Friday 7 August 2009

Durham


Durham Cathedral

This is where I've been today. How lucky am I?

It's my favourite place on earth, Durham Cathedral. I didn't go in, I just wandered around the riverside. I'll save my trip inside for another day. For today, I took a walk along memory lane.

About twenty five years ago, I used to work in Durham City in the Careers Office on the riverside, overlooking the Cathedral. This was the view! If I was going into a meeting, I made sure I got there early to get a seat facing the window overlooking the Cathedral. Well if I got bored, I could always take in the view! Must have been the best view from any office in the whole of England!

In the summer holidays, a friend and I, when we didn't have to be in school all day, (we were careers advisers), used to take our sandwiches down to the riverbank and sit, relax and take in the view. It was so peaceful and we often saw little water rats running about. Other times we'd walk up to the Cathedral and just sit.

Today it was especially quiet. Hard to believe as you're about two minutes from the shops and traffic and you can't hear anything other than the river.




River Wear looking to Framwellgate Bridge

If you're ever in Durham, just take a walk along the river bank, it's wonderful. It's a bit more overgrown than I remembered, but as you see hardly anyone goes there, even in the middle of the summer holidays. Peace, perfect peace!

Bill Bryson in Notes From a Small Island, wrote about Durham:
"...it's wonderful - a perfect little city - and I kept thinking:"Why did no one tell me about this?"

I knew of course that it had a fine Norman cathedral but I had no idea it was so splendid. I couldn't believe that not once in twenty years had anyone said to me, "You've never been to Durham? Good God, man, you must go at once! Please take my car."

I had read countless travel pieces in Sunday papers about weekends away in York, Canterbury, Norwich, even Lincoln, but I couldn't remember reading a single one about Durham, and when I asked friends about it, I I found hardly any who had ever been there.

So let me say it now, if you have never been to Durham, go at once. Take my car. It's wonderful.
Now I haven't got Bill Bryson's address for you ask to borrow his car, but he's the Chancellor of Durham University, (you can see he really did fall in love with the place) so just address any requests to Durham University, I'm sure they'll find him!

Post 112

Now can anyone tell me why these photos don't enlarge when I've added them in exactly the same way as the ones that do?

Blogger? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Update

Got some information from Abe Lincoln and so I reduced one of the photos to see if that would work. It seems to have done the trick, for now. Thanks Abe. If you haven't seen his fabulous photos already take a look here http://pickapeckofpixels.blogspot.com

14 comments:

  1. What a beautiful scene! I'd go there at once if I could find a cheap way to get across the pond. Maybe I'll swim.

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  2. Oh, and for the record? Haven't spent today as a google hostage, I can honestly say I'm with you on your google sentiments.

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  3. Beautiful photographs indeed.. U r lucky to be work in an office that has such an amazing view...
    My Travelogue

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  4. Winifred... Beautiful pictures if I ever get to England Durham will be on my list of places to visit.

    I can't help you with the picture enlarging I have my problems on and off with Google too. I will ask my daughter when I speak to her, maybe she knows.

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  5. Google was a nightmare in Brookville, Ohio yesterday. All day. I did everything from unplugging the modem to plugging it back in and then to downloading some additional antivirus programs and running them to emptying my cache and deleting all my cookies. Nothing worked. I figured Google was like everything else on the Internet, a bit uncertain at best.

    And I did like this post and these stories about Durham. A beautiful place I suspect. I will not get to see the place in this lifetime. I might choose England as my next home should I get back this way again. Then I will borrow that guy's car and go see the place.

    You can't enlarge what is already enlarged. I suspect your photos are the same size as when they were sent or used for this post.

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  6. I remember being impressed by Durham Cathedral when I first saw it from a train window on my way to Newcastle on Tyne. Each time I did that journey I waited to see the cathedral. Have never actually visited it though. A x

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  7. I enjoyed my tour today of Durham. Thank you for being such a good tour guide.

    I had the same trouble as Abe the other day with my computer. But, not knowing much about computers, I just waited for a few hours and everything was working again. I was afraid I had caught a virus, but thank heaven it was just blogger or google I suppose doing something, I hope to make things better.

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  8. Thanks for the comments.

    The flights are getting cheaper Rudee so who knows!

    Abe I tried what you suggested that my pictures were already large. I reduced them both to the same size. Guess what, one now enlarges and the other doesn't so....

    Anne I have to say that Durham must have the most impressive view from any railway station in the UK, especially at night when the Castle and Cathedral are gently lit. No sidings or scrap heaps there! Whenever I travel by train I have to look at that fantastic view as the train pulls into Durham station, then I know I'm home.

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  9. Shucks. I thought that might solve your problem. Maybe it is something else. I think if you keep doing it that the thing will work for most pictures.

    I think the one doesn't because it is already full size when posted.

    Thank you very much for visiting my Pick a Peck of Pixels blog and for the comment you left me there.
    Pick a Peck of Pixels
    Brookville Daily Photo

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  10. I would love to see inside the Cathedral, I hope when you go inside next you'll take some photos?

    Gill in Canada

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  11. I am with Gill...I can't wait to see the inside photos. It sounds and looks like a beautiful place. Google needs to hire some helpers that can help us bloggers!

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  12. What a delightful place to ramble on an English summer's day...you are so lucky !
    Being a history buff, I love any architecture, especially the Norman era. Hope to see the inside of the cathedral when you return.
    If you use the drag and drop feature to move your pictures around in your posting, it breaks the code, for allowing double click enlarging...just a thought.
    Lovely post Winifred, i can just imagine sitting by the river bank, eating a cheese butty ;)

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  13. Hiya Winifred
    I@ve just found you via "That British Woman" that sounds awful dosn't it hehe

    Anyway I keep nattering my other half to take me to Durham as he's only up the A1 on the outskirts of Newcastle.

    I need to get there and NOW after seeing your lovely photo's

    Feel free to have a nosey at my 2 blogs xx

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