Saturday, June 22, 2013

Sightseeing in Lincoln, UK and Ready for Cornwall Next

 
 
This is our third day in England and we're feeling less jet lag today. Yesterday, our friends took us to the town of Lincoln, about 20 miles from their home in Hibaldstow. So many people spend all their time here in London and the surrounding area. It's a super place to sightsee but there is so much more in England in other sections, such as the Lincolnshire area where we are now.
 
The Lincoln Cathedral is what the town is known for, so of course, we had to take a look inside. Prior to that, we toured a local museum which  had many rooms set up to show life as it was in the Victorian era in this community. The exhibits were so well done and offered lots of questions and answers for kids. We were there at the same time as a class of children and it was fun watching them react to the questions. Part of the museum was dedicated to the army regiments that had been from this area of England.
 
Before heading to the cathedral, we stopped in a pub called The |Magna Carta for lunch. I love English pubs, all are homey and yet each one different in style. Lots of dark wood in this one and three levels where you could sit. We chose the bottom level which still allowed us to see out on the street. All 4 of us had a half-pint of bitter beer--a flat, dark beer--and a bowl of vegetable soup served with a hunk, and I do mean a hunk, of dark bread. All very tasty.
 
Then it was on to the cathedral which seemed to go on and on forever. Like all cathedrals, it had many beautiful parts. This one was part of the Anglican church, which is the same, I believe, as the Episcopal church in America. The extremely high ceilings and breadth of the seating area gives such a feeling of power as you walk down the aisles. Lots of wood carvings and a great deal of stone. We saw several side chapels, 3 of them being dedicated to the military services--army, navy and air force.
 
This morning, we went to one of the most unusual garden shops I've ever seen. It was huge for one thing. Besides the flowers, shrubs and all the paraphenalia you'd expect in a garden shop, they had huge displays of clothing, kitchenware, outdoor furniture, grills and fire pits, giftware to equal the finest shop anywhere, books, greeting cards, toys, baked goods, other gourmet food items and more. The place was almost overwhelming! But I enjoyed strolling through and looking. Most of the things I wanted to buy were far too big to fit in my suitcase so didn't cost us a penny there.
 
We also picked up the rental car which we will take to Cornwall for the next week. The car our friends have would not hold our luggage for the 4 of us, so a rental was necessary. We head down to Cornwall, which is on the far southwest side of England, on the sea. We have reservations there at a lovely looking hotel, which is right on the coast.
 
It will take us a day and a half to get there, so we have reservations at a hotel for tomorrow evening. It's a delight to drive through the English countryside which is so green. The flowers are all much larger than ours due to the long hours of daylight and the abundant rains.
 
Hope to write more about Cornwall next time I am able to post. I am very much looking forward to visiting that area as I have read about it so many times and read so many books that take place there.
 


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