Saturday, March 20

We spent today in St. Albans, where the original John Cass of our family is supposedly from. It was the Roman city Verulamium, and they have a terrific museum here of Roman life in Britain. It's been raining off and on since about noon yesterday, so not an altogether beautiful day for sightseeing, but it is England after all! Today was market day, and the main street in town was filled with stalls offering everything from vegetables, meat, and baked goods to bolts of fabric, foam core, soap, and various bric a brac. Even with the intermittent drizzle the good people of St. Albans were out in force shopping. We went to the Museum of St. Albans, which is mostly about time after the Romans, to the Cathedral - where we heard a fantastic rehearsal for a concert of Handel's "Solomon," which was being performed this evening, and then back to the Verulamium Museum. Finally, we took a bus back to our hotel - the Quality Hotel on London Road. This isn't the place we had planned to stay, but it's where we ended up when our B&B host had to go out of town suddenly. And, actually, Peter doesn't like B&Bs at all, so he is much happier here. The hotel is a bit over a mile outside the city center, but it's on a bus route, so yesterday we took the bus home from the city, and today we took the bus both ways.

We're just about all packed up for our return journey tomorrow. Our flight is due to depart Heathrow about 1:15 or so; we'll have time for breakfast, drive to Heathrow, leave the car and check in for the flight. We're supposed to land at MSP about 6:15 in the evening.

Cromer, Norfolk, on the North Sea, Day 2

Today was a terrific day. After breakfast at the hotel (pretty okay, better coffee as they used a French press), we drove west along the coast to the Cley nature preserve, where we walked out into the salt marshes to look for birds. We went first to a series of small thatched huts (called hides here, we might call them blinds in the US) in the middle of marshes, and saw a good variety of water birds - lapwings, coots, many different ducks and geese, bitterns, curlews, and even a marsh harrier (a kind of hawk). Plus several others that I haven’t identified yet. We then walked out along the footpath along a dike out to the beach on the North Sea. The beach was a totally pebble beach - most of the pebbles were flint! See photo of a tourist on that beach. We continued along the beach to the east end of the nature preserve and back along another dike to the nature center. Someone (not me) was very, very hungry, so we had lunch at the small cafe there. It was pretty cool, as we ate our lunch at a counter overlooking the marsh. After that we went a bit further west to Wells-next-the-Sea, which is a much less depressed and depressing than Cromer. It’s pretty upscale actually, combining both a working harbour (pleasure craft and small fisherman) and shops that cater primarily to tourism - from ice cream parlours and fish & chips shops to arts & crafts and summer clothes shops. We may stay here again when we come back to Norfolk.

Now we’re back at our hotel for a brief stop, and soon we’ll go into Cromer for supper. I especially want to stop and look at the sign that Peter discovered this morning, about one of the towns that disappeared under the sea a few centuries ago.

North Coast of Norfolk day 2

romer, Norfolk, on the North Sea, Day 2

Today was a terrific day. After breakfast at the hotel (pretty okay, better coffee as they used a French press), we drove west along the coast to the Cley nature preserve, where we walked out into the salt marshes to look for birds. We went first to a series of small thatched huts (called hides here, we might call them blinds in the US) in the middle of marshes, and saw a good variety of water birds - lapwings, coots, many different ducks and geese, bitterns, curlews, and even a marsh harrier (a kind of hawk). Plus several others that I haven’t identified yet. We then walked out along the footpath along a dike out to the beach on the North Sea. The beach was a totally pebble beach - most of the pebbles were flint! See photo of a tourist on that beach. We continued along the beach to the east end of the nature preserve and back along another dike to the nature center. Someone (not me) was very, very hungry, so we had lunch at the small cafe there. It was pretty cool, as we ate our lunch at a counter overlooking the marsh. After that we went a bit further west to Wells-next-the-Sea, which is a much less depressed and depressing than Cromer. It’s pretty upscale actually, combining both a working harbour (pleasure craft and small fisherman) and shops that cater primarily to tourism - from ice cream parlours and fish & chips shops to arts & crafts and summer clothes shops. We may stay here again when we come back to Norfolk.

Now we’re back at our hotel for a brief stop, and soon we’ll go into Cromer for supper. I especially want to stop and look at the sign that Peter discovered this morning, about one of the towns that disappeared under the sea a few centuries ago.

North Coast of Norfolk

Cromer, Norfolk, on the North Sea

Left Lincoln about 10 this morning, heading east towards the North Sea. Of course, the expert right-hand drive driver was at the wheel. A few problems with the Navigator...had us going the wrong way a couple of times, fortunately on the correct side of the road. We drove across miles and miles of flat fenland in Lincolnshire - just flat open country without trees for as far as you could see. Actually it was former fenland, as the land was drained in the Late Middle Ages (and, of course, the drainage ditches still function), but is is still very flat. If the fields in this area were ever bordered by hedgerows, they aren’t anymore. I recall that on a previous visit to England our friend J.D.Hill told us that in most of the agricultural land in England the hedgerows have been torn out so they can use the big tractors of factory farms in the U.S. Eventually we got to King’s Lynn and turned north on a small highway toward the little town of Hunstanton, where we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant right on the edge of the Wash. (Check your map.)

What surprised me the most was the fact that dogs were allowed in the restaurant - there were several there, all of them were quiet, but they ranged in age from a large English beagle to one the size of a Leonberger. After lunch we walked along the waterfront and watched a kitesurfer trying to get his kite to take off. After leaving Hunstanton the road got much, much smaller - several of the roads in the little towns were so small that in places that cars are parked along them, the roads only allow one car to pass by. Eventually we passed by the town of Wells-next-the-Sea, where we stayed 2 years ago, and got to the Cley marshes, where there is a beautiful bird sanctuary. We stopped there briefly, at Peter’s suggestion, and were able to buy a small pair of binoculars (despite owning 2 good pair, we didn’t bring either with us). Tomorrow we’re going back to Cley for a long walk along the boardwalks through the marshes. (Two years ago in Cley I first saw a lapwing.) Eventually we go here to Cromer - we’re staying at a charming, old-fashioned hotel, the Cliftonville Hotel, with a fantastic view of the North Sea. We walked about 7 minutes into the village of Cromer, which seems a little rundown at this time of year, but still very quaint, and went to the Museum (what else?). It’s a sweet little museum, not very big, but well laid out. Then we walked around the town again (having done so 2 years ago), found the Information Centre (which was closed, of course), and then picked up a few things at the grocery store and came back to the hotel. We’ve been enjoying watching ships passing by (using my great new binoculars), drinking our pre-dinner drink, and preparing for tomorrow’s adventures.

More about our day in Lincoln

After our tour of the castle (and sadly, the gift shop closed at 3:15, ten minutes before I got back to it!) we decided to walk down The Steep Hill to the medieval and modern city below, So, down we went. It really is step - pictures just can't do it justice. Down at the bottom we walked along the River Witham (see photo of a tourist looking at a map), which is very narrow - rather more like the canal between the Altmuhl and the Danube in Kelheim. Then we went to Marks and Spencer and bought stuff for supper - tonight was a hotel room supper - bread, cheese, herring/aka mackeral, M&S salads, beer, wine, and cookies. Actually, it's rather nice not to have to go to a restaurant, and to relax with my shoes off! Here are a couple more pictures - Lincoln High Street at dusk, Myself carrying supper bags at the bottom of The Steep Hill, and some views taken toward the Cathedral from the walk up The Steep Hill. Now we're in our hotel, watching telly (Himself is watching a program about sight on BBC1), and I'm getting ready to knit. Tomorrow morning we're off to Cromer on the Norfolk coast - on the North Sea - a straight shot to the North Pole!

A day in Lincoln - Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Tuesday morning, March 16. Our hotel offers the usual English breakfast plus Continental buffet. As many of you will recall, the traditional English breakfast includes eggs, toast, bacon or sausages, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and tea or coffee. Plus, of course, jams and marmalade. The Continental buffet includes various cold cereals, fresh (or stewed) fruit, juices, croissants, and sometimes Danish pastries. This hotel also includes porridge and Scottish kippers. Delicious, but all a bit much for me, as I usually just have my coffee, juice, and my Ancient Grains cereal with milk. Today, however, jet lag finally caught up with me. After breakfast I felt so tired and had that kind of "dizzy, if I don't go to bed I'm going to fall down" feeling that comes with jet lag, so I went back to bed, and Peter went out to walk for miles around the city. Actually, he went for a walk and then to The Collection. Eventually, I woke up and we went to the Cathedral - which is utterly gorgeous and amazing. What is particularly impressive to me, is the sheer immense size of the building, plus the fact that it fell down at least twice because of earthquakes, burned once, the central tower fell down, and the roof burned - and every time it was rebuilt BIGGER and more impressive than before. What dedication people must have had to pour their resources into it. We have booklets that we bought, but you can also find much information and many pictures online. After lunch and a break for tea and coffee, we walked around in the Castle - first built in the late 11th century, just after the Conquest (1066) by William the Conqueror. Not much remains of that early building, but it was fascinating to climb up onto the castle walls, and walk around looking at the city far below.

Arrived in Lincoln

We arrived in Lincoln in time to check into the Castle Hotel and walk around the upper part of the city - where the cathedral and the castle are located. It is also the part of the city where the Roman forum was located. In fact, part of the north wall of the forum is just behind our hotel. A cautionary note - I picked the hotel because of the location, including the beautiful views. I requested a "standard" double, without thinking that perhaps I should check about the view. So, we are up 4 flights of stairs (again, no lift, but Himself is very sweet about carrying my superheavysuitcase up and down the stairs), which is okay, BUT there is no view, unless you count looking through 2 skylights up at the clouds a view. Which I don't. In the future, I won't go cheap and save $15 (yes $15 not even L15) - I'll pay a bit more and get some view at least! The hotel is is a great location - I love this old part of the city - and it is so close to the cathedral and the castle. Some people I know could probably throw baseballs and hit them both!!
We walked down The Steep Hill (actually the name of a street) to the museum (called The Collection here), which was a little disappointing for my friend, but the shop was really nice! However, I didn't buy anything at the time because I thought I'd be coming back in the morning. Then we meandered back up The Steep Hill and discovered a cute little restaurant called Brown's, that actually had several reasonable-looking vegetarian items on the menu. After a preliminary look at Lincoln Cathedral - absolutely breathtaking - we repaired to our hotel for a cuppa (tea for me, coffee for my friend), and eventually ventured out again in the dusk to Brown's for supper. My choice for supper was a chicken and leek pie with a puff pastry crust - the crust was more than 3 inches high and melted away to almost nothing at all (yes, I know, that's because it was entirely butter with a little flour). It was delicious. Regretably and probably predictably, my friend's choice, a vegetable Wellington (assorted vegetables pureed with chestnuts and baked in a lattice-work of dough) was less than distinctive. Of course, what did I expect? The side dish of fresh vegetables (a mildly vinegered red cabbage, steamed parsnips, and carrots) was delicious, as were the roasted potatoes served with the main course. At least MINE were delicious. My friend's were less delicious, although they looked just like mine. I didn't taste the ones on my friend's plate.

By auto in England

We left Shrewsbury in the morning, bound for the Birmingham Airport to pick up a rental car. All went smoothly, and a tourist was glad of his heavy winter coat, because althought it was a sunny day, the temperature was in the high 30's and there was a light wind blowing. We picked up our Ford Escort at the airport, and with me at the wheel (a tourist insists that I drive, as I have much more experience driving in a right-hand drive car - experience gained more than 40 years ago in New Zealand!). At the first roundabout as we were leaving Birmingham Airport, I was challenged by an old lady driving a large stationwagon with left-hand drive, coming at me on the wrong side of the road! I adroitly manuevered around her without serious incident, and we continued our pleasant drive, via the M6, the M42, M1, and the A46 to the outskirts of Lincoln. Fortunately, there were no other challenging incidents of a vehicular nature.

Darwin Shopping Center

Of course, before leaving Shrewsbury, we had to visit the Darwin Shopping Centre! Shrewsbury was the place where Darwin was born and educated - at the Shrewsbury School, where a couple of centuries later Michael Palin went to school! (There isn't a shopping mall named after Palin yet.) Actually the facade, pictured here, is quite lovely, but the idea ...well, a shopping center named after Charles Darwin...!

Before finding Starbucks - Gargoyls!

Can you find the gargoyle? On a street near Shrewsbury High Street, just before discovering the local Starbucks! Also notice how the house behind me is leaning to the left. I always love the old houses in England that look as though they are about to slide off their base. By this time we had walked for a really long time along the River Severn and up into the town. It was chilly and a bit windy, but not really too cold, and NO RAIN! Yes! That was very nice.

Drapers' Lane - a typical street view in Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury meander

A picture of most of The Dingle from a small waterfall at the eastern end.

Sunshine in Shropshire

Shrewsbury, Shropshire - Sunshine, crocuses, and a tourist in The Dingle.

We arrived in Shrewsbury late Saturday afternoon, after a pleasantly uneventful flight from MSP to LRH. Pleasantly uneventful, though Himself did flirt a bit with the pretty stewardess! When we landed at Heathrow the sun was shining - a first in my experience! We took the express train into London's Paddington Station, then a doubledecker (no we didn't go up on top) to Euston Station, where we had lunch. Then we got our train up to Birmingham and changed there for a little local to Shrewsbury. We walked about half a mile or so, straight uphill and down, to our little hotel, the Stanford House Hotel, checked in and then went out for supper. The hotel was a bit like the one we stayed in Tiverton in Devon (Chris & Nick you may remember that). Our room was at the top of the hotel, but the bed was great -- soft with great linens. Very welcome after a night of brokens airplane sleep. The only problem was dinner - we went to a Bangladeshi restaurant, and a) I absent mindedly ordered chicken pakora for starters (I thought I ordered vegetable pakora, but I must have been tired out-of-my-mind); and 2) when Himself ordered tandoori mix with vegetable sauce I didn't stop him. I had looked at that on the menu and thought, "Oh no, that has meat I bet." But when he ordered it I was mindlessly distracted. I'll let you imagine the problem when our meals arrived. ...!! Breakfast Sunday morning was quite ordinary - except the coffee was yäk! (That's Finnish for really gross, disgustingly yucky.) I had a Starbucks later in the morning to make up for it.

However, the morning was sunny, though cool - maybe about 40F. We started out about 9 walking along the River Severn. Lots of ducks and some swans. Lovely! We got to an area called "The Quarry" and another called "The Dingle." The Quarry wasn't very interesting, just grass covering where stone used to be quarried. But, the Dingle was cool. It was a large garden surrounded by a wall and hedges, with a pond and brooks. The grass was full of gorgeous crocuses - mostly purple, but also yellow and white. In the picture above, the tourist is standing in front of a small lawn full of crocuses.