Travel to Durham
[I deleted my original post for this day because, between me trying to write it on my Kindle and my phone, it got messed up. This is my remembrance of what happened that day based on the photos I took.]
I woke up at a decent hour and got ready to head to the Cambridge train station, which was about a 15 minute walk from the AirBnB. I bought my ticket to Durham, which was significantly more expensive than I had planned it to be. Gotta go to Durham, though, so paid the price.
I was early for the train, so had to wait for about 20 minutes for it to arrive on the platform. It's always a little nerve-inducing, making sure you're on the right platform and boarding the right train since different trains are coming and going pretty often from the same platform that you're waiting at.
No worries, though, because I made it onto the right train. Pretty soon I was rolling into Peterborough, which was where I needed to switch trains. Since I had to make the switch anyway, I planned to roam around Peterborough for a bit since I had never visited there and they have a cathedral. I had asked the ticket man earlier if I could do that and he said I could board any ongoing train to Durham in Peterborough. Great!
I got a little lost on the way to the cathedral, but really it was only about a 10 minute walk from the station. The cathedral is quite an imposing presence as you walk up to it. It's façade is impressive. I had my small suitcase with me and was kind of worried I wouldn't be allowed to roll it around with me, but it was a non-issue.
The cathedral is celebrating its 900th birthday!
Really the cathedral was all I did in Peterborough. I had to walk through the town centre to get back to the station, so that was nice to see. At this point I was hungry, so luckily I had some time before my train came so that I could stop into a place at the station called "Pumpkin" to get a mozzarella, pesto, and tomato toasty and a coffee. Really this place is a chain of convenience type stores, but I wanted something different and resisted the familiarity of Starbucks, which was right next door. Soon enough the train came and I continued my journey to Durham.
Right away, a highlight on this train was a young man wearing a full-on plaid suit (jacket and pants both) in forest green, black, and white. This train was very full. I again had to sit next to someone which isn't ideal, but it was fine.
I woke up at a decent hour and got ready to head to the Cambridge train station, which was about a 15 minute walk from the AirBnB. I bought my ticket to Durham, which was significantly more expensive than I had planned it to be. Gotta go to Durham, though, so paid the price.
I was early for the train, so had to wait for about 20 minutes for it to arrive on the platform. It's always a little nerve-inducing, making sure you're on the right platform and boarding the right train since different trains are coming and going pretty often from the same platform that you're waiting at.
No worries, though, because I made it onto the right train. Pretty soon I was rolling into Peterborough, which was where I needed to switch trains. Since I had to make the switch anyway, I planned to roam around Peterborough for a bit since I had never visited there and they have a cathedral. I had asked the ticket man earlier if I could do that and he said I could board any ongoing train to Durham in Peterborough. Great!
I got a little lost on the way to the cathedral, but really it was only about a 10 minute walk from the station. The cathedral is quite an imposing presence as you walk up to it. It's façade is impressive. I had my small suitcase with me and was kind of worried I wouldn't be allowed to roll it around with me, but it was a non-issue.
The cathedral is celebrating its 900th birthday!
Really the cathedral was all I did in Peterborough. I had to walk through the town centre to get back to the station, so that was nice to see. At this point I was hungry, so luckily I had some time before my train came so that I could stop into a place at the station called "Pumpkin" to get a mozzarella, pesto, and tomato toasty and a coffee. Really this place is a chain of convenience type stores, but I wanted something different and resisted the familiarity of Starbucks, which was right next door. Soon enough the train came and I continued my journey to Durham.
Right away, a highlight on this train was a young man wearing a full-on plaid suit (jacket and pants both) in forest green, black, and white. This train was very full. I again had to sit next to someone which isn't ideal, but it was fine.
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| Reading material on the train |
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| See the horse in that field? |
About an hour into the journey, an announcement was made over the train intercom. All I could make out given the accent, general fuzziness of the intercom system, and the noise on the train were the words "delay" and "Darlington." Some people near me on the train started calling people they knew saying that they would have to find a faster way home because of the delay. After a few minutes of wondering what this meant and worrying that I would have to find another way to Durham, I decided to bite the bullet and ask my neighbor what was going on.
Me: "Excuse me, I'm sorry--did they say that the train will be delayed?"
Sir: "Yes, it seems there was a herd of cows on the tracks ahead and so all other trains are backed up."
I laughed out loud when he said that because of course there were cows on the rails in England. Later an announcement said that the cows were hit, so that isn't very pleasant at all, actually. The guy next to me eased my fear that I'd have to find another way to Durham; it was just a delay and we only ended up sitting there for about 25 minutes.
Side note: Isn't it funny that everyone seems intimidating and busy until you actually talk to them? This guy sitting next to me looked completely in his own world, not wanting to be disturbed. When I asked him this question, he was so cordial and curious about me and even helped me put my bag into the overhead bin. I enjoyed talking to him for those few minutes.
I arrived in Durham and began the walk to my AirBnB for the first time. Right away I noticed that Durham is hilly. Once I had booked where I was going to stay, I had reached out to the woman who hosts the AirBnB asking if she was familiar with a place that I could rent a bike. She had told me I was brave, and now I understood why. There is no way I would try to negotiate riding a bike on those hills.
Me: "Excuse me, I'm sorry--did they say that the train will be delayed?"
Sir: "Yes, it seems there was a herd of cows on the tracks ahead and so all other trains are backed up."
I laughed out loud when he said that because of course there were cows on the rails in England. Later an announcement said that the cows were hit, so that isn't very pleasant at all, actually. The guy next to me eased my fear that I'd have to find another way to Durham; it was just a delay and we only ended up sitting there for about 25 minutes.
Side note: Isn't it funny that everyone seems intimidating and busy until you actually talk to them? This guy sitting next to me looked completely in his own world, not wanting to be disturbed. When I asked him this question, he was so cordial and curious about me and even helped me put my bag into the overhead bin. I enjoyed talking to him for those few minutes.
I arrived in Durham and began the walk to my AirBnB for the first time. Right away I noticed that Durham is hilly. Once I had booked where I was going to stay, I had reached out to the woman who hosts the AirBnB asking if she was familiar with a place that I could rent a bike. She had told me I was brave, and now I understood why. There is no way I would try to negotiate riding a bike on those hills.
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| First glimpse of Durham |
I made it my AirBnB with getting lost for just 5 minutes or so. The actual walk would take about 20 minutes from the rail station. My host, Jo, was not home when I got there but she had left the front door open for me, which was trusting of her. The place was super cute on the outside and inside!
I found my bedroom and dumped my stuff. My room was very small, really only big enough to fit two twin-sized beds next to each other. It was adequate for my needs, though, because I didn't need much on the trip.
I realized quickly that I had bought the wrong type of adapter--I got the Europe one instead of the UK one--and I didn't know this sooner because the AirBnB in Cambridge already had an adapter for me to use. This was an issue because my phone really needed to be charged, so I immediately headed back out to find a Boots store (kind of like Walgreens) before they closed. Luckily they had what I needed and I got there in time. I decided to explore the town centre for a while since I was in the area and it was also dinner time.
I found a place called Head of Steam; it was on my list of pubs and restaurants for Durham and I wanted an authentic experience right away. It does take some courage to walk into a pub alone, to order a drink and a meal without knowing what they offer. Typically you order food and drinks both at the bar, they give you your drink, and then deliver your food to your table. The expectation is, I guess, that you know your table number before you go up and order, as well.
I considered the menu and went with the most British thing I could find, a steak and ale pie. I also asked for an ale, which I took up with me to the second story patio deck. (Fun fact: what is the second story here in America is actually the first floor in England. The first floor here is called the ground floor there. In elevators, the ground floor is 0 and the second floor is 1.)
It was a great day weather-wise. The sun was warm and then it really cooled off when you moved into the shade.
The steak and ale pie was delicious. Imagine like a chicken pot pie except with steak inside and caramelized onion gravy on top laying on a bed of mashed potatoes and mushy peas. The combo was really yummy! The pint of ale was way too much for me, but I drank it all. I did not feel buzzed in the slightest.
Durham was home-base for the next several days, which I was excited about. I was ready to explore the city further and make my way to little towns around Durham to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors!
I found my bedroom and dumped my stuff. My room was very small, really only big enough to fit two twin-sized beds next to each other. It was adequate for my needs, though, because I didn't need much on the trip.
I realized quickly that I had bought the wrong type of adapter--I got the Europe one instead of the UK one--and I didn't know this sooner because the AirBnB in Cambridge already had an adapter for me to use. This was an issue because my phone really needed to be charged, so I immediately headed back out to find a Boots store (kind of like Walgreens) before they closed. Luckily they had what I needed and I got there in time. I decided to explore the town centre for a while since I was in the area and it was also dinner time.
I found a place called Head of Steam; it was on my list of pubs and restaurants for Durham and I wanted an authentic experience right away. It does take some courage to walk into a pub alone, to order a drink and a meal without knowing what they offer. Typically you order food and drinks both at the bar, they give you your drink, and then deliver your food to your table. The expectation is, I guess, that you know your table number before you go up and order, as well.
I considered the menu and went with the most British thing I could find, a steak and ale pie. I also asked for an ale, which I took up with me to the second story patio deck. (Fun fact: what is the second story here in America is actually the first floor in England. The first floor here is called the ground floor there. In elevators, the ground floor is 0 and the second floor is 1.)
It was a great day weather-wise. The sun was warm and then it really cooled off when you moved into the shade.
The steak and ale pie was delicious. Imagine like a chicken pot pie except with steak inside and caramelized onion gravy on top laying on a bed of mashed potatoes and mushy peas. The combo was really yummy! The pint of ale was way too much for me, but I drank it all. I did not feel buzzed in the slightest.
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| Here's the outside of Head of Steam, kind of tucked away in an alley off a main road |
Durham was home-base for the next several days, which I was excited about. I was ready to explore the city further and make my way to little towns around Durham to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors!