Mini Merxes 2: Southwold & Norwich

Brian had the Friday and Monday off for Easter Break so we decided to take a little trip. We didn't want to go too far because our furniture had come on Thursday and we wanted to spend some time putting our house together. So Friday after lunch we headed northeast about two hours or so to a beach town, Southwold. It was really fun and I want to go back... although it would be nice if it would be a little warmer!! We checked into our Bed & Breakfast and walked down to the city center and the pier.

It is right on the North Sea.

I probably should have had Owen wear pants but I thought it would be a little warmer. Oops. Good thing he's a kid and didn't seem to concerned!

I was there too!

We walked to the edge of the pier. There were some restaurants and some cute shops along here.

Looking out at the North Sea.

Owen just wanted to dig in the sand the whole time!

I love the idea of these Beach Huts. Aren't they cute? You can buy them or you can rent them for the day. I think it would be fun to go back when it's warmer and rent a hut. That way if it starts to rain you have somewhere to go, or you can eat your lunch out of the sand, or you can sit inside and read a book. There were several that were occupied while we walked along the beach and it just looked so fun!!

I think this was called Gun Hill. It was at one end of the beach.

We walked back to the city center.

We learned something very valuable on this trip. Restaurants are open for lunch or afternoon tea (which is not tea the drink necessarily, but sandwiches and cakes) until around 4:00 or so and then they close and don't open for dinner until around 6:00. Of course we learned this the hard way! We were starving around 4:30 and didn't have anywhere to go to eat!!! And then it started raining and it got cold and the kids were getting tired and grouchy!!! We walked up and down the High Street trying to find something to do and/or eat. Eventually we ended up in a pub because we thought they served food but after we got seated we realized that they serve drinks but not food until 6:00. Aghhh. So we left and spent some time in a bookstore where we had to buy Ellika a book just to keep her happy, which then made Owed sad, but he was at least able to be reasoned with. Around 5:30 we ended up in the restaurant below where they would seat us but couldn't take our order until 6:00. We won't be making this mistake again!!

The next day we went back to the beach but it was really windy and a little rainy and I thought it was cold. But we walked around for awhile and then headed back in the car to a city about an hour north west called Norwich.

Brian wasn't terribly excited about driving in the city. I hadn't realized it was a large city and of course we arrived about the same time as the Football (soccer) game traffic. Oops. So we took awhile finding someplace to park, but once we arrived and parked we walked up to this old Cathedral. It was really neat to walk around and see.

It always amazes me that the architects from so long ago could create something so beautiful and massive with such limited tools.

As much as Owen and Ellie would have loved to run around the court yard, it was roped off! But can't you totally visualize them running about?

We walked up to the Norwich Castle but due to our children's moods and the line to get inside, we decided to just walk around the grounds instead of going inside. I thought this castle was interesting because it is sitting up on a big hill in the middle of the city and the city is just going on about it's daily business probably not even thinking about the fact that there is a castle there. I didn't take pictures of the grounds but they were really pretty too.