciously showed us all around the town despite the many times I don't doubt they have already done so for other visitors.  The video relates the family story and is properly rather gory - with lots of the ever-popular mournful Victorian line "he/she died early."  Such was the fate of Mrs. Bronte who bore Irish husband Patrick Bronte six children.  Five girls and one boy.  She lay on her deathbed, moaning, "O my poor children," repeatedly according to first person reports.

Though bearing the town no ill will, the cemetery Patrick had "planted" so to speak, rolled out from high to low and water running downward through it caused cholera nearly killing everyone in town until the cause was properly discovered.

Of especial interest was the Apothecary which has been kept in it's original state (1600-somthing if memory serves)  and is a real delight just to wander around and admire tall wooden cabinets with tiny little drawers one after another.  Today it sells postcards and bath salts and such as that.

What made it of particular interest is the fact that Anne's family owned it for a number of years and ran it as a newsstand and penny candy and such.  After our visit to the apothecary, we crossed Main Street to the Black Bull  Pub, seated ourselves at one of the picnic tables in the patio and basking in the sun enjoyed a libation and a lovely gossip about the ill-fated Brontes.

Yorkshire does have some beautiful if not rather scary sights throughout (pedestrian bridges with no handrails whatsoever)  and the moors make a fetching blanket over the rest of the area.

We enjoyed the memories so much that I now want to go back!  Run!  Anne and Frank!

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