Norwich

The last two days of our trip to England were spent in Norwich, where Brett is doing his Senior year of college. Because it was a bank holiday in England, there was quite a bit of repair to public transportation happening. We had to take several subway trains to a bus to a train line. But with Brett's excellent guidance we arrived in Norwich earlier than expected.

Norwich is a beautiful city. In fact, it was once more populated than London. Brett took us through the outdoor market on the way to a delicious vegetarian/vegan restaurant. Then we walked down the oldest street in town on the way to the Norwich Cathedral. The number of theological images carved in the stone of the cathedral is unparalleled. In the center of the cloister is a beautiful labyrinth. I could have spent hours there but it gets dark and cold early in England.

So we headed to Brett's flat. His gas card had run out and it was 43 degrees inside his home. Bryan and Brett headed to the grocery store to get food and top off Brett's gas card. I huddled under blankets in Brett's room. Brett made a delicious dinner for us in a home that was so cold we could see our breath. After dinner, when it was still freezing cold Brett hit the reset button on the heater. Bryan and I headed to our hotel room to warm up.

The next morning Bryan and I got on a double decker bus and headed to the University of East Anglia to meet Brett. We got a tour of Brett's school. We warmed up over some Earl Grey tea in the Sainsbury Visual Arts Centre. I took a tour of the art work. This small center houses a Picasso and a Degas.

Brett has promised us that he would take us to the best fish and chips place in Norwich. It was located in an outdoor market and the line was long. We had the best fish and chips while sitting outside. Then we headed for the Norwich Castle. We paid extra for the battlements tour. As the cold wind whipped through our down coats we viewed Norwich from the highest point in the city.

I had one more place I wanted to go. I wanted to visit the cell where Julian of Norwich lived as an anchoress in the 14th century. She wrote Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, which is believed to be the first book written in English by a woman. She wrote of God as all love and no wrath. She referred to Christ as mother and God as our mother and our father. It was amazing to me how most people in Norwich had never heard of her. But through the help of google maps we arrived before the door to the church was locked. I lit a candle and thanked God for Julian of Norwich.

We traveled back to London, leaving Norwich at 6 p.m. We made it to our hotel by 10:30 p.m. sad to be leaving England and our son behind.