Northumbria - Week 4
Hi All. We have had a bit of feed back that this blog is getting a bit big and difficult to down load, so we are removing the videos and the photos from the Swiss part of this trip and shortly we will remove the Italy and France photos. Many apologies for that. Hope it didn’t clog up too many computers.
We have hit the half way mark of this sit and the half way mark of our 6 months OS. WOW - where did that 3 months go?? Looking back through the blog, we certainly have been getting out and about like a couple of old unregistered dogs. We are so grateful that we have been able to cram in, do and see so much in those 3 months. Wonderful stuff! To debrief and celebrate this momentous milestone we had a bottle Spanish Bubbles in the 4 person spa. Knowing that there are still 3 more months to go with many more adventures to be had put a smile on our faces. We will be needing a holiday when we get back home to relax a bit. This is house minding and wandering about Europe / the UK is hard work you know.
Volker had a bit of accumulated R&R time, so he took off for a few days over to the Lakes District in Coombria (Cumbria) over on the north west of England to “ramble aboot the fells and scars” as they say over that way. This is opposed to the moors and crags over here in Northumbria. I’m sure they don’t have the letter U in their alphabet. Anyhow, it was Phil’s turn to stay at home to entertain and bond with the dogs for a bit.
"Go for a walk in the Cumbrian Mountains" they said. "Some of the best walks in the UK - you’ll love it" they said. So, as my cup is half full, I have to say that the peaks I rambled on were enshrouded by some of the best fog I have ever walked in. Stunning stuff! As for the scenery - well, when I could actually see it - was even more stunning than the fog. Below about 500 metres ASL, the landscape was spread out with some of the most powerful, rugged scenery I have seen thus far in the UK. On those rare occasions when the swirling fogged parted momentarily, I was rewarded with tantalising glimpses of lakes set amongst the towering, craggy, rocky peaks and with the fog swirling about them, the whole scene was a bit lost world-ish and bespoke of an ancient era (or too many of those Middle Earth movies). Part of the walk I was on, was the route of an old Roman road leading up to the northern frontier which further added to the whole thing. I was half expecting the Lost 9th Legion to come stumbling along the same track I was stumbling along. OK - so the imagination can get a bit fertile in the thin air up there!
I got 2 walks in, but unfortunately the time was too short and the weather too shitty to continue on, so I headed back home a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to the western part of the Lakes District as strongly advised by a mate who worked over that way as an exchange Ranger a few years back. Hopefully, I can get back there, as from what I saw, have read and have been told, this place is the mecca for walking in England!
The village we are staying at is just down the road from another small one - but this one has a pub! This pub just re-opened the other day, so we thought we should call in to see what it is like as Phil’s sister and brother are going to pay us a visit and we may have a meal there. In we go - 2 glasses of wine thanks. Turns out their over the counter wine is good old South Aussie wine. Big tick. We are sitting outside enjoying the wine and the sunshine when a Portuguese couple walking St. Oswalds Way (a long distance walking trail that runs through Northumberland) stumbled past. We had a chat with them and before too much longer they are joining us for a bevvie and Philomena had found a kindred spirit.
At the same time Germany was playing Portugal in the World Cup and the game was live on the TV in the bar. Volker commented that he suppose he should be following Germany due to his ancestry and at that the stage the score was 1-0 Germany. When the Portuguese couple arrived and realised the game was being played, they also got interested, so we all went inside, sat and watched it for a while. What an incredible coincidence, there in a wee village in the North of England, Volker the Germanic Australian, was watching a World Cup football match with a Paulo & Rita from Portugal. The score finally finished at 4 - 0 for Germany. There were no hard feelings, soccer hooliganism or punch ups and we all had a interesting evening.
Here is a little anecdote as to why travelling is such an unknown and can create such opportunities if you are receptive and open to people. Without going into detail too much, we traded walking tales, who we were and where we had come from etc as one does and Phil ended up swapping email addresses and phone numbers with a open invitation to come to Portugal should the opportunity arise. The lady of the duo told us she was an actress of screen and stage and he was a surgeon. We were not too sure about the actress of film and stage bit, so we looked her up on the net when we got home. Turns out she is the leading actress in a French / Portuguese film amongst other roles played in her impressive acting CV. So who knows - we may end up in a movie stars place in Portugal one day.
When their predesignated lift arrived, Phil picked the accent of the picker upperer right off and it turned out he was from the same area Phil was from in Scotland. Almost neighbours in fact. Out of a total UK population of almost 64 million, Phil just happens to bump into a someone from her area. Small world!
Anyhow - that’s about it for this week.
Have a good one.
Cheers Philomena & Volker
