Into the City...

Today I managed to navigate the bus system in and out of the city. As part of our orientation, we could take a free guided walking tour of Norwich. It was very interesting to learn about its history and begin find our way around. The famous saying in this city is that "there's a pub for every day of the year and a church for every Sunday." It sure seems that way! It is a beautiful city that is an intriguing blend of quaint and contemporary. It’s amazing to see architecture that dates back more than the 300-400 years we call “old” in America. There are 32 medieval churches (ones that were built before the Reformation), a beautifully intact cathedral dating back to the 11th century, a castle, roman style roads, and the remnants of an ancient city wall. Mixed in with this striking architecture and history are hundreds of modern shops and eateries. If you can imagine it, you can find it in Norwich! This I was quite glad because I was able to pick up several much needed items (like an umbrella! Who goes to England and forgets such a necessity?!). There were all sorts of boutiques, department stores, open-air markets, grocery stores, American chains, and more. After an exhausting, but successful, day of touring and shopping, with incredibly heavy bags and unfortunately light wallets, we took the double-decker bus back to campus.