Blogs from Norfolk, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 3

Sunshine and a clear calendar induced me to amble over to Houghton Hall in the western part of Norfolk County. I had seen the home featured on several history programs, and was eager to walk the estate myself. A grand Palladian pile, Houghton was built in 1722 by Sir Robert Walpole, England’s first “Prime” Minister (”the first among equals”). He achieved this singular feat by gaining the trust of German-born George I, primarily by being the only official with whom the king could communicate (they used Latin!) An avid acquirer, extravagrant host and Trumpesque show off, Walpole filled the house with sumptuous furnishings and fabrics, precious objets d’art, and more than 400 Old Masters paintings - including works by Van Dyck, Poussin, Holbein, Rubens, Rembrandt and Velázquez. However, he and his heirs were notorious for ostentatious ... read more

Silver Lining Dept.: being ill was actually a great gift; it got me out of tourist mode and into ”residence” sooner than I might have otherwise done. I am inhabiting this space and place, not merely perching here. I shop, I cook, I wash up. I watch TV (WAY too many vet and animal rescue shows!), I do laundry, iron, clean house, nap, read, water plants and sit in the sun watching the cat prowl the garden. If I can my dial my judgey mind back a few notches (“You SHOULD be maximizing this opportunity - go to the coast! Get over to xxxx!), I’m quite happy going with the flow. When traffic is bad, I go someplace else, even stay home. After all, I LIVE here, and can pick a better day, a better time. ... read more

Gradually expanding my automotive comfort zone, on Sunday I puttered over to the small town of Wymondham (“Wind’um”) and poked around in the early hours (great light, scant traffic.) And the next day, it took me two circuits of only three of the four freeway interchange roundabouts to reach the Thickthorn Park and Ride to take a bus into the vaunted Norwich, capital of Norfolk County (and once capital of England!) Locals take the bus because parking is such a trial (just as I do in Portland). It costs about $5 “return” (round trip), which is what one would pay to park, and the ride is much more pleasant. Happy to say, Norwich does not disappoint! It’s a great little city (pop. 250K) with a rich past; a market town that became a cathedral city a ... read more

After cooking my first breakfast (traditIonal English tomato and egg, accompanied by some tasty rhubarb bread that Christina made for me...yum!), my big accomplishment today was driving the narrow twisting country lanes (and navigating three BUSY roundabouts each way) to get groceries. Whew! No animals were harmed in the filming of this epic (two mile) journey; in fact there’s no photo evidence at all... If I get another good night’s sleep, tomorrow I might be able to face the single-lane, humped bridge in Bawburgh, or the single-lane TUNNEL on the alternate road to drive into Norwich (where, apparently, there is no parking to be found...?) With practice (and deep breathing), think I can handle the left-hand driving pretty well. It’s getting into the correct side of the car to drive that I need to master. I’ve ... read more

Friday and Saturday The music festival goes on for another week in Buxton but we only had the first week so we packed up for our penultimate drive across the Derbyshire peak district to Kings Lynn. Today was the only time we have seen any rain for the entire 5 weeks. Kings Lynn is a very old seaport on the Great Ouse river. It was at one stage one of the Hanseatic trading ports and still has a lot of buildings from that era. In fact it reminded us somewhat of Gdansk (The old Danzig). We went on a walking tour of the old city with a volunteer organised by the local tourist bureau. We had intended to drive down the Norfolk coast but it is the end of our trip and we opted for a ... read more