The Crawfords take on THE WORLD

The White Tower and London Bridge

And then it was off to Jenny's in London via what we thought was the Tower of London.We were a bit taken back by the size of the Tower complex and what, in fact turned out to be several towers. And there was even one where Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick had been incarcerated a few hundred years back at the end of the 14th Century. Fancy one of my rellies doing something so bad that he had to be locked up in his own tower awaiting execution. Still, he was in good company with a number of other executions taking place on the grass common: like Lady Jane Grey, who also met her fate here. What we expected would be a morning took us most of the day (the Crown Jewels were a minor attraction!) before we made our way out, over the Tower Bridge had headed (on foot!) towards Waterloo. Distance got the better of us and even a gelato wasn't enough to get us there and we ended up catching a bus: Shelley's map reading skills found our way there (after some useless debate from the other half). Having finally arrived in Bonnington Square (where Jenny and husband Matthew live) we asked a 'local' for directions. Turned out he was a South African on holiday, but he knew enough to be able to head us in the right direction. We enjoyed Jenny and Matthew's hospitality as we shared her birthday and met an intersting friend of hers. An overnight stay and a rushed trip back to Liverpool Street Station the next day ended a very full and thoroughly enjoyable weekend. (Jenny recommended a visit to Sutton Hoo the following weekend and gave us a pass which would have expired had we not been able to use it.)

Shelley outside the Norwich Railway Station

Norwich Cathedral from the manicured lawn

The weekend we went to Norwich was brilliantly fine and warm - what they say here, is a typical September day. The train ride through Manningtree and Ipswich through Diss (must have been a sad person to Dis a town!) was very comfortable and we arrived at Norwich knowing nothing. We spied a castle on a hill which looked as though it were in the direction of the town, and we headed for it. And lo, the town. First stop, the Information Office and a sit in the sunshine overlooking the market, where from the Middle Ages, a market has run, albeit with a few modern changes. A tour through the church of St Peter Mancroft with an elderly guide (who'd recently had a fall and was now sporting a bruise as big as a dish on her side)a walk to the Catholic Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist and a very informative walking tour of the heart of Norwich preceded our end point at the Norwich Cathedral - an impressive building but a lie on the internal, manicured lawn gave us a different perspective. We tried (successfully as it turned out) to find our way back to the station via the Wensum River, which many centuries ago the Romans forded to claim the city. But as we got nearer our thirsts took over and we stopped in a little pub for beers and chips. While we tried to avail ourselves of the local brew the nearest thing to anything local (because they'd run out) was a Strongbow cider. Not really impressed but we did try. After the top up it was back to the station to find hordes of Norwich (canaries) football supporters descending on the station after what appeared to be a loss in the local derby. Some sad faces. But what a lovely city.

The Dome of St Paul's Cathedral