Today's trip was to the highly defensible town of Durham and its cathedral, said by many to be the finest example of Norman, that is Romanesqe, architecture in England and resting place of Saint Cuthbert. We'd been looking forward to climbing the bell tower, which at 280 feet is the highest in Europe, according to the guide. Apparently they also have some beautiful reliquaries and devotional art, not to mention the Saint's lovely shrine. To our dissappointment, all these were closed and visiting hours severely curtailed due to the imminent arrival of Princess Anne. We mere peasants were made to go have a pint on the riverside in the warm sunshine. Durham Brewery's fine cream ale did much to restore our spirits, and we had a lovely time exploring the medieval streets, vennels, and market places.
Then it was on to an evening with Simon and Jill, who took us out to sample a bit of real Newcastle nightlife. Northern Soul is apparently alive and well, as evidenced by the fabulous funk band we heard. We shook our moneymakers until Sam couldn't stand anymore, and walked back to Simon's sweet garret flat for a well-earned rest.
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