Learning the Meaning of Park

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It’s amazing what an early night can do for one’s state of mind. I was up with the birds this morning. I treated myself to a room service pot of coffee and made my way through two dozen emails and updating the blog.

I love keeping the blog, but it has completely changed the way I record my memories. I have kept a paper journal since I was nine. Now, I only use the paper journal to paste in the scrapbook elements of my life (I do tend to hang on to tickets and such like) and to write about things that I do not necessarily want out on the Internet. As such, I am spending much more time on my laptop when I travel than with my paper diary. I tried lugging the laptop around one day - that was a mistake! Too heavy and I panicked when it began to rain. So, now the paper diary is also the place that I make notes for the blog. Interesting how we all keep evolving with the times!

I also treated myself to a massage this morning. This one was quite something. My masseuse (this little bit of a girl) found every knot in my neck and shoulders and managed to grind them out of me. Literally - at one point, she was using her elbow! When the hour was up, she told me that I should seriously think about having a massage more regularly. Gee, wouldn’t that be too bad. I’m hoping, however, that once everything is settled at work, my stress levels go down to an acceptable level. Or, I could just take her advice!

I actually had so much energy when the massage was finished that I had trouble lying still at all. So, I gave up. A quick shower and a pack and I checked out of the hotel. Not quite ready for the tourism to start, I found a wonderful coffee shop right across from the cathedral. I ordered a latte and sat in the cathedral grounds for about half an hour watching the world go by. The funniest thing occurred to me as I sat there - women and their shoes. I have decided that women wear footwear in the equivalent of a bell curve. When they are children, they wear comfortable, flat shoes. As they begin to grow older, the heels begin to appear until they reach CFM height. This lasts for about a decade, at which point, the heels begin to regress. By the time women are “of a certain age”, they are back to comfortable, flat shoes. I watched this for twenty minutes this morning. I did not see a single, older woman in anything but flat shoes. I decided it was because women come to their senses and want to be able to actually walk from place to place without killing themselves. Me? I’ve always avoided heels like the plague. I’m not very girly, I’m afraid. If I could, I would live my life in bare feet. Since I can’t, I get by as often as possible in flip flops and Keds.

After the coffee and my rambling thoughts on footwear, I went into the cathedral. What joy! An audio guide. Be still my heart, but it is going to be a good day. This one was fantastic and just the right amount of information. One titbit absolutely made my day. Herr Handel had just written his “Messiah” and was trying to get to Dublin to have it performed. He was going to sail from Chester, but the winds were not with him, so he was forced to hole up in a tavern in town. He walked over the cathedral and asked the choirmaster if his singers could read music on sight. Told that indeed they could, Handel asked that they all be rounded up and sent over to the tavern. It was there that the Messiah went from being notes of a piece of paper to being sung aloud. Oh how I hope that in one of my former lives I was a serving wench at that inn. Imagine what the others must have thought. I’m sure it ranged from “this is music from heaven” to “get that bum out of here so I can enjoy my pint in peace”.

From the cathedral, I wandered down to The Church of St. John the Baptist. Founded by the Saxons in 689, there has been a Christian church on that spot ever since. In fact, the Normans built it into the cathedral, but when the bigger one was started during the Middle Ages, it became a college. After the reformation, the powers that be decided that one large church was enough, so rather than tear it down and start again, they built a wall about half way through it and let the other half fall into ruin. As a result, on one side there is a beautiful church (completely rebuilt by the Victorians) and on the other side is these wonderful ruins. It is really a sight to see.

The ruins are used by school children to hang out in. While I was there, four girls (probably around 15 years old) were sitting on an ancient wall smoking and sharing a bottle of wine. It made me smile. Here is a wall that is over 1,000 years old and here are four young girls misbehaving - behaviour that is easily over 1,000 years old.

I was heading back to the hotel when I saw a sign for boat trips. Hmmm... That sounds like fun. Let’s go check it out. They were cruises up and down the Dee, so I figured why not. The next one was not leaving for 45 minutes which gave me enough time for a muffin and a bottle of water. I know, not the most nutricious lunch, but the other things on offer were just too gross to consider. I’m always a bit wary of places in shacks selling burgers and hot dogs. I can think of better ways to spend my time than recovering from food poisoning.

The boat cruise was fun. I always enjoy seeing the houses and hearing the history of the places that have been built up around the town. One of the houses is built on the foundation of an old Roman villa. Wow - that would certainly be an interesting fact to tell one’s guests. The other fact I liked is that the river is very shallow. As a result, back in the day when people were required to pay tolls to cross the river, the poorer folk would wait for low tide and then walk themselves and their animals across the river, thus avoiding the toll. The town fathers didn’t much like this, but they couldn’t stop it as the river was too long to patrol at all points. Fabulous!

Sadly, it was now time to bid farewell to Chester and get myself to Leeds - the next stop in this adventure. Luckily, the trains were running on time, but they were so full that I had to stand for part of the journey. Lots of people heading off for the weekend, I guess. Arrived safely in Leeds, a town I have never been to. I’m afraid to say that it is not the most beautiful place I have ever seen, although I think pretty much anything would pale in comparison to Chester. Leeds is very industrial and, only recently, has begun to understand the power of the tourist’s money. There are not a lot of things to do here; in fact, I picked up a brochure called “Leeds. Live It. Love It”. Not an auspicious beginning! The highlight? The town park. Oh well, I am here for a wedding and some rest.

Good thing, too. I am staying at a hotel called Thorpe Park. Now, when one hears “Park” in England, one thinks of a manor home surrounded by gardens, a river and walks in the countryside. Oh no - I am in Leeds. In this case, “Park” means industrial park. I kid you not. I am about 15 minutes outside the city in an industrial park of which IBM is my next door neighbour. Luckily, the hotel is gorgeous and has a spa. I will not be venturing too far afield! I did smile on my way out here. Sitting in the taxi, I was looking around and marvelling at the hideousness of all the buildings. All of a sudden, a road sign caught my eye - The North was all it said. Here’s hoping that people driving here know whether the town they are looking for is north or south!

Although not in the most beautiful part of the world, the staff at this hotel are extraordinary. Each of them has been friendly without being fawning and they go out of their way to ensure that one has everything one needs. The computers were down when I arrived, so they couldn't properly check me in. Not to worry, they gave me a room key and, when everything was up and running again, the clerk at the desk came to find me with all the paperwork. I think little touches like that make or break a hotel.

With very little to distract me in the sense of wanting to be out in the town, I had an early meal and an early night. Luckily, the food was quite good as I will need to eat here again on Sunday!

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Photos

Chester Cathedral
The interior.

Chester Cathedral
The quire. These carvings date back to the Middle Ages.

Chester Cathedral
The gardens.

St John the Baptist
The interior.

St John the Baptist
The exterior.

St John the Baptist
The ruins.

River Cruise
The house built on the foundation of the Roman villa.

Chester Pub
The best pub sign I have ever seen.