Quick Explanation
I’m excited to share about this trip which took place months ago because it seems so long now since I posted a travel blog. With everything that had happened in the past month, finding that inspiration to post on my blog again was a bit of a struggle. Adjusting to working here in the UK is one of the reasons. But mostly, it was the passing of my father and other personal issues I was dealing with that made it so hard.
It was so overwhelming if I should be completely honest here. The good thing is this ever-constant ‘time’ in the world that truly works miracles. With time, all the doubt, hurt, and pain gradually fade away. So here I am, writing this today because I miss my blog tremendously. I miss having that desire to write just about anything, even uninteresting and boring stuff here in my space. Not sure if anyone reads it but it makes me happy. So here goes.
One day, just out of the blue, my friends and I agreed to go on a day trip together to Norwich from town. It was our day off which means ‘exploring’ and ‘travel’ day. We didn’t have specific plans though. We didn’t do any research on destinations we would go to or things we would do there. Just that, we want to be out of town, to have a break after stressful days of working hard in the hospital.
Sometimes in life, we only need to have that short distance or separation away from our job or even towards other people in order to take that much-needed break. So then when we return, we feel energized again, ready to face everything once more. That was how this trip meant for me.
Norwich
Norwich is a city in Norfolk county. From the map of the UK below, Norwich is where the red mark is.
From the town where I am staying, it would take 1 hour and 45 minutes by bus to get to Norwich. We took the bus in the morning to get an early start and planned to go home in the afternoon.
What was so funny was that it was only when we get to Norwich bus station that we googled where we would go next. I find it very spontaneous of us, so cool.
Anyway, after a few minutes of discussion, we agreed on heading straight to the city center to hunt for food first. Then after a quick break, we headed to Norwich Cathedral.
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is one of the 12 heritage sites according to Wikipedia. It was begun in 1096 and was completed in 1145. In other words, it is a pretty old church. And the fact that it is still up and open to the public today is what makes it so special.
Once inside, I was in awe of the architectural design and its history. There are still services held inside but it is open for visits to the public regardless of religion as part of British history.
When I was younger, a relative once told me that whenever I get a chance inside a church for the very first time, I should make a wish. She said there is a big possibility it will come true. Not sure if it is a superstitious belief but until now, I always practice it. So, inside this church, I took a moment to pray and made a wish. Looking back, remembering what I wished for, I think my wish is slowly coming true.
River Wensum
After visiting the church, we walked for a while reaching River Wensum. We saw wild swans and ducks relaxing there. I am sorry for interrupting them by taking their pictures.
It is not too long until we continued our walk.
Because of the perfect weather that day, many people were also out in the park with their family or friends. It is only here in the UK that I learn to appreciate the sunny weather more being that I was from a tropical country. Can’t say that I fully understand it because I haven’t experienced winter in this country yet. However, I absolutely agree with them- when the weather is nice, one should go out and have fun while it lasts.
Cow Tower
Along the same path, we also reached the Cow tower. This tower was built in 1398-9 and was intended to house guns and a garrison of gunners to defend the approach to the city across the River Wensum.
This is inside the tower. I wonder what it was like back in those years or what people were doing back then. It must be very different from today though.
Crepes Day
I have never eaten that many crepes in a day while we were in Norwich. We ordered three different types of crepes then shared them among ourselves. They tasted very delicious, very sweet. The first was this strawberry one, the other was with Nutella on it.
It’s always good to try new stuff especially food from time to time. After that day, I would always relate Norwich with crepes.
Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle was founded by William the Conqueror between 1066 and 1075 because he wished to have a fortified place in Norwich.
The first thing I noticed about it is that it is situated on top of a hill which was maybe a strategy back in the day. At present though, there are ongoing renovations to the castle. The museum and art gallery are located inside. The admission price for adults was lowered to 6.70 GBP whereas a child’s price is 6.20 GBP. More information about the museum and art gallery is on this link.
This museum is my first ever museum experience in England. I can say that it was quite an enlightening experience getting to know more about the country, its history, and culture. Even as small as getting introduced to the different animals such as the local birds are quite amazing to learn.
We planned this trip without expectations. All we ever thought we were going to do was walk for hours then stop for food if we get hungry. It turned out to be so much more fun. Therefore, sometimes, not planning and being spontaneous is a much better way when traveling.
I appreciated that you keep writing on your blog even though you are busy at work and dealing with family affairs.
Your travel posts are mostly what I looked forward to because I want to travel in Europe someday. It’s amazing how you can take public transportation and go to different places without driving a car. We can’t do that in Canada. At one point, you have to drive a car to get to places.
And also we don’t have castles here. I love nature but I would like to learn also about history through architectures like castles and churches.
Till your next travel post. Stay safe and enjoy the journey.