Sadly we have only two more weeks left on this once-in-a-lifetime journey. By the time we arrive home, we will have stayed in 21 different cities/towns throughout Scandinavia and Central Europe. No spot has been the same, and our experience in each spot has been a unique story. Everyday has been an adventure and a delight . . . some more than others, yes. We thought this would be our last trip to Europe but we feel almost compelled to return one more time maybe at a different time of year, perhaps in the month of September. Although it is springtime in Europe we are still wearing layers to keep warm and to ward off the damp. Sleeping at night is good. In many places the mornings remind us of weather in the Bay Area of California. It's cool, cloudy and damp in the mornings but by mid-afternoon there is sun and the air is dry. Skies are often clear at night.

We would dearly love to see the fjords of Norway in the summertime when people are swimming in the beautiful waters and hiking trails into the great mountains. Seeing the fourteen islands of Stockholm in warm weather when all is in bloom would be dazzling, I am sure. And sunning on the Italian Riviera for a few days would be a pure pleasure. I could go on. Yes, maybe we will return some time, but then again, there are other parts of the world calling us for a visit. Try as we might, we simply cannot do it all.

The good news is we still have two weeks remaining!

On our drive to Hexham yesterday, we saw lovely little towns but a few looked plain, a bit depressed, stuck in the past and lacking the charm we found in Lanchester and other towns we saw on our drive to the area from Liverpool. Stan chatted with our host a bit last night. Unexpectedly he learned until about 20 years ago, many of the little towns in this area were coal mining towns as they are rich in coal. The towns were dirty and polluted but working. Then an economic downturn forced the mines to close. Many people moved away. Lanchester never had coal mines nearby so it never suffered the ill-effects of pollution and the extreme economic hardship when the mines closed. Ironically, Lanchester does have coal, just below the surface of the ground, but mine management lived in this town so it remained a nice place to live.

I just must talk about the blooming things here. A few tulips are still in bloom, irises are abundant and wild flowers are in their glory! Chestnut trees are in full bloom with big bold clusters of white, pale pink or deep rose flowers, and there is another tree that I don't know that we see over and over again. It has tiny clusters, like tiny bouquets, of tiny white flowers and deep green leaves. It looks like it might be a wild fruit tree but it's not cherry and it's not plum. These trees are strikingly pretty though.

Footpaths are very important pedestrian ways here. I would love to see an aerial snapshot of just our area to see the network of paths that get the locals from here to there. The paths are shortcuts through the towns and they are shortcuts to neighboring towns. The paths wind along old railroad beds, along rivers and streams, through wooded areas, behind the backyards of houses and through farmer's fields. What a beautiful way to get around. Some footpaths are for the exclusive use of walkers, some also allow bicycles and horses. None allow motorized vehicles. And they are clean. People respect these paths and leave very little debris. There is one thing though! Like the knuckleheads everywhere, some people do not pick up after their pets. Ok, I don't like finding dog doo on my walk but I can deal with that. What I simply cannot comprehend though is why some people bother to bag their doggie's poop, wind it up and knot the plastic bag and then leave it on the walk!!! I personally know that some people in Georgia do that; people in California do it and people in England do it too!!! Why? Do they think there some poop control van that comes by to pick it up??? No, I tell you, there is not! Then why? (big sigh!)

We jumped onto the Lanchester Valley Way footpath just down the hill from our apartment. From this access point, the walk spans 7.5 miles to Durham and farther. Yes, indeed we planned to go to Durham today and we can walk 7 miles, but walking there and back was not appealing. We walked about 2/3 of the way and then turned around and walked back. We figure we did a good six miles total. The walk was pleasant and the sights and experience was heavenly. Birds were active and singing and calling. We walked past peoples' backyards, past pasture after pasture of sheep, along a river and through the woods. We stopped to smell flowers, blow on dandelions, and whistle at the sheep. We saw a pair of pheasants running through the green wheat field then flushing and flying!! Neither Stan nor I have ever before seen pheasants in the wild! Thank you, God!

On our return walk, we past a field of sheep we had seen earlier inthe day all fenced-in next to a field of yellow-flowered rape greens were growing in the next field. Well . . . three pubescent lambs probably still nursing momma occasionally but feeling independent today, had escaped through the gate. They were feeling good! They had their big boy pants on! They meandered up the road and munched on fresh, untouched green grass and wild flowers, first on this side of the road and then on the other while momma-sheep worriedly watched them through the gate. Stan tried his best to gently herd them back to the gate but they only ran farther dwn the road. We hope they figure out their way back through the gate; we worry about what else might happen to these little rouges.

Our waiter at The Jolly Drover last night told us we must visit Durham, a town only about 12 miles from Lanchester. We drove there this afternoon.

What a hidden gem! It's a lively college town but more importantly it has one of England's most well-preserved 11th century cathedrals and castles on the River Wear. I do remember being enchanted about the possibliity of walking into a castle. Honestly, folks, we have seen so many cathedrals and castles; it is hard to be impressed with seeing another. Still the age, history and the fact that it is all still standing and still being used as a church and a university is remarkable. One hundred lucky students have dormitories in the castle today. These great artifacts seem to keep the city together but there is more. Once the castle and the cathedral have been toured, visitors can dine at one of the places overlooking the river that flows past the castle and cathedral, and shopping includes all the great marketers of the world plus a large venue of local craftsman and artists.

We've had fish and chips before, but we had proper fish and chips today at Bell's in Durham.