Leith

Leith is the port for Edinburgh. There is a stream called the Waters of Leith which runs for 16 miles from its source into what used to be the harbour – atmospheric old buildings along the waterfront – now nice restaurants with upmarket apartments. The Waters of Leith pass quite close by where I am staying – about 2/3 way from source to mouth – and there is a path that follows the water ( mostly – except when the path is closed) I walked to Leith this morning. It was very pleasant – I could have been miles from anywhere rather than not far from the centre of Edinburgh. There is a new building – the Ocean Terminal where the Brittania is now. The terminal is a huge shopping mall – just like any other but without the people and noise. It was a bit eerie.

Having been to the Titanic exhibition I thought I should look at the Brittania – I wanted to anyhow, but the first thing I did was to have morning tea ( coffee and scone) in the swish Royal Deck Tea Room.. As I approached Leith I was thinking about where to have morning tea. The Ocean Terminal is about 1 km from the old harbour but I wandered around the old harbour for a while so I was getting quite ready for a drink and a sit down. I knew the Tea Room would not be cheap, but I am getting better at saying – what is a few pounds, it will be a nice experience – and it was.

Fortified by coffee and scone I went around listening to the audio tour. I was surprised at how many of the things came from the previous boat. The boat is used for fancy corporate events and the state dining room was all set. The formal room was nice – not over the top. The tour took you to the officers mess, different cabins for the different ranks, Lizzie and Phil’s – separate- cabins., the laundry, all over. I enjoyed myself. Lots of interesting tit bits about life on a boat with royals.

By that stage it was after 1 so I went back to 1 of the places that I saw at the old harbour. It was the sister place of the seafood restaurant I went to the other day. I had some delicious fish soup – same as the previous day ( soup comes in 2 sizes) and some fish cakes ( also come in 2 sizes) . So by having the small of both I could have a nice meal without paying a fortune that was enough for a main meal. For the second time I have seen on a drinks menu at a restaurant desert wine described as pudding wine. I could have had a glass of Monbazilla pudding wine for ₤8. Sounds funny – very fancy name and then ‘pudding’ . If there is chardonnay on the ‘wine by the glass’ menu it always comes from Australia. Sauvigon blanc and chenic blanc usually come from South Africa , rarely Australia. But then again I have not eaten in the top restaurants.

I caught the bus back here and have had the rest of the afternoon off.

Scottish food day of unnecessary unwanted walking

Today was another day of changed plans. Firstly I woke up at 8.30. I lay in bed for a while in amazement – I never, ever sleep past 7.30 and rarely past 7. Was my watch wrong? I was stiffer than I have been for a while, so thought – as little as possible walking - not what I had thought of doing. After breakfast I set off for Charlotte Square – what the books say is the nicest part of the New Town ( Edinburgh started as the Old town – on a ridge with a wall on 1 side and a marshy swamp in the valley. In the mid 1700’s they got someone to design the New Town on the other side of the swamp – rows and rows of Georgian townhouses wth some bits of garden scattered around. Then it spread a bit more – I am staying in Stockbridge which has similar rows and rows of Georgian townhouses) Back to this morning – I was almost at my destination when I discovered I had left my wallet in the flat. Walk there and back – only option – unnecessary walking. The square would have been nice if it wasnot filled with white tents – a book fair. The house I had gone to see was a National trust house and, I thought, very well done. Each room was decorated with furniture and fittings as it would have been for it’s first owner in 1800. There was a double sided A4 sheet of info in each room and a volunteer in each room to answer questions. Some random bits of info – in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s they used to put all the food for all the courses on the table at once, so you could eat your pudding before your peas. The ends of table knives were rounded because it was quite permissible to eat from your knife. There was a chamber pot under neath the sideboard in the dining room for the men to use after the ladies had departed. In Scotland it was (is?) traditional for the bestman to give the bride and groom a chamber pot with a traditional verse written on it. I donot know what the verse says. It was traditionally filled with money and salt – for health , wealthy and , therefore, happiness. In 1 of the rooms they showed a video they had made with actors in the house dressed in the period . It was a day in the life of the family and their servants – using the furniture . It put the whole house into perspective.

I then went to find a shop to buy another shirt like the one I bought in Manchester. I had written down where it was – but it wasn’t. More unnecessary walking – up and down the street a few times before I asked someone. They are getting the right size from Glasgow. Hopefully it will arrive before Saturday.

The guys in Rohan ( the outdoor travel shop) had told me of a few pubs that had OK food nearby. I went to one and had haggis, neeps and tatties. The haggies was OK – bit like savoury very fine mince , the tatties were mashed potatoes and neeps were cubes of steamed turnips. Once was enough – for the same price I could have had salmon. At least it wasn’t as bad as the horrible liver I had in Venice.

Next I went to St Giles, the main church in Edinburgh where John Knox preached. There were heaps of people all around it – part of the fringe festival – and I had to walk a long way round – more extra walking. There was a huge modern organ, installed in 1992. I cannot remember ever seeing anything like it. Then I went to look at another NT property , Gladestones Land. . In 1617 a Thomas Gadstone bought this tenement house and made additions to it. A few of the rooms were furnished as they would have been and a few a bit later. Interesting to compare them with the rooms of the first house 1800 that I saw.

Next I wanted to catch a bus to Cramond a village ( suburb of Edinburgh) on the water NW of Edinburgh. I looked around for a bus stop, could not see one ( they are not very far apart) so set off down the road till I found one. When the bus came I found that there was a stop just the other side of where I was when I started to look ( more unnecessary walking)

Cramond was pleasant. It was about a 5 , maybe 10 minute walk from the bus stop to he waterfront where the coffee shop was packed. There were boats and many people out for a day’s stroll along the waterfront. There were some buildings a bit away and I thought – maybe a less crowded coffee shop, but no – more unnecessary walking. I had a coffee and wandered back and went into the church that I past. The tower dates back to the 15th century. It reminded me a bit of the PLC chapel – lots of plain pane lled wood.

Bus home, then I thought I would go to the pub and have a whiskey. I went to the pub I had been to but it was packed, so I went out . I thought – the wool shop is just up this street, I’ll go there and get the pattern I want – but it must have been on of my other routes into town ( m u walking) I walked back past the pub to a pub nearer where I am staying. It was only half full ( 5 pm Monday). A very helpful girl younger than my daughters suggested I try the ‘malt of the moment’ ie the special of the day. I sat and sipped and wrote a few postcards for a while. It was Miltonduff from Speyside. Less peaty than some i.e. less smokey which I think I prefer, going on the more peaty one I tried in the shop on Saturday. It cost ₤2.50 ( compare with ₤1.2 for a bus ride, between ₤1.5 and ₤2.2 for a cappuccino, ₤3.5 for a glass of wine at a pub, ₤4.5 for a nicer glass in a restaurant) . The other people in the pub were all locals, seemed to know each other, 1 couple brought their own nibblies, nice atmosphere. Not pretentious.

Then I thought I had eaten bread and cheese and hummous and tomatoes and lettuce for 2 nights I would go to the shop around the corner to buy some nice ready made salad. Which I did but I forgot that it was by then 6pm and the shop was shut – m u w!

Some dark ( it was about to snow) photos

Holyrood Palace

ruins of Holyrood Abbey attached to side of Palace

ruined archways

Castle from Princes Street

Edinburgh Sunday

This morning I planned to go Holyrood Palace ( Lizzie’s home when she visits Edinburgh for 1 week to host a garden party and give out some gongs each year. It is used for other things – the Pope is visiting in a few weeks and he will stay there) first, then walk up the hill behind to Arthur’s Seat. I took a while to get going , stopped on the way for a map of bus routes, looked in a few shop windows and before I got there it was morning tea time. No one told me that Edinburgh weather is as notorious as Melbourne for changing rapidly. At 10.30 I was hot in my shirt but by 11, waiting in the forecourt of the palace for a guided tour of the Abbey ruins to start, the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees. I had bought in Manchester a new zippered jacket that squashes up into a tiny ball and is quite warm but it was not enough. The tour was interesting. Maybe a theme of photos this trip will be arches – but there has to be more than 1 arch in the photo. Then I went through the palace. Mary queen of Scots lived there for 5 years and various other kings and queens spent time there. I get confused with the kings – eg. There is a James who is know as James 2 to the English but James 7 to the Scots. It was opulent but I was not really in the mood. I had a quick walk around the beautiful gardens. The thing that I found most striking was how close it was to this rugged outcrop of grass and rock. I was way too cold to walk on an exposed windy hillside so decided to walk quickly back to my flat to get some more clothes. Beside which it was about 12.30

I passed a seafood restaurant that I had read about on the way so thought ‘why not?’ It was nice and quite reasonably priced. Then I changed my plans again and went to the National Gallery of Scotland. The sun was trying to appear, it did not look like snow like the Scottish tour guide thought earlier. The ground floor rooms have been made to look like they would have in the 1840’s. Pictures are hung close together on dark red walls, often one above the other. There are statues and other fancy things around. I quite liked looking at the Scottish art section. There were paintings of the rugged parts of Scotland and of some of the people I had heard about in Holyrood Palace. Then I did hurry back to my little flat

Arriving Edinburgh

This morning I had breakfast with an ex Australain lady, also staying at the b and b, who now lives in London. Her daughter is in the choral course that sang at Evensong on Thusday night. Consequently I was a bit rushed leaving and left my power point adapter behind. Luckily this place has one and I won’t need it when I leave. The proprietor in Durham thought I was mad carrying a pack but there were 98 steps ( I counted) to go up to get to the station plus some steep path before and after.. Carrying a case would be more difficult and no, I have not heard of taxis. Maybe when I am old.

I booked my seat on the train as soon as the seats became available and it was one of the worst in the carriage. I need to find out more about how the system works before I do that again. It was a window, as requested, but there was a big panel obstructing ¾ of my view. All the other window seats were either taken or reserved from the next stop. There were a few vacant seats supposedly reserved for disabled . Another lady, much younger than me was sitting in the one on the right hand side of the train – the best side because the train goes along the coast for part of the way. A window looking left was better than none. If she was ‘disabled’ I was more so.

There were quite a few steps to get from the train to the street. There must be a formula – If walking 5 km on the flat is worth 1 icecream, then walking 5km carrying 12kg on the flat is worth how many icecreams ? Also, If going up 100 steps is worth 1 piece of chocolate, how many pieces of chocolate is going up 100 steps carrying 12kg?

I found my way to this lovely flat in Stockbridge. It is bright and airy, small kitchen area off lounge with a view of a nice little fenced off garden , part of a larger green bit between this row of buildings and the row behind. Nice bedroom and small bathroom. The owner / manager ? was here as arranged and I left my bag and she gave me a key. I found the nearby pub that she said had better than average pub food, wasn’t too loud and nice staff.

After dawdling over lunch I wandered off in the direction of the tourist bureau but first just had to go into a wool shop that had displayed in the window the vest I have just made my daughter. I told the lady in the shop. After a little more conversation she said that they send a lot of wool mail order to Australia and she could not understand it “You have lots of sheep” she said. I told her that whereas we might have 5 ranges within a brand she had 7 or 8 and she had far more colours in some of the ranges. She also had some Italian wool I have never seen.

I then went into Jenners, an old department store I had been told about - sort of like ???? in London with the open central area and wooden decorated railings and stairs or lifts, no escalators. Somehow or other I found I was in the food area and went past a guy offering tastes of whiskey. At lunch I had been reading some of the stuff I had on Edinburgh and I had read about whiskey. There was no one else there so when he started to talk to me, I thought why not? I told him I had not drunk Scotch for about 20years and then not much but I had just arrived in Edinburgh and thought I should try some. He talked to me for ages , explaining all sorts of things and occasionally, because some of what I had read had stayed in, I was able to make an intelligent remark. He knew from the start that there was no way I was buying. His cheapest was on special at 51 GBP

There was a huge queue at the tourist info place. It is poorly designed because there was just one queue for people wanting accomodation ( most of them judging by the luggage), tour bookings and just a little info, like me. I did not join the queue. There are very many people around – the last week of the festival. Hopefully many are just here for the weekend.

A few almost good photos

Durham, Friday

Because the castle is a uni residential college, you can only visit it on a tour, which I did this morning. We were first taken to the kitchen – an interesting mix. The brickwork over what was the fireplace is Norman – old and dark -but the space where there would have been fires now houses shiny stainless steel stoves. We went past some of the old residential room- they had 2 doors. If you were not in or in and did not want to be disturbed you closed both doors, if you were in and interuptable, you closed the inner door but left the outer door open. What is wrong with a sign? We were shown the chapel that is currently used, complete with working organ, and an old stone chapel in the Norman part that has recently been reconsecrated. All sorts of other things by a young guide with a good sense of humour.

Yesterday, some of the time, I knew it was Thursday, because I remember carefully looking at the Cathedral list to see if evensong was said or sung that day ( York is not sung every day) but some of the time I thought it was Wednesday. When I was planning what to do, I read the opening times of an interesting looking Tudor house and gardens. I remember thinking – yes , today is Wednesday so it is open tomorrow. Trouble is, today is Friday and the place, when I got there after a pleasant walk was closed. Back into town and I found a nice place to watch the river and rest of the world go past.

I walked around the loop of river and took some photos. I have never particularly noticed reflections of the sky in water before. Today the blue of the sky looked bluer in the water than the sky. See photos of this and other reflections.

I learnt more things at lunch. Coley is a type of cod-like fish and clapshot is a mash of carrot and swede. The butter was almost white. Cars with disabled stickers could be parked in the taxi rank opposite.

I wandered around the cathedral again and took some photos of the cloisters.

Durham, very potted history

Once again, I need to get this clear in my head so I may as well write it here. No guarantees of accuracy.

St Cuthbert was a good guy – hermit, priest, abbot living at Lindisfarne , an island NE of here ( except there are some reports that he was opposed to women being anywhere other than in the kitchen) . He died in 687AD and told his monks not to leave his body if they had to leave the island.

The Vikings arrived in 875 so the monks set off carrying his body, which, as the story goes, had not decomposed. They stopped here and there for 140 years or so until they, or rather their replacements, came to Durham. The monks were a secular group – i.e. they had wives. Anyway , in 1093, a Bishop William de St Carileph laid the foundation stone of a the cathedral.

Separately, in 1072 William the Conqueror stayed in Durham on his journey north to Scotland and thought it would be good to build a castle .It remained uncaptured in the next 400 years of border warfare. Different people added different bits over the years. So it started life as a fort but quickly became the castle home of the Prince Bishops. If a king did not have enough representatives in an area he would make the Bishop a Prince Bishop so that he, the Prince Bishop that is, could raise an army and mint coins etc. . In 1837, William de Mildert ( William was a popular name) , the last Prince Bishop, gave the castle to the university which he helped establish 5 years before that and it is still a residential part of University College, the most prestigious of the colleges at Durham uni.

Durham Thursday

The train trip here was uneventful. Before I got onto the train I took the time ( about 1 minute!) to pack away the harness on my pack. Once again the luggage space at the end of the compartment was full but I fairly easily was able to put the pack into the overhead rack. Just as well it only weighed 12kg.

To get to the B and B I had booked I walked through part of the old town. I only saw Italian or Indian restaurants. The proprietor said – that’s about all there is , to cater for all the uni students. He did tell me of the only 2 , in his opinion, reasonable ‘modern British’ restaurants, 1 of which I went to after wandering around and finding times of cathedral access, castle tours etc. I think the price of goat’s cheese compared to ordinary cheese must be less than in Australia. For the second time I had a dish which included a huge slab of goats cheese. Yummy. I sat and planned my day and a half here.

I had seen river cruises advertised and went to look at the times – one started in 10 minutes so I went on it. It was really pleasant, lots of anecdotes, folklore, and other information. A very spur-of-the-moment decision for me. The river Wear winds around, forming a loop and it is in this loop that the cathedral and castle are built . There were parts of the cruise where it felt like you were miles from anywhere. I then had a cup of tea in one of the traditional tea rooms in a vennel – or narrow winding passage way/ path.

I went to evensong in the cathedral. There was a visiting choir – students from all over the country in Durham for a week long choral course. They ranged in ages from about 15 to mid 20’s I guess. I enjoyed it – wonderful sense of history. People have worshipped there for 1000 years. I then did a silly thing – one of the old buildings near the cathedral had a restaurant. The room was light and airy but the food was less than average.

Durham

Arrived. It's very hilly.

More photos of York

Skeldergate Bridge

Bootham Bar

Walls with Minster in background

Recreated Victorian street

Antler carver in Viking village

York, Wednesday

Before breakfast I went to get some money from an ATM ( sorry, cashpoint). I was sure the bank was in a different place yesterday. I know I am no older than the last time I travelled on my own, so the only other explanation that I can think of is that I am loosing the plot. After breakfast I went to the Viking centre – an interesting museum. You go into an area with a clear floor and through the glass you can see the outlines of a real Viking village. There is stuff around the walls. Then you go in a capsule thing that runs on rails suspended from the roof through a recreated village. There is an excellent commentary. Sometimes the ‘people’ doing things in the village ‘speak’ in old Norse. After that there is another exhibition area with some people dressed in the period clothes doing things. There was also a display on ‘Are you a Viking?’ and the most prominent trait written about was Dupytrons Contracture. There were diagrams and the guy looking next to me said ‘I hope I am not a Viking’. Needless to say I showed him my hand and said I was. Several other people heard and came and looked. I should have asked for a discount on my admission!

I then found a nice local tea shop for my morning coffee – not another tourist in sight.

Fairfax House is a Georgian building that I had read about but decided against visiting except I passed the building and a sign said there was an exhibition of Georgian clothes – so I went in. The house ( previously bought by Mr Fairfax for his daughter) had been restored accurately ( according to the blurb – I wouldnot know) and Mr Terry’s (another chocolate man) huge collection of Georgian furniture is though out the house. There are also models wearing clothes worn by 18th century rich people. What stood out for me was the beautiful embroidery on the men’s jackets. Many had exquisite matching buttons.

I walked round more of the walls, went to a pub for a sandwich and this time left some of the cheese, and walked the final part of the walls. I went on an hour’s cruise up and down the river. The commentary was interesting – those bits I could understand. The commentator had a broad accent and not very good microphone.

I went to the nice nearby restaurant for dinner ( cafe 8, gillygate if you are ever in York) and had some North Atlantic cod with potatoes, a bit of fennel, a few mussels and some other vegies. It was delicious. Someone had told me that this area is noted for its rhubarb. They had ‘rhubarb and custard pavlova’ on the desert menu so I thought I should have it. Pavlova and custard won’t be too rich, I thought. Wrong. It was delicious but rich. It also came with housemade rhubarb rich icecream,. Hope I sleep OK.

York, Tuesday

After breakfast – just cereal and fruit , nothing fatty today – I walked to the other corner of the old town in the rain to the York Castle Museum. I enjoyed myself here. There were several rooms set up as they would have been e.g a family living room ( i.e. 1 room for sleeping cooking, everything, animals in rest of house) of rural Yorkshire in 1850’s, a dining room of a prosperous family in the 17th century, a drawing room in a Georgian home of about 1780 and a few more recent and scarily recognizable. There was a whole Victorian street of shops, some selling things eg toys of the era and sweets of the era. There was a large section devoted to the 60’s and a whole prison area which I skipped over – we, in Australia, are made all to aware of the fairly minor misdemeanours that people committed before being sent to the far away penal settlement. There were some interesting displays of what soldiers wore in the 17th century and what life was like during WWII in Yorkshire.

I wanted a coffee but thought I could do better than the fairly sterile, modern atmosphere of the Museum café. I walked to the river, still raining, and found a pub with a good view but indifferent coffee. Previously I had bought a pamphlet ( the tourist bureau gives away pamphlets of commercial establishments, but ones put together by visityork.org cost 60p) on York’s Georgian Riverside Trail. I also bought 1 about the buildings near the Minster and one on the old walls. Anyway, the walk goes SW along the river from where I was for about 1 ½ to 2 km along 1 side of the river and then back again on the other side. York is on the Ouse River and the Fosse joins it soon after I started the walk. The walk was specifically created in the 1730’s in a deliberate attempt to raise York’s status as a leading Georgian social centre. There is a lovely row of big old elm(?) trees. I crossed the river on the modern Millennium bridge ( its design is based on a bicycle) and returned on the other side of the bank past a large Edwardian park provided for the city by a local, Mr Rowntree of chocolate fame. It now has a large area of jumps for skateboards. It was raining intermittently all morning, but always when I wanted to take a photo.

I walked back along the section of the old wall to the south of the river., stopping at one of the bars ( gates that were built to prevent people coming in i.e. barring people) to go to a local large pub for lunch. They had a flat bread thing with hummous and roast vegies – it is hard to get something light that has no meat, no cheese and is not fried. Their large menu included a ranking of white wines from 1 to 4 ( 1 the driest and 4 the sweetest) and a ranking of A to D for their reds( A lightest and D full bodied). I have seen Americano under the types of coffee available many times . They described it as a ‘posh name for black coffee’

On my list of things to do that I compiled several days ago was a trip to Betty’s - a coffee shop since 1919. Every time I have walked past it has had a queue out the door. I am told this is normal. Also on my list is to have a cream tea ( tea, 2 sultana scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream) . I have seen cream teas at many places significantly cheaper than Betty’s. I was at my most indecisive this afternoon. I walked past Betty’s - yes, no – several times, walked past ‘little betty’s several times – yes, no . Finally I thought ‘how stupid’ and queued up at Betty’s. The couple behind me in the queue were a lovely Scottish couple and we talked for the 25 minutes it took for me to get to the head of the queue. I had a coffee and a speciality of Betty’s a Fat Rascal, described as a large fruity scone with citrus peel, almonds and cherries. I smirked to myself when it came – it was a fancy rockcake. Now, my mother’s name is Betty and rockcakes were what she made every 3 months or so. She very rarely made biscuits and probably made a cake for birthdays but I cannot remember. I do remember the rock cakes. I never asked her, but guess that she thought they were a good option – half way between a biscuit and a cake, and quick. It was a nice place though and I got a good window seat.

After I came back to the b and b I went out to sit in the garden. There was another guest there and we got talking. She and her husband had also been to the castle museum but they both thought the prison section was the best. She did not know what little things got punished.

Unfortunately my favourite restaurant was full so I went to a pub nearby and had a very average salmon and vegie dish for dinner.

York Minster

The Shambles

Great Budworth


Inside church at Appleton Torn, wedding venue

Minster Close , Monday

Today I have spent most of my time in the Minster and buildings close by and related.
Firstly, after a good nights sleep, I went for a walk. I solved the previous day’s problem of the crowded shambles ( cobbled old street with little old shops) and people everywhere. At 7am, the only other people I saw for 40 minutes or so were a few delivery people and a few locals going to work. The rain might have helped! Breakfast here doesnot start till 8am. Apart from some nice berries, it was unremarkable.

I spent a while at the Post Office – I sent home my clothes that I wore to the wedding. Soon after I arrived at the Minster a guided tour started which I joined. It was free, took 1 1/2 hours and the guide we had was excellent. . He told us about the history, all sorts of funny anecdotes about various people, its more recent history etc etc.
According to him, the nave was not used for services in Medieval and later times – it was used for community events. Now, each January, they clear the chairs out, have all sorts of things including line dancing and at the end of the month have a huge rock concert that over 2000 kids go to. One of the chapels has a display of the current work of the stone masons. After the tour I wandered around on my own and took some photos.

In the afternoon I went , on principle – it is a National Trust building and I could get in for free – to the Treasures House. For many centuries this was the home of the Treasurer of the York Minster. It was bought in 1897 by a wealthy local Frank Green. He created different period rooms for his antique collection of furniture. Every 10 years or so he shifted walls, redecorated, moved furniture. There were many very opulent rooms, but it was a bit disjointed.

Right next to the Minster is another church, St Michael le Belfrey. It was built in the 1500’s for the ordinary people. At that time, only the well-to-do people of York could go to the Minster.. There is a very well cared for collection of buildings nearby that is now the very exclusive school for the young choristors at the Minster. There is also a very old building called St Michaels – dark timber beams, white in between, overhanging 2nd story etc. It housed the Chantry priests - employed to chant. They were ‘certainly no angels’ according to 1 pamphlet.

After afternoon tea I wandered around the Minsters crypt, undercroft and treasury (collection of mainly cups for communion wine arranged roughly chronologically) .You wernt around on a path that showed you different layers of foundations in the exposed rocks. At 1 point you could see the base of the present nave wall on top of a Norman buttress.

I sat quite happily for ½ hour in the Minster then went to evensong. It was sung, but it is school holidays so no local young choristers but a visiting choir. Then my local nice restaurant for dinner.

PS The group of combined Yorkshire churches also have a ‘ride and stride’ day.

York History and assorted odds and ends

Began as fortress built in AD 71 by the Roman 9th legion
Grew into important Roman city called Eboracum
Constantine the Great proclaimed Emperor of Rome in York in 306
Saxons in charge about 400AD
Vikings 866 AD for brief but flourishing. Name York derived from Viking name Jorvik
Normans made city vital centre of gov, commerce and religion
Plantaganet kings – important city
1485 Tudor age began. York at its height.
Georgian buildings added.
Coming of railway marked new era of growth

Minster = centre of Christian teaching and ministering
Cathedral = contains Archbishop’s chair or cathedra
Thus York is both but someone (who?) has made decision that minster has prominence. (rather nice I think)

Romans built a basilica
Normans built a church on roughly the same place.
About 1220 present minster started - built around previous church
1472 minster finished
Biggest gothic building in Northern Europe
Largest collection of Medieval stained glass in world

Manchester to York, Sunday

As I was walking to the main Manchester station I realised several things. I cannot get used to the pedestrian crossings in Manchester which donot have ‘Walk / Don’t Walk’ signs on the opposite light posts – just a green sign on the panel that has the button you push. Maybe it has more to do with the fact I still have not had a proper sleep!. I also have to be more careful twisting sideways with a pack on. Several times my knees have objected.

Getting onto the train to York was a bit of a challenge. It came in from London, people got off, people got on, it moved off, all in rapid succession. The luggage racks at the end of the carriage were overflowing, people were trying to find either their seat if they had a reservation like me or a seat that was not reserved if they did not. Initially there seemed to be more people than seats in the carriage I was in. Someone was sitting in my seat. She got up to move, with her luggage. The aisle was very narrow . Luckily there was an empty seat next to mine so I could manoever my pack off without hitting too many people. I had to squeeze it into the overhead rack. Someone helped me. Then I had to deal with the fact that I had no option other than to spend 1 ½ hours going backwards, which I hate. Maybe I donot like going backwards because you have much less control if you are going backwards – you cannot see what is coming and plan for it. Hmmm. It certainly is harder to take photograghs.

I walked from the station to the b and b I had booked. She gave me a key but it was too early to check in so I left my pack and went to a nearby café for lunch. I thought I might as well have something with yorkshire pudding. That’s now crossed off the list. I won’t be rushing to try it again. The rest of the dish was nice – chicken. I got talking to a couple at the next table who had been to Australia and were quite familiar with the political had told them this place was the best to eat in York. There were lots of people all around. I walked through the centre and through the Shambles but dodging other people became unpleasant, so I went into a nice wool shop and looked at patterns for a break from people.

The b and b seems quite pleasant. My room is a single – not because of the bed size but because there is so little space in the rest of the room. The modern uprades have been done sparingly, e.g. the basin is in it’s original position and the new, tiny e/s is on the other side of the room – loo and shower only, there is no room for a basin. A large person would have great difficulty in using the e/s. There is a nice garden which I was already to go and sit in and do these last 3 days posts when I remembered that I have no battery. I sat in the garden and read the large pile of tourist literature for York .

I kept my eye open today for a supermarket but did not see one so after fiddle faddling around walking past where I went for lunch twice looking at one pub then going to look at another, then going back to the first only to find their kitchen closed ½ hour before, I did what I should have done in the first place and went to where I had lunch. The soup was good. Here’s hoping I have a proper sleep tonight.

Great Budworth

On Saturday I decided to get out of Manchester and do something different. I had been recommended Great Budworth. It was a bit tricky to get to – the train took almost an hour past fairly boring minor industrial stuff. I did see a large canal boat building yard. Then I had a half hour wait so wandered around the large Tesco’s near the bus stop. About the only thing different about the magazines was that the price was in ₤s. There was a café, a loo, and a machine into which you could put your coins and get a credit note for Tesco’s. The bus wandered around some suburbs and dropped me on a road and I walked into this little village that is quite quaint. The houses are , apparently, typical Cheshire houses and most open directly onto the street. Most had window boxes with colourful flowers. 2 postmen on foot said hullo, several locals said hullo. There was a large group of men wearing vests with ‘Community Pay Back’ written on them working in the grounds of the large church. Several of them passed me and they all said hullo.
I have decided it is just Londoners on public transport who keep to themselves. I wandered around and through the village. On the outskirts I saw an elaborately constructed sign pointing to an “Ice Cream Farm and Tea Room”. I wonder what method of farming is used to gather the ice creams? I found a signposted path that seemed to go round the edge of the village that was good.

Then I went back to the centre of town and went into the large parish church of St Mary’s and All Saints. Parts of it were built in the 14th century, the rest late 15th mainly. I had 2 hours to spend in the town because of the infrequent buses on a Saturday so sat down and listened to someone playing the organ. He looked quite old from the back, but when he tottered out I saw that he was very very old. There was nothing wrong with his fingers – it was good music. According to the pamphlet the organ is a ‘rare and fine example of the work of Samuel Renn’. There was also a children’s play area separated from the rest of the church by a nicely carved low timber wall. Inside there were toys – but the biggest was a large Noah’s Ark with lots of animals. There is a active group of combined churches in Cheshire that have all sorts of activities , eg a ‘ride and stride’ day, an agricultural chaplaincy, a second hand Christian book stall . The pub ( the only source of a drink on a Sunday in the town) still had not opened so I found a local to talk to. The return bus was late and I only just made the train I wanted to catch with the aid of a very undignified dash through Tesco’s car park.

Assorted members of the wedding gathering were meeting for a late lunch and I was just back in time.

Shopping Manchester and wedding , Friday

I bought a new travelling shirt. I have decided that 2 of my 3 shirts that I travel in really should have been pensioned off last trip, not brought on this trip. This new one looks OK but is a bit uncomfortable, I have found, when carrying a pack. I was told a ₤20 note I tried to use was no longer in circulation. Apparently only a few months ago they became illegal tender. The first bank I went to told me they could only pay the ₤20 into an English bank account, but the second gave me a good ₤20 note. I wandered around the canals and locks of Deansgate.

The bride had arranged for a bus to take wedding guests from Deansgate to Appleton Thorn, a village W of Manchester where the groom grew up and they were getting married. It was an old red double decker bus – a great way to start. We were due to leave at 1.30 for a 3pm wedding. The drive usually takes about 30min by car. We left at 1.40 and after a while heard that there was a ¾ hour delay on the M6 . I was sitting near the groom and his family and heard all the phone calls. They chose a different route , but so had many other people who were due to travel on the M6 that day! The groom did a very good job of keeping his cool. The father of the bride was also on the bus. He was supposed to walk with the bride from the groom’s home ( where she, but not the groom, had spent the night) to the church but she set off without him. When the bus reached the bride, someone threw a jacket over the groom’s head, the father of the bride lept off to continue walking with his daughter , the bus rocketed on along the narrow lanes and we all got to the church at 3.05, were quickly hearded in and the wedding got under way a few minutes later when the bride arrived.

The bride is a very resourceful young lady. She had found a Chinese web site where you choose a dress style, send them your measurements and back comes , in this case, a beautiful dress for ₤80. It was a small Church of England church and the wedding liturgy was very similar to the Anglican wedding service. The bride and groom said the Lord’s Prayer together, without the congregation, which I havenot seen done before.

Everyone, including the bride and groom, returned to Manchester on the bus. The reception was held at a piano bar in the Deansgate canal redeveloped area. I had been there with them when I visited them last year. The food was delicious. My dress was OK but I was tired. I havenot yet had a proper sleep. I have never been particularly affected by jet lag flying west before, but this time has been bad. It is the first time I have left Sydney at night. Maybe there is a connection.

Manchester Thursday

An English friend of the bride and groom’s parents is staying with me. We had a very slow start this morning – a lot of talking discovering many common interests. We wandered through the streets to the Manchester Art Gallery. We started at the top and spent quite a while in the Gallery of Craft and Design – some lovely classic pieces, some very peculiar modern things, some very peculiar pieces made from very old things. I learnt about quaichs ( pronounced quake) – shallow 2 handles Scottish drinking cups – mainly used for ceremonial occasions. I had to leave in order to get to lunch with other family members high up in the Uris building. This modern, glass building appears to be triangular. The food was good. I enjoyed my beetroot salad ( including a type of pale green beetroot) and fish pie. I pottered back in the late afternoon, stopping in a few shops and am off to bed early today. My cold of last week seems to be over.

Dubai airport and Manchester arrival

I had never been through Dubai before and got my daily ration of exercise wandering around following signs to the appropriate departure gate! I passed the usual collection of airport glittery, sparkly shops selling glittery, sparkly things and then more of them. On and on they went. There were indoor ponds and indoor palm trees, people of all races, in all manor of garb. John would not have been out of place in his caftan ( except his was bright and all the ones I saw were white). It was 5.30 am local time. I found a table and chair in an out of the way place looking over part of the airport with a row of tall buildings in the distance. The sun was rising, trying to emerge through a smoggy gloom. I spent €4.50 on a coffee – the most I have ever spent- and it wasnot very nice. Serve me right. The paper towel dispenser in the loo automatically dispensed 1 sheet if you waved your hand under it, but 1 sheet was not enough if you were dripping.

On the flight from Dubai to Manchester I saw a full page ad in a newspaper for a particular brand of microwave. The words said “Enjoy the spirit of Ramadan with .. .. brand. I suppose if you have less time to cook a microwave is helpful. On both the Emirate flights I flew on the overhead lugger storage locker was called a ‘hatrack’. Quaint.

I caught the train from Manchester airport into the city. I sat in a chair and put my pack on the chair facing me. A blind(ish) lady got on the train at the stop after the airport. She looked in my direction and asked if the chair next to the pack was free. I said ‘yes, but my pack is there. It does not bite, though.’ As I said it I thought ‘Woops, this is England, you do not talk, and certainly not in a joking way, to strangers on a train.” She was in her mid 40’s and did not follow this rule. We chattered about this and that, I told her that I was going to Manchester for a wedding and then a few other places before Italy. She was going to a meeting in Liverpool for work. It came up that I had been in London last year. Just before we got to my stop, somehow her blindness came up in the conversation and I said that my mother used to Braille Maths text books. Quick as a flash she replied “ Ah, but I am talking to you – an interesting , adventurous lady” . Hmmm.

I walked to the place where I was supposed to collect my key. It was an office place – sold envelopes, arranged parcel collection and sending, had a few computers, photocopiers etc,. The man did not have my keys. He rang both numbers I had of the owners of the apartments who I had been emailing and left 2 messages. It really was not his problem at all. He was very helpful. I left my pack with him and went to the sandwich place nearby he recommended and by the time I got back he had got onto the owners and had my keys.

After a shower I walked around and did a few jobs – collected pre-bought train tickets for onward journeys, bought an English Sim card , some breakfast provisions etc. The evening was most enjoyable, except I was very tired, meeting some family members of the father of the bride and other rellies.

Manchester

I have arrived at Deansgate apartment. All went ( fairly) smoothly. More details later after a shower - vital to my well being and anyone I greet - and finding other rellies.