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Published: January 15th 2007
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Bahrain Airport
Bahrain Airport and my plane. Looks to be a very interesting place. I arrived in Norwich at about 10pm Thursday night after a gruelling flight and five hour bus trip from Heathrow. It was rather daunting arriving in a place at night time in the cold and trying to find my room but I managed somehow. The place was empty as everyone was still on holidays so when I woke the next morning there were no neighbours to meet yet.
Had an orientation on the Friday which was ok following which I spent far too much money on things at the uni convenience store. At the time I could not have cared less as all I wanted to do was have a shower and eat and I hadnt done either for at least a day.
My accomodation (I live in Larch House in the University Village) is set in a rather beautiful spot. I have a ten minute walk over to campus but on the way I can see bulbs coming up along the road so the walk should be just gorgeous in spring. Across the road from the Village is a park where people bring their dogs to run which leads down to a beautiful river that is swollen at
Across the Park
Part of the walk from my place to the campus the moment. Its such a beautiful spot.
On Saturday I caught the 25 bus into town for a tour of the city. After getting off the bus at the Castle I got lost on my way down to the Marketplace and Cityhall but managed to find my way and met the group. By some twist of fate I was lucky enough to be in the same group as Georgina who does Development at Newcastle Uni so she introduced my to Meagan from Melbourne, Chris from Ohio and Adam from Jersey.
The tour was great, showing the quirks and details of this amazing city. It is really a very beautiful place with such deep and rich history it is sometimes difficult to fathom.
The age of things here are remarkable compared to Australia. The Cathedral was built after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and completed in about 1090 and it is absolutly stunning. All of the rock was transported from France as the local rock was not good enough. The local rock (flintstone) is remarkable in itself and gives the buildings a very unique appearance, it is very beautiful.
The city of Norwich is contained within the
original city walls and also spills out beyond this. The guide told us that the medieval map of Norwich could still be used to navigate the streets today and he wasn't wrong either. There are twisty alleys and cobble stones and hibernating trees and the cold river that snakes its way around the city intersected by ornate bridges. The river once allowed Viking invaders to storm the city and only stopped being a port during the 1960s.
Looking through the Cathedral was quite reverential due to the sheer enormity of the building. We weren't permitted to take photos inside without purchasing a three quid licence and we are students after all so I apologise for the absence of those photos.
The graves of knights surround the inside and the tablets on the floor inform you of the passing of a notable figure some 500 years previously. They will be sadly missed.
After freezing ourelves on the tour we decided to have lunch in a old crypt from the only remaining Friory that survived the tyranny of Henry VII. We had a cheap and warm lunch and my first foray into British cuisine was splendid , how can you
go wrong with Sausages and Mash? If all English sausages are as good as the ones I had then I can't wait to eat more as they were fantastic sausages. Better than the ones from Coles I can tell you that!
Tonight we go out for Adams 21st for dinner to a traditional English pub which should be great, we saw one near the river which we will endevour to find again which looked cheap and very cosy for a winters night.
Tomorrow I start classes with my first being in an old house in the park. My 'lecture theatre' is in the old library with ancient looking law books covering the walls and the windows revealing the gardens and park outside. A very inspiring place to learn.
The weather is not as cold as I expected although it is a brisk walk from my place to the campus and by the time I arrive I feel as though my nose and lips are about to snap off. The sun came out for the whole day yesterday which was simply glorious.
It is supposed to snow this week so if it does, needless to say you will
be getting tonnes of photos. It should be stunning.
So this is my first installment from England, hopefully there are many more to come from other places and from Norwich so you can get to know this city as I do. I think it is sad that alot of tourists don't get to see this city due to its obscurity yet maybe the untouched nature of it helps with its charm, it is obscenely quaint at times.
Hope everyone is well and happy and not suffering too much from the Australian heat, I know I'm not!
Love em
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Grahame
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It's great to hear from you
Thanks for the blog entry Em, it was great. It is lovely hearing about what you're seeing and doing. Try and include photos of you if you can. love. Dad