Today was a relaxing day of touring two towns. I hot Leicester first and then around lunchtime headed over to Nottingham. Both of these names are pronounced a bit different than a typical American would think they are pronounced. Leicester (Lesta) had some deep history but most of that history was being renovated so some of the things I was excited to see were closed off. One of those locations was the Jewry Wall, Roman bath foundations, and attached museum. You could only see a small portion of the wall through a fence behind the St. Nicolas church, some of which is dated to 880 AD. The wall itself dates back to around 125 AD. Besides the Roman baths down in Bath, this is likely the oldest structures I will see in my trip. If you look closely you can see some of the same stones in the church that is in the wall. They likely used parts of the wall to build the church.
The Leicester cathedral was also shit down for renovations, and that is where King Richard III tomb is kept after they re-buried the remains in 2015. This cathedral is also known as Cathedral Church of St. Martin and is one of the 6 churches listed in the Domesday Book. More on that when we get to my history.
Leicester Castle is now part of the business college so it is not open for visitors except on specific Sundays. However, just outside this area is another church and Prince Rupert's gateway arch. The Turret Gateway, as it is also known is massive and sits above a cobblestone road that gives you that old world feel. Just to one side of that arch is St. Mary de Castro Church. This church is dated to 1107. It is beautiful and contains many all heads sculpted along the rim of the church. On the other side of the archway is a small museum that houses some of Leicester's unique history and contributions to the British war effort throughout history. I took a picture of a recreation of a shop street from the 1950s, although it seemed mich older.
I then made my way over to Nottingham where I stopped on for a restaurant known for its carvery, but I ordered off the menu as there were so many options and this one stuck out to me. I had the Lamb Rogan Josh. England is particularly known for doing pretty well with their Indian food. And I know this wasn't authentic Indian, but they do it very well.
I then headed into Nottingham (Nottingum) via their tram and this is such a cool way to get into town. Places that have done this seem to be cleaner and livlier than those that rely on older forms of transportation. When you hear Nottingham you are likely to immediately think about Robin Hood. This town definitely celebrates that story and the rebellious nature behind it. I saw the Robinhood statue that date all the way back to… 1949. It was intended to celebrate Princess Elizabeth's visit to Nottingham, but was officially unveiled in 1952. The castle seemed nice, but since I got into town so late I didn't feel like spending 17 quid for a short visit. There are pictures available online.
The city center area was very well laid out and there is loads of clean places to shop and enjoy life. The people of Nottingham seemed to be happier than in Leicester earlier that same day. There is a massive square that holds a building that resembles similar architecture of that used in most of the DC government buildings. Supposedly there is shopping inside and outside in the square often, but it was just an open space outside and I didn't even try going inside.
Overall, Nottingham was a joy and I would put it high on my list of UK places. Leicester while having such great sites is really run down. It feels a bit like New Orleans. A place you want to go for the sites, but you know you are going to leave a little dirtier. No shows tonight, and tomorrow's is debatable as well as the app/site is still not allowing me to purchase tickets. We will see if the box office can help tomorrow. Cheers.