Seeing Phil's roots has been wonderful. I have heard so much about his home town from the first day we met that I have been looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes for years now. Finally, the day arrived and after much anticipation I have seen where he grew up and have met most of his large family.
We've had the chance to do two trips to take in some of the sights. We went to Durham which is relatively close to visit with three of Phil's great friends, Kev & Sarah (and baby Jessica), and Alison who was visiting from Leeds. We spent the day strolling through Durham cathedral and through the high street. Again, a very nice town and reminds me of York (which I am almost certain I visited on my way to Edinburgh). We also got to take in The Angel of the North which is a huge androgenous anglic figure made out of steel which you can see for miles around. Apparently it got a lot of criticism but is really nice.
Phil and I took a day trip to Holy Island of Lindisfarne - again, so nice (I think I need a thesaurus for more descriptive words). You have to drive along a causeway that gets completely flooded during high tide, so you have to plan your trip a bit carefully so you can make it on (and off) the island without getting swamped. Luckily for us, the passing was from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm so we could enjoy the whole day. We took a poke around the little castle on the island (partly to get out of the icy, howling wind) and walked around the cathedral (not inside it - who wants to pay an extra £4?!?). Afterwards we took a quick stomp around Banbrough castle which was about 20 times the size of that on Holy Island and just as stunning. The coastline around that area is absolutely gorgeous.
The other trip we've taken has been to the Lakes. Marcus, Nicola, Phil and I took the scenic way to Ambleside on Lake Windermere. The drive down was gorgeous! The countryside is loaded with grassy rolling hills dotted with quiant stone farm houses and littered with sheep, but changes to dramatic low mountains covered with red, purple and green plants. The lake was so pretty and we were all lucky enough to get rooms where we could enjoy the view (even though it was definetly dark by the time we got home). We spent a nice chunk of time strolling around the town admiring the buildings and took a nice stroll along the waterfront. We also ate a delicious dinner (complete with chocolate "terrine" - somewhere between mousse and cake).
Sunderland has received much bad press from Phil and his friends and family (it's so easy to be down on your home town) but is really nice. I think I must have been expecting the worst - hundreds of teen moms (we have seen a few) and constant all-day bar brawls (one of which we 
saw in the making) - but it's a lot quieter and prettier than I thought it would be. The town has loads of beautiful old churches and cool buildings with old, discoloured spires. Phil is right in saying that to appreciate the town's beauty you have to always be looking up. We have checked out the city centre a few times and just today we saw the area being nicely rejuvinated.
saw in the making) - but it's a lot quieter and prettier than I thought it would be. The town has loads of beautiful old churches and cool buildings with old, discoloured spires. Phil is right in saying that to appreciate the town's beauty you have to always be looking up. We have checked out the city centre a few times and just today we saw the area being nicely rejuvinated.
We've had the chance to do two trips to take in some of the sights. We went to Durham which is relatively close to visit with three of Phil's great friends, Kev & Sarah (and baby Jessica), and Alison who was visiting from Leeds. We spent the day strolling through Durham cathedral and through the high street. Again, a very nice town and reminds me of York (which I am almost certain I visited on my way to Edinburgh). We also got to take in The Angel of the North which is a huge androgenous anglic figure made out of steel which you can see for miles around. Apparently it got a lot of criticism but is really nice.
Phil and I took a day trip to Holy Island of Lindisfarne - again, so nice (I think I need a thesaurus for more descriptive words). You have to drive along a causeway that gets completely flooded during high tide, so you have to plan your trip a bit carefully so you can make it on (and off) the island without getting swamped. Luckily for us, the passing was from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm so we could enjoy the whole day. We took a poke around the little castle on the island (partly to get out of the icy, howling wind) and walked around the cathedral (not inside it - who wants to pay an extra £4?!?). Afterwards we took a quick stomp around Banbrough castle which was about 20 times the size of that on Holy Island and just as stunning. The coastline around that area is absolutely gorgeous.
The other trip we've taken has been to the Lakes. Marcus, Nicola, Phil and I took the scenic way to Ambleside on Lake Windermere. The drive down was gorgeous! The countryside is loaded with grassy rolling hills dotted with quiant stone farm houses and littered with sheep, but changes to dramatic low mountains covered with red, purple and green plants. The lake was so pretty and we were all lucky enough to get rooms where we could enjoy the view (even though it was definetly dark by the time we got home). We spent a nice chunk of time strolling around the town admiring the buildings and took a nice stroll along the waterfront. We also ate a delicious dinner (complete with chocolate "terrine" - somewhere between mousse and cake).So, all in all, the North East of England has been a wonderful stop. It's been great meeting friends and family that I have heard so much about (finally a face to a name!), and Maria and Neil have been wonderful hosts - right down to the 17 person dinner Maria hosted, my special de-hallowe'en-ed birthday cake, and a pre-Christmas dinner (to come tomorrow). Thanks so much, it's been wonderful and I will definetly be sad to go (though excited to see what lies in store).
