After getting up early (God knows when..), to write the journal entry you read for yesterday, I made some tea for Hilary and took I upstairs to the frumpy but quaint guest bedroom, with it's antique teacups on the shelf and fresh flowers in the window. Hilary was still asleep. It was then that I noticed it was only 7:00am! I slipped into bed, and, giving Hilary a hug, we both fell asleep. It was nearly 10:00am before we, and the children began to emerge. Claire and Brian were wonderful hosts. We had a healthy breakfast of cereal and toasted bagels, and set off for some sight seeing.
Brian took us up and over the hill in the back of their property to a stunning vista. We parked next to some hardy-looking 30's something guys who had a case of water bottles next to them. The appeared to be waiting for something. Sure enough, just as I was taking a panoramic picture, some male runners appeared over the crest of the mountain and came running down to the parking lot. It was the end of what appeared to be a marathon run.We continued on into Chester, an ancient English town that is now a bustling business centre for most of the district. Circling the town is a four mile stone wall which was first built as a wood structure by the Romans two thousand years ago.
About 100 AD, the Romans replaced the wood wall with one made of stone, elements of which are part of the wall to this day. Over the centuries it has been added to, so that it is now possible to walk its entire length. Lookiug down from one section, one can see the base of twin columns and the remains of a Roman home, likely for an official of some sort. Of particular interest was a raised stone floor, supported by short, approx. three foot tall pillars. The floor was apparently heated in those days, with a fire underneath warming the thick stone floor, much like in-floor heating today.
<----Ancient Roman home in Chester
We continued our walk through town, past a magnificent cathedral. We paused nearby to let the girls explore various shops.
I'm afraid we lingered a bit too long along the river promenade over lunch, though. Partly, of course, it was because none of us wanted to cut short our visit with Clair and Brian with their kids. Somehow, we badly misjudged the time it would take to get from Chester to the train station at Crewe. Brian got us there as quickly as he could, but we arrived about ten minutes after our scheduled departure. Miracles of miracles, however, the train was late by twenty minutes!
It was, in the end a rather rushed visit, but it was so good to see Claire, Brian and the kids again. We're already talking about a shared holiday with them in the future. In the meantime, we have some lovely memories of our brief stay.
The rest of the trip home was easy. We arrived in London at Euston station at 8:30 PM and took one of those boxy but comfortable taxis, with rumble seats facing us, to our apartment near London Bridge just off Tooley Street. A quick Chinese dinner, taken to the apartment, completed the day.
The rest of the trip home was easy. We arrived in London at Euston station at 8:30 PM and took one of those boxy but comfortable taxis, with rumble seats facing us, to our apartment near London Bridge just off Tooley Street. A quick Chinese dinner, taken to the apartment, completed the day.
Wee hours of the morning, Sunday July 6th (London)
It's been hard to get to sleep tonight as my rest has been disturbed by an all-night party going on in the next door apartment. I nearly called the police, it was that loud. Checking the kids and Hilary, however, it appeared they were sleeping through it. I'll know when they awake, likely in a few minutes. Between the party and a head and chest cold that kept me coughing all night on a pull-out couch in the living room, it was hard to get to sleep. So, here I am, writing, and trying to recall the remarkable events of the day in my foggy head cold.
No comments:
Post a Comment