A DIFFICULT TIME IN DURHAM

Durham is this little town in Northern England between York and Edinburgh that I thought would be a fun little stop. Now keep in mind the area is very hilly - think San Francisco or Madison & Marion Avenues downtown Seattle - full of tall trees, an enormous and very famous cathedral and all of this along the banks of a large river. It is beautiful. But somehow things were just difficult. It's not the town's fault or anything, it was just the way the cookie crumbled that day.

I arrived around 2pm and found out that my B&B wasn't "open" until 4pm. The walk to the B&B was the equivalent of walking up and down the hills of downtown Seattle about 4 times. I was hot, tired and sweaty by the time I reached my destination. The Castle View B&B was adorable and well maintained.

The owners weren't there so I sat on a bench and waited...and waited and waited.  As the hill was steep, more like a ski slope really, several people who walked by also sat on the bench to rest. We had nice little chats and it did pass the time I must say. The owners were an hour late but it was okay because I got a chance to sneak in with someone who had a key and sat in the garden. It was lovely. 

The building, the garden and my room were just enchanting. After a short rest and before night fell I went for a walk. This tiny college town is chock full of eateries, pubs and did I mention hills? I decided to get fish and chips for dinner and this was my eating area. That building was once a church but is now the Town Hall.

The Castle Museum was closed for renovations until 2012. The Cathedral was closed but I did get to see the outside. It was too dark at this point to take pictures. My adorable B&B was across the street from not 1 but 3 drinking establishments. I could hear the noise even with earplugs and a pillow over my head. It was a sleepless night to be sure. In the states if people were outside making that much noise the cops would come but not there, oh no.

It was with no sleep but a yummy breakfast in my tummy that I decided to just get on the train for Edinburgh.