Durham

Come join us again as we travel back to England to celebrate our Golden Anniversary.  We decided that we must go into Durham to visit a most famous cathedral.

Durham Cathedral is The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St. Cuthbert of Durham.  This 900 year old church is the seat of the Bishop of Durham.  The Norman architecture is considered one of the finest in Europe.  In 1986 it received the World Heritage status by UNESCO. 

Durham is a beautiful old city that really reminded us of other European cities we have traveled.  It lies beside the River Wear in northeast England in County Durham.  It's easy to see the cathedral from miles around, but finding a parking space was a little harder.  After driving around we realized we had been passing the car park.  

The bearded Neptune lead sculpture shows him raising his trident over the dolphin.  He certainly has a presence in the Market Place of Durham. 

This is a sculpture of The Marquess of Londonderry named Charles William Vane Tempest Stewart.  He was a soldier that lived in the area and later owned many of the coal mines as well.  He built the Seaham Harbour and is credited with selling the coal cheaper and easier from the harbor. 

St. Nicolas church is on the edge of the Market Place.  Many folks gathered here among the lovely surroundings and beautiful architecture and flowers everywhere.

There were several guides along the street directing tourists to various places of interest.  After speaking with her, she recommended a lovely little spot for lunch where we enjoyed a very nice quiche and salad.  We followed her directions up a quaint alley way to dine alfresco at Venel's Cafe.

After lunch we made our way to visit the Cathedral.  My pictures in no way do this beautiful building justice.  Its imposing presence in Durham is noteworthy to say the least.

No photos are allowed inside to keep the quiet beauty and reverence of such a house of worship.  

It gave us goosebumps to realize that for more than 1,000 years people have worshiped God on this site!

Durham Cathedral touched my heart in many ways.  Its beauty alone and then the profound sounds of the magnificent organ playing as we toured the inside of this iconic building.  The stained glass windows are mainly from the 19th century as the Medieval glass was destroyed by the iconoclasts during the Reformation.  They considered icons of saints to be blasphemous.  I'm afraid some of the Puritan ancestors that came to America were responsible for this deed!  We spoke with a gentleman in Salisbury that pointed that very fact out to us.  If you want to know more about Durham Cathedral you can go HERE 

Durham Castle is directly across the street from the Cathedral.  It now serves as the University College, Durham.

Durham Castle construction began in 1072 under William the Conqueror.  

  

Can you imagine attending college in a castle?

And in the shadow of Durham Cathedral?

As we were leaving we noticed the beautiful vines (I believe it's Virginia Creeper) wearing their lovely Autumnal clothes.

  

Durham is a very busy city that is obviously beloved by its citizens as well as its tourists.

It was time for us to leave and drive "home" through the upper Yorkshire Dales into Cumbria.  What a lovely day we have enjoyed.

Hello July!

Summer is in full swing in Virginia.  The hot, humid days are here.  I must admit to really not liking the really hot days in the garden.  Daily watering is a necessity for pots that quickly dry out when the temperatures soar over 90 degrees.  June is in the rear view mirror.  We received almost eight inches of rain during that month!  Our gardens certainly enjoyed the moisture and I certainly liked not having to water.  Along with good things, bad things happen as well.  Our city sits along the Rappahannock River.  Occasionally when we get so much rain, and rain up stream, the river floods.  Last weekend was one of those times. 

This is our city parking lot that extends to those crepe myrtles you can see.  When we were downtown, the city was towing cars out of this area before the river crested.

To the right of the parking lot you can see the river has encroached behind the Center for Creative Arts.  The river is actually in the distance!

Sadly, this garden is flooded as well.

A lot of folks along this street had flooded basements.  

And completely flooded gardening sheds!  

As well as parks totally underwater.

The water completely covered the street.  Thankfully, within a few days the water receded and the cleanup began.  

In my own little garden the flowers are enjoying the summer temperatures. 

The Balloon flower is a perennial that really likes this spot in the garden.

I do not grow many orange flowers in my garden, but this Kwanza Daylily was given to me years ago and its double blooms are very attractive and quite hardy.

These red daylilies are a favorite of mine.  They were a gift from a friend years ago as well.  

The vinca in the brick planter is really taking off in the hot weather.  Last year we had trailing vinca here and I must say I prefer it to the upright.

This red hibiscus is really old.  I bring it inside for winter and of course return it outdoors when all danger of frost leaves our area.  

I hope you have a good week ahead and enjoy your Forth of July celebration.  Be safe and find JOY in every day! ♥