Bernie in England 2006: Travel Diary Britain ’06 – 2nd entry

After some restful sleep I woke up early today and set off for sightseeing in Nottingham at about eight. First thing, I took a little stroll through the city centre and I must say that it’s a pretty, neat little city. The facades of the houses were nice in general but I liked the Tudor houses best. I don’t know, somehow this architectural style has bewitched me… I walked on through the narrow streets flooded by the early morning sunlight and moved towards Nottingham Castle. Unfortunately the castle in its original form doesn’t stand anymore because it fell into disrepair in the 17^th century and was then re-erected as a mansion but that mansion’s now in a pretty good condition and houses a castle museum. I, however, went to the foot of the castle rock to enter the Museum of Nottingham Life, a small museum displaying various items of the daily lives of the people in Nottingham in former times. Among those items are for example the original interior of a classical grocer’s shop or an old pharmacy and so on.
Pretty interesting to go through and have a look at the labels and old advertisements, it’s so hilarious!
Well, after completing my museum tour and taking a few photos around Nottingham Castle, I went to the tourist office to pick up some pamphlets and leaflets and then I left the city for Sherwood Forest, the home of the legendary Robin Hood. I parked the car at the visitor centre and went off to explore the forest on foot. Compared in size to the state it’s been in in Robin Hood’s time, today’s protected Sherwood Forest area is tiny but once you step inside it’s still pretty impressive. All those huge, old oak trees. And the quiet that surrounded me there was absolutely awesome! No noise of cars and machinery but only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the chirping of birds.
After walking for some time I came across the ancient oak tree that supposedly already stood there in Robin Hood’s day (around the 11th century) and under which Robin and his companions met before each time they set out to steal from the rich. I continued my walk and then, some time in the afternoon, I returned to the car and drove off again.
Now, my guidebook mentioned a museum called ‘The World of Robin Hood’ in a small village called Walesby. Only to find that village wasn’t really easy and also took quite some time because it was proper countryside, with narrow roads, tractors and everything…
When I finally arrived in Walesby, however, I couldn’t find the place and after I’d driven along the village’s only main road for the three times, I stopped at a local pub to ask and they told me that the museum had closed down like five years ago. Bloody crappy guidebook.
Bereft of this Robin Hood experience to enrich my afternoon I had to improvise and since I wanted to see a proper old castle anyway I decided to go to the nearby city of Newark where I spent the rest of the evening strolling around in the castle park, shopping and dining.
I had had, as a matter of fact, not a single bite to eat since breakfast. That always seems to happen to me: when I go travelling and see loads of interesting things, I completely forget to eat. However, today also the heat might have played a role in my absence of appetite. Jesus Christ, it was hot!!
Well, anyway, I’m quite tired so it’s gonna be an early one to go to bed tonight. Tomorrow I’ll be enjoying the natural beauty of the Peak District!