Darlington and Durham

With names like Darlington and Durham, this must be England. Actually, I'm in the cold north country and a computer has been difficult to find since I landed. I flew into Tees Valley Airport where I caught the bus to Darlington. The weather is cold and too typically Enlgish--about 36 degrees, foggy, and misting all day my first two here. I had reserved a room at the King's Head Hotel (so very British!) through the website, venere.com. The hotel was built in three sections; I was placed in the "Victroian section," constructed in the 1860s. In order to reach my room, I had to wind up tall staircases and down hallways with ornate ceilings. After throwing my backpack down, the first thing I wanted was a pint of milk. In Spain, few people drink milk that isn't steamed and made the latter half of the expression, "Cafe con leche, por favor." The Spanish don't keep cold milk at all; groceries stock wax cartons of soy milk right on the shelf beside the potato chips. So, I found the local Sainsbury's, England's answer to Tom Thumb, and found a cold pint of semi-skim milk; I staggered down the street taking swigs from the plastic carton like a sober man who didn't want to be.

And then the town rolled up its sidewalks and went to sleep. No kidding, all the shops, including the Tourist Information Office, in Darlington close at 5:30. I asked the hotel clerk what I could see, and her response was, "Dinner?" Back on the street by 6:00, I found that most of the restaurants had just closed--even the Burger King on the corner. I ran into an Italian place and ordered a pizza; by the time I finished, the owner let me out with his key. Oh well, at least the TV programs are in English.

Pop quiz: what's Darlington famous for? Time's up--it's the home of the first passenger train. Yes, there's a train museum with, among many other exhibits, that initial transport that began the passenger train revolution. Friday, I went to the Train Museum in Darlington after having been to the tourist office and aranging for a tour of the local historic church at noon. In fact, there were three church members happy to greet me on the steps of St. Cuthbert's in Darlington. Built between 1180 and 1240, this dark, steepled church is in what is called Norman style; that is, it's laid out in a typical cross with two low naves on either side of the single high nave. My three docents were happy to point out the war memorials, and Victorian alter screen of the Last Supper, and the relics which are remainders of the 7th-century, Anglo-Saxon church on that same location. They even opened the pastor's library, a collection of some 45 books from the 17th to the 19th century, for me to inspect at my leisure. They even gave me bus directions to Durham Cathedral.

I have, in fact, been in Durham for a full day. The cathedral is easily the finest that I have seen on this half of my trip. It is Norman Romanesque, which means that the central nave and the alters at either end make the whole length quite longer than a football field. Nevertheless, there are only two slender side naves, so the body of the church is slim. The pillars attract your attention the moment you enter; they are great, fat structures with geometric designs carved into their midsection. Other that that, there are few other adorning ornaments--one element of the Norman style is its simplicity. For me, this was a special pilgrimage because Durham cathedral is the resting place for two great saints--Cuthbert and Bede. The 7th-century Cuthbert brought a particular brand of Catholicism to England and helped establish the monastery at Lindisfarne as the nexus of Christian faith in this country. The Venerable Bede, monk at Jarrow, wrote the first book by a native Englishman, Ecclesiastical History of the English People--a work that includes a chapter on the life and works of Cuthbert. I stayed in the cathedral yesterday through Evensong service which lasted from 6 to 7 o'clock. This was, by the way, simply a spectacular concert; the choir at Durham Cathedral has made many recordings on classical labels and performed, among other works, a composition for Evensong by Brahms.

Today, I go back to the cathedral once more, tour the church of St. Oswald, and have a look at the castle on the hill. Tomorrow, on to Newcastle and the Hadrian's Wall Walk.