1st September 2017 - Titanic Belfast - back to the UK - Stansted to Feltwell near Thetford - Twenty Churchwardens

1^st September 2017

52 degrees 24.627N

03 degrees 35.375E

Feltwell

Norfolk UK

Once again we are in a marvellous part of the world, staying in a beautiful house, with yet another kindly hospitable cousin – this time Pete’s second cousin, Peter Green, who has lived in the UK for 32 years.

The Old Coach House with our latest hire car

We were sad to leave Northern Ireland – so beautiful, such lovely people, so much hospitality.

Pete with beautiful Jayne

On our last day in Belfast we went to the Titanic exhibition.  It won a prize for Best Leading Tourist Attraction in 2016, and people in Northern Ireland are convinced that this means it is the most visited site in the world.  

(I googled it.  It isn’t.  The Taj Mahal, for example, gets just a few more visitors… But it is very fabulous and fascinating.)

We spent from 11-2.30 making our way through the history of Belfast, the building of the ship and the luxurious fit-out, and then the last doomed moments. 

By the end of the experience my brain was totally full and I groaned faintly when Pete said we should go over and look at the Nomadic – part of the exhibition, in a dry dock nearby.  The Nomadic was the tender to the Titanic in Cherbourg, and it was quite interesting I suppose, although I was starting to lose the will to live.  In fact it was REALLY worth going to because there was a most delightful interactive hologram waiter, cheeky and funny and ready to tell us to get out of his bar because we only had second class tickets.  Loved him!

So back on a plane and back to the UK.

I had booked a hire car from Stansted Airport, and had programmed my phone to lead us through the highways and byways the 87 miles to Peter’s village in Norfolk.  Siri did well; she brought p the maps and gave us the information in her calm, clear voice.  What wasn’t so good was…me… I held my phone tightly in my lap and stared at the little arrow which denoted our car as it tried to negotiate itself through the maze onto the M11.  Well we got onto the M11 no problems but…heading the wrong way.  Off to London.  

I need to interrupt this sorry tale with some pretty English flowers

Siri took this in her stride; there was a solution.  Just drive another 21 MILES in the wrong direction and then take an exit through another maze and then back on to the M11 in the correct direction.  None of this went down well with the driver…there were stifled groans of distress and disapproval.  It only took another two or three minor wrong turns and we were heading in the right direction, with my adrenaline surging and a pounding in my temples…Thank God for Siri!  I could never have done it with a paper map!!

We were only an hour or two late arriving in Feltwell…

Two Peters

And how happy were we to be there, in Peter Green’s benign presence, in his wonderful Old Coach House.

lavender lane

It is just beautiful here.

The village of Feltwell is delightful.

I went for quite a long walk in the late afternoon yesterday and took lots of photos of the pretty houses.

They are quite different, in that the stone is mainly flint.

The village doesn’t get many tourists because there are lots of new houses so it isn’t entirely authentic and quaint.  Thank God!  The Cotswolds villages, for example, have dozens of large coaches rumbling through them every day, and hordes of people gazing into cottage windows.

A nightmare for the inhabitants!

Feltwell is totally calm.

At lunchtime we went to a delightful little pub near Swaffham, Twenty Churchwardens where we had a light and delicious lunch.

And I took photos of the most gorgeous flowers.

Oh the delphiniums!

The countryside is beautiful, green and idyllic with a very large forest (Thetford, stretching over many aces.)

Peter’s garden is a delight.   

I have successfully stalked a robin

and am working on a frisky little squirrel which keeps whisking out of sight.

In Ireland I was very impressed with conservatories.  Many houses seem to have them, prettily adorning the houses.  Lovely to have a sunroom, I thought.  I didn’t manage to get a good photo of one but…when we got to the Old Coach House, there, to my delight, was a beautiful conservatory!  Ready and waiting for me to go and sit in the sun!

Yes it is sunny again today!  We are going to spent the day in Bury St Edmunds, which Peter says will be a great treat.

It is all a great treat!!