Waverly Station to Durham
On Sunday, we planned an impromptu visit to Durham University in England. Alex had decided to apply to Durham only the previous month, after we had made our plans to visit Scotland, and as such, we couldn't plan a formal visitation day given our schedule. But we decided to take the train down to visit the town and see the school even if we could not do an official tour. So after a cold breakfast at our hotel (croissants and Nutella, chocolate pastries and Cafe Mocha that was more like hot chocolate than anything else), we walked from our hotel to Waverly Station.
Train to Durham
After figuring out the ticket machines, stopping to pick up some sodas (lemon Fanta for Alex) and a brief scare with not being able to find our tickets, we boarded the Cross Country train to Durham.
Durham
Upon arrival in Durham, our string of navigatonal miscues continued as we walked several hundred yards away from the Durham City Center (uphill) and had to turn around and head back towards the center of town. Our plan was to go straight to the University and get the lay of the land and then spend time visiting Durham city.
Durham Cathedral
We arrived at Durham college and signed up for an afternoon tour of the Castle and then decided to get some lunch before touring the Cathedral since a Church service was beginning. Fresh from lunch, we headed back up the hill to tour Durham Cathedral, or more appropriately, The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin an St Cuthbert of Durham. The Cathedral dates back to 1093 and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture. St Cuthbert is the patron saint of northern England and is regarded as one of the most important medieval saints of England. The shrine to St Cuthbert was destroyed on the orders of Henry VIII in 1538 but his body remains entombed in the Cathedral. The Cathedral was used as a prison by Cromwell in the 1650s where much of the original woodwork was destroyed. The Cathedral provided interior and exterior views for the first two Harry Potter movies.
Durham Castle
We had signed up for an afternoon tour of Durham Castle, which is part of University College, the College to which Alex had applied for admission. The Norman castle is home to over 100 students and was the home of the Bishops of Durham from the 11th Century until 1837, when it was donated to Durham University. The Bishop of Durham is still the fourth most signifcant in the Church of England hierarchy and in Norman times, the Bishop had both military and religous power over Durham.
Durham River Walk
After our castle tour, we opted to walk around the river
Town of Durham
With time to kill before our train back to Edinburgh, we wandered around the city center and finally stopped at the Fighting Cocks for dinner. J. R. had a curry whilst Alex tried the fish and chips. Both enjoyed a pint of Guinness with their meals, the legal drinking age in the UK being only 18.
