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| Lubiaz Abbey |
I really wasn't sure where, but fortunately Maciej was. He loves driving and as we were heading out of the city we were remembering our hard core drive across Europe in the eighties in Triple Action's clapped out but sturdy warhorse - the blue Mercedes.
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| A bit like this one - but blue and longer |
Only the other day I was talking to a dear friend about this very subject - which I have to admit still slightly taxes my sensibility around the hard won equality for women, and an adult life of avowed leftism! But then there is chivalry - and I must admit to rather liking it in men and women. Its like theatre in its form or a dance of courtesy and consideration and of course has its roots in the archetype of the Knight:
"A knight should be bold, fair, courteous and well-mannered, generous and loyal, not foolish or rash, and should speak fairly without discourtesy. A knight should be all this, and also proud and fierce to his enemies, and kind to his friends."
-Durmart
And of course the problem for us is that notions of knights on white horses riding in and rescuing forlorn damsels is one that we as women have worked hard to debunk! My guess too though is that it remains just a little bit there in a secret corner for even the most diehard of us! I am expecting some strong reactions to this! I haven't defected sisters - honest! (We could just substitute the word Knight for person in the above quote - couldn't we?)
Manners Maketh the Man
This was a phrase coined by William of Wykeham (1320-1404) and is the Motto of Winchester College and New College, Oxford - he believed that
'It is by politeness, etiquette and charity that society is saved from falling into a heap of savagery.'
I have to agree, but I struggle with some contemporary British associations that this brings with it - the sense of entitlement and class - as if by definition manners are the sole domain of the ruling classes.
'It is by politeness, etiquette and charity that society is saved from falling into a heap of savagery.'
I have to agree, but I struggle with some contemporary British associations that this brings with it - the sense of entitlement and class - as if by definition manners are the sole domain of the ruling classes.
This of course is a huge insult to the rest of us and the whole thing needs demystifying and uncoupling from class. Good manners are just that - good manners - considering the other, giving credit and acknowledgement for achievements, showing genuine interest and care, saying thank you and much more. I hope I taught my kids well enough that when they get a gift they write a thank you letter, that they open a door for someone older or offer up a seat on a tube and they show interest in others. There's myriad things that we have recently called 'little acts of kindness' which in my book are really just good manners.
So the castle was great - the Polish Fish and chips were..... well ....Polish. The stop by with Ewa and Krystof was lovely too - I was shattered and they had no problem with organising a blanket and a pillow so I could take a short nap - kindness you see. I had a great day Thanks for opening the door when we got back to the flat Machku- sorry I got my foot stuck in it!
1 comment:
Interesting comments about knights and chivalry. Arguably the best known knight of all time is Sir Lancelot (or Launcelot). Admittedly I haven’t read the stories since I was a teenager many years ago, but I seem to recall that Lancelot was famous for seducing King Arthur’s wife, Guinevere, when the King was away at a battle. This turned all the knights against each other and led to the destruction of the Round Table, the end of Camelot and the death of Arthur. The stories themselves are based on French fables and were translated into English by a disgraced nobleman during his prison sentence, which sort of says it all really.
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