Westminster Abbey is the home to tombs of Kings and Queens and some of the country's greatest people yet perhaps the most famous of all the tombs is that of the Unknown Soldier. This simple tomb in the floor of Westminster Abbey symbolise all those who have died fighting for their country and has become a focal point for national remembrance for all most 90 years.
The idea for a tomb to an unknown soldier first came in to being in 1916 when a Church of England clergyman who was serving on the Western Front came across a grave in a French garden dedicated to an unknown British solider. This idea grew to become a potent symbol that is still in use today and has been replicated in countries across the world.
After the end of World War I there were thousands of bodies that were left unidentified leaving families and loved ones without a grave to visit or pay there respects too. The tomb to the Unknown Soldier became something real and tangible that could represent their loss.
The tomb though could not be just an empty symbol it actually need a body of an unknown soldier from the fields of France or Belgium. In order to choose a soldier, servicemen were exhumed from four prominent battle ground, the Somme, Aisne, Arras and Ypres. The bodies were then brought to a chapel on 7th November 1920 where the officer in charge of the troops in France and Flanders, General Wyatt, would choose the Unknown Soldier.
General Wyatt had no idea who the bodies were or where they had come from, they were simply laid out on stretchers before him and covered with the Union Jack. The idea that the soldier could have been a farmers son from Devon or the son of a Duke really caught the publics imagination.
When the body was chosen it was placed in a coffin and sent to England while the other bodies were reburied. When the body reached Boulogne it was placed inside another coffin made of oak from Hampton Court with a plaque which bore the inscription "A British Warrior who fell in the Great War 1914-1918 for King and Country". The coffin also bore a 16th century crusader's sword that was fixed on top.
On 11th November 1920, the second anniversary of the end of the war, the body of the unknown warrior was drawn in a procession through London to the brand new war memorial in Whitehall, the Cenotaph. At the end of the two minute silence the body was taken to Westminster Abbey where it received a guard of honour of 100 Victoria Cross winners. The grave was filled with soil from France and covered with black marble from Belgium. In the first week after the burial 1,250,000 people came to pay their respects and still today almost 90 years later people for across the country and all over the world come here to pay there respects for the men and women who gave so much to their country.
When seeing the sites in Mexico-or sipping a pineapple & rum drink with a little umbrella in it-the last thing you want to do is get sick. Vacations are too short. Anyone who has gotten sick on a vacation will never forget it. They remember it to this day as the awful experience it was. There are many things one can do to stay healthy during a trip and visiting a certified travel clinic is one of them. Mexico is an exciting place to explore, but depending on your itinerary, a travel vaccination may be required.
Mexico's top attractions include Mayan and Aztec pyramids. Although they do not receive the amount of attention that the Egyptian pyramids do, anyone who as ever visited them will tell you just how magical and exciting these places are. There are tons of different tourist packages that allow you to see the ruins of these legendary cultures. Just a little bit of online research and you can be off on a once in a lifetime adventure in the midst of the lush jungle.
In the Yucatan Peninsula region alone there are over twenty different magnificent Mayan sites to visit. Two of our favorites include Chichen Itza and Palenque.
Chichen Itza
This is the most visited Mayan site-and for good reason. The site surrounds the Temple of Kukulkan, a classic step pyramid with stairways up each of the four sides and a temple situated on top. During the autumn and spring equinoxes a shadow is formed in the shape of a feathered serpent on the north staircase. Truly an amazing experience to witness.
Also at Chichen Itza is the Great Ball Court measuring over 490 feet long. It is believed that the losers of this game would have their heads chopped off. On one of the stone panels that line the court, a ball player is decapitated and his blood spurts out forming snakes. At the end of the court is the Temple of the Bearded Man.
Also at this site are the Temple of the Jaguar and the Group of a Thousand Columns.
Palenque
Another premiere Mayan site, Palenque is located in the southern state of Chiapas near Guatemala and includes the famed Temple of Inscriptions. It is believed this temple was built as early as 675 BC and houses one of the longest Mayan hieroglyphic texts in the world. This text records over 180 years of the city's history and many of the mystical rituals that were performed at its height.
This temple includes the Tomb of King Pakal. In fact, it is possible that the Temple of Inscriptions itself was built as a mausoleum for the King. The site also includes the Palace and the Aqueduct, which allowed a portion of the Otulum river to flow freely underneath Palenque's Main Plaza.
Also at this site are the Temple of the Cross and the Temple of the Sun.
Adventure exists everywhere in the wide world. Too many of us are content to sit back and watch television instead of taking risks and seeing some of the world's magical places. As long as one takes all the precautions one can, including visiting a certified travel clinic and receiving a travel vaccination if need be, there's no excuse to let life pass you by.
千葉市緑区 お墓
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