Durham , Saturday, 28 October 2006

Rob and Denise Miller, flat mates and former Caribbean Mercy Crew, took the train to Durham. I had heard about the cathedral there and wanted to se it. The train trip from Newcastle is only about a 15 minute ride. Upon arrival we hopped on the cathedral bus for the trip across the River Wear and up the hill to the cathedral.

Ok, I have to say, if you are ever in the area you have got to go! At the entrance there is a replica of the original gargoyle door knocker. Criminals fleing could grasp hold of this item and receive sanctuary for up to 37 days. At the end of this time they either faced trial or had to leave te country. Then you enter. I don not have words to descirbe the feeling of peace and sanctuary I felt inside this vast place of worship that was built over 40 years beginning in 1066. It was built to celbrate the life of and bury the remains of St Cuthbert, a priest and later bishop of the area. It really is quite a story!

Over the years much has happened to the cathedral. King Henry VIII managed to acquire most of the original treasures and later Cromwell managed to whitewash the walls to get rid of any frescos that may have been present. Scottish prisoners were once housed here, they had an uprising and destroyed much of the interior. But over the years the cathedral has been restored and has ben added on to, and it is magnificent to behold.

After our tour of the cathedral (by the way, some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed here) we walked down the hill, ate linch at a little restaurant then continued down the hill to the town square. We happened to be there on one of the market days and saw lots of little kiosks set up selling french breads, bratwursts, flowers, fried potatoes. There were hundreds of people and it was fun to watch. Durham is a university town, so there were plenty of young people and I was amazed at some of the clothing, hairstyles and facial piercings.

All in all it was a most satisfying day trip and I am so glad I had the oportunity to visit.