There are some places in this world where walking seems too fast a pace. Norwich is just such a place. Hurry to get there but do not hurry once you are there. For example it has about 60 medieval churches. Each church is a work of art itself and each church has artisanship and a history of its’ own. Just the woodwork is fantastic to gaze at.
If you like stained glass, this is the place to go. Back in the days when craftsman and artists were revered. It is as though wherever you sit the beauty changes as the day and the sun moves along. Some are like rainbows of intricate design that gently change their hues, like living breathing art. And then return at night with lighting designed just for beauty and all the windows change again from both within and outside the churches.
One of the best things about Norwich is that you can get all the medieval beauty without the Gothic gloom. The city is fresh and alive and clean and basically cheery. Norwich even has quaint well kept and clean canals. The old bridges themselves seem to be works of art.
Norwich is a huge UK and European Heritage site. In the peak of cultural activity in England, many Europeans came to Norwich and settled. So the city acquired a worldlier feel. But the people that came to Norwich came to make money, and those with money came to make more. Norwich was a mercantile capital, the second largest city in England. And where you have that you have extravagance, and art and writers and churches and libraries and a good infrastructure. Norwich still has an abundance of historical artefacts.
There is another thing you need to know about this wonderful town. Food. Most people do not know this but in a city that has a world class food product, generally it has some world class cuisine that goes with it. One of the absolute best mustards in the world comes from this medieval place. Colman’s Mustard. This is still the Royal Mustard, the Queens’ exclusive. One of the things about Colman’s is that they built and maintained schools for children of all their employees. But the best thing about Colman’s is the taste. It is a brown and white mustard blend.
The city has a night life. Where there is a major University there is a night life. It is all contemporary and up to international standards and very fun. For those who like the mornings, and so retire early there are great pubs. It was once said that for each day of the year, Norwich had a pub. I think there are a lot more of them now. And here is best of all about the pubs in this place; almost all of them have some local food that you can put Colman’s on.
