We are spending tonight in a castle in north England. I surprised Andrea with a stay here -- we've never stayed in a castle and given that tomorrow night is our last in England, time is on the short side. It's called Lumley Castle, just outside of Newcastle (drinking the namesake beer as I type this by the big fire), and it is a lovely spot. The floors creak, the ceiling in our room is 20 feet high, and my car is parked in the old horse paddock for the night. Very charming and in some ways it encapsulates this country for me....old, crumbling, drafty....and magnificent. Earlier today we went out to Hadrian's Wall -- built around AD 100 by the Romans, it cuts across northern England from sea to sea. The purpose is up for debate, it was either to mark the end of the Roman empire, or (more likely) it was an effort to keep the Celts out (or some other tribe, my history is rubbish). Even after 3 years of living here, I still look wide-eyed at all the castle ruins, ancient walls, lopsided pubs, and other signs of times very long ago. It's always a wonderful reminder of what one can do with an endless supply of very cheap labor.
We've driven about 1,700 miles now -- all on the wrong side of the road -- and I'm really glad we took this final jaunt around the Kingdom. If you haven't spent much time over here you really should, it's a brilliant country. Tomorrow it's off to Nottingham for a final night out with friends there. In 48 hours, I will be in my beret and eating a croissants on the other side of the Channel.
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Freaking Hadrian...couldn't he have done something more fun with his $ and cheap labor. We're all going to die anyway, and really, what was the life expectancy in 100 A.D. I bet he could have done something more productive/enjoyable. Enjoy the castle and the newcastle...tremendous.
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