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Drawing us to Norwich this month are two exhibitions. At the
Sainsbury Centre,
a gallery usually much too modern for me, is one called Living by the Rule:
Contemporary meets Medieval. There's modern art, inspired by the Rule of the
Benedictine order, but medieval artefacts and manuscripts too, inclusding a few
famous psalters. And at the
Hungate Centre there is an exhibition devoted
to angel ceilings. It actually finishes the day before we arrive, but when I
enquired if it might be extended I was told it was due to be taken down on the
evening of our arrival and if we made it in the afternoon we could have a
last-minute exclusive visit. Very helpful and hopeful! Monday 13th The 10.30 train from Liverpool Street was busy but not rammed and the fruit cake slice from the snack bar is now gluten- and dairy-free. We got in too early to check in at the Premier Inn, but left our bags and made for Bread Source. The fondly-remembered hummus roll from last year was not to be had, but the quinoa-burger thing with beetroot was well tasty, and the rhubarb soda was piquant too. The unusually helpful woman at St Peter Hungate was better than her word - we got a good look around and plenty of inside gen. The painted saint panel retrieved from a demolished screen and the medieval window are also worth a look. We'll be back! A short stop on the way back through the Cathedral shop got us some 
biscuits and a Budge (the Cathedral cat)
badge, before checking in and having a rest. In the evening we did the classic anti-clockwise river walk, passing the Cow Tower, before heading in around the castle to a pizzeria called Donnelli's, recommended by the chap on reception in our hotel. The pizza (with onion, rocket and fresh tomatoes) was excellent, which made the fact that the gelato was, in fact, merely Mr Whippy, and so not palatable, doubly disappointing. Tuesday 14th The Premier Inn breakfast was as reliable and unsurprising as ever. I headed through town to the big Earlham cemetery, stopping off to get cool in the very Victorian RC cathedral on the way. I had a map to find the common graves (so no headstones) of three of my 19th century ancestors. I found them, more or less, as the graves within the sections were not clearly labelled. The map also helped me find older and more interesting areas. I stopped of at a different branch of Bread Source for the same lunch as yesterday. I aked if the had any crisps but was told no, with the added comment ‘I wish we did!’ In the evening our walk took us into the Cathedral around evensong time and featured a rare sighting of Budge, the famous cathedral cat, who strolled past us and curled up on a kneeler and let me scritch his head!
Our evening meal in the hotel restaurant was, for me, tomato
soup and a spicy veggie burger. My beer was a Sol, which brew was a bit of a
thing in the 80s, and pleasantly citrusy after all this time. |
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