Sunday in Durham

On Sunday, Jamie, Rob, Alissa and I took the train to Durham. The train was around 5 pounds round trip, and took about 15 min each way. I think Durham is only about 15 miles away from Newcastle. So we left around 10:30 and got to Durham around 11am. Jamie had discovered a place online in Durham called Crook Hall. It has gardens and an old medieval house. So we went there first.

Crook Hall was AWESOME! On Sundays, they have free apple and pear picking (subject to availability of course) so we got a bag full of apples and pears from the gardens. They also started a maze made from some type of bush, that is only about waist high right now. There were many different gardens, including a secret garden, Shakespeare garden, a moat and an orchard. We walked around, taking hundreds (literally) of pictures and just being so awed by the place. It was truly magical. We then wandered to the house, which is said to be haunted. There are different aspects to the house. Apparently the original house was built in the medieval period, but was of course changed and added to through the years. However, there are a couple of rooms and places that still remain true to various time periods.

Once in the house, we went to the area where they serve tea. There is an indoor seating area, and an outdoor one. We chose to sit outside. Crook Hall is known for their cream tea, which is a homemade scone with cream and jam, and tea of course. They also serve other goodies as well. The four of us chose the Afternoon Tea, which consisted of a toastie, cream tea and a cake or muffin. I had cheese on toast (grilled cheese), a scone and a blueberry muffin. The toastie was awesome, since I am sure they used some kind of delicious English cheese, maybe cheddar. I then ate my scone, which was the most amazing scone I have ever had. It was fresh and the addition of cream and jam made it truly spectacular. The tea was also delicious. I saved my muffin for later, since I knew that even if it was good, it wouldn't compare to my scone, plus I was stuffed. We then ventured through the other parts of the garden on the other side of the house. Did I mention, that at one point, I found snails in the garden? I was very excited, and even found a couple empty shells! The moat was really more like a pond. But it did have fish in it, and a couple little fountains, so that was nice. I also saw a frog near the moat, so that was exciting. Toward the end of our time at Crook Hall, we decided to do the maze. Even though it is only waist high, it was surprisingly difficult! Jamie made it to the center first, so the rest of us just headed back out.

After Crook Hall, we walked back along the river Wear toward the city center and the castle and cathedral. The river was pretty, and there were a bunch of people fishing. However it looked as though there was a good amount of trash in the river, so I am not sure that I would want to eat anything from it. The city center was really nice, with narrow streets and old buildings. It is also the center for shopping and restaurants and pubs. We had to go uphill to reach the castle. Once at the top, I was really excited to see the castle and cathedral up close. The castle is still in really good condition, since it is the sight for the university in Durham. The dorms are actually situated in one part of the castle! Since school starts today, there were balloons and welcome banners put up for the students. There also weren't any tours of the castle that day, since there was a lot going on with the arrival of students. But it was really neat to see from the outside, so I am certainly not complaining. We even snuck in the courtyard area to take a few pictures.

The cathedral is right next to the castle. There is a big green lawn in the middle, separating the two, but they are both right there. The cathedral was really beautiful as well, and there are some really old graves in front. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures inside the cathedral, but walking around it was amazing. We arrived right before Evensong, where the boys choir sings during the service, so we decided that we would stay and watch the service. The boys were adorable, and sounded really beautiful. It was pretty moving to stand inside the ancient Gothic cathedral and to hear the beautiful music. The service only lasted about an hour, which was nice because we were all getting sleepy. About ten minutes before the service ended, a man came in and walked to the front and sat down. He was either drunk, or had mental problems, or really felt the holy spirit within him. He was kind of speaking loudly during the end of the service, and he kept putting his arms out. Once the service was over, security had to escort him out. I think he was drunk, and maybe a little crazy. He kept trying to shake every one's hand that was part of the church, and actually had to be physically removed. That doesn't happen everyday!

After the service, we walked down to the river side, which was a nice walk back to the train station. You could see the castle and cathedral on the hill above the river, so it was a really nice view. Durham seems to be a quaint little town, with really cool things to see. I definitely plan to go back to see more. When my family visits in the spring, I plan to take them to Crook Hall, because I know they would love it. A successful weekend all around!