"Who needs Harvard, who needs Yale? At POUPON U, you’ll never fail! Stanford, Princeton? Big mistake! POUPON U’s a piece of cake." ~ National Mustard Museum

Which surprises you most...

the fact that America has a National Mustard Museum...

or our celebration of National Mustard Day for twenty two years?

It seems Middleton, Wisconsin takes mustard very seriously and celebrates brands from around the world the first weekend of August each year.

Over here in the UK, Norfolk has been producing Colman's Mustard 

for almost two hundred years and has its own museum in Norwich.

"Local TV with a strong Norwich flavour"...

is the slogan for a local broadcasting company...

Mustard.

As you can see...

Norwich takes its mustard seriously as well.

Over the past few years, mustard farmers have been working together to increase production of mustard seeds in England, 

in order to continue the famous English Mustard name.

Who knew mustard was such a big deal?

And to think you can get you own Poupon U diploma for advanced mustard studies.

Very creative.

Happy Tuesday.

"In Norfolk the obduracy of water has been the saving grace for the wildly beautiful north coast, the Broads and the river valleys." ~ Mark Cocker

Ren Man is in full agreement with the water rat in Wind in the Willows.

So, our visit to Norfolk would not have been complete without 'messing about' in a boat through the Norfolk Broads...

embarking at the...

where the sunny day...

was reason for a party.

With a speed limit of 4, reckless driving was not an issue,

and it is a good thing...

because Ren Man was busy...

and gazing at sailboats...

as they breezed by...

while quaint sights along the canals...

 kept us mesmerized.

Yes, those are thatched roofs.

It was a perfect day,

 and a location we will hopefully return to for a longer visit...

 on a larger boat.

Be sure and check out the Norfolk Broads if you are in the area.

"What a grand, higgledy-piggledy, sensible old place Norwich is!" ~ J. B. Priestley

Any city having a club for strangers is a friendly city indeed.

Our visit coincided with the Heritage Open Days offering the opportunity to visit  some locations normally closed to the general public.

One of these little treasures is located on Elm Hill...

where foreign visitors, 'the strangers', were entertained

 in the homes of the wealthy merchants living in the Elm Hill area.

Over the years, the level of prominence had declined to a slum area by 1925, although efforts were being made to bring the street back to its former attraction.

A few years later, in 1927, six local gentlemen formed The Strangers Club...

 where visiting 'strangers' could be entertained.

Elsewhere around town, we strolled along the River Wensum...

and viewed the majestic castle...

strolled through a market available Monday through Saturday... 

and located on its current site for over 900 years.

We rested our weary feet...  

at a watering hole so old...

it is known as Adam and Eve.

Appropriate name for an establishment offering temptation with its refreshments

 to the cathedral builders living and working nearby.

Tucked between our parking lot and a housing tenement,

a well kept community garden is flourishing.

A sensible old place indeed.

Happy Thursday.

"Norwich is a fine city. None finer. If there is another city in the United Kingdom with a school of painters named after it, a matchless modern art gallery, a university with a reputation for literary excellence which can boast Booker Prize-winning alumni, one of the grandest Romanesque cathedrals in the world, and an extraordinary new state-of-the-art library then I have yet to hear of it." ~ Stephen Fry

Norwich was a pleasant surprise.

Fully established as a town somewhere between 924-939 AD, 

 Norwich Cathedral, Church of England, 

not to be confused with the Catholic Cathedral in Norwich, 

followed shortly...

 begun in 1096 and completed in 1145.

 Like a reel of film sitting idle on a projector, 

stained glass windows appear lifeless...

until saturated...

 with light when the art comes alive.

Norwich Cathedral had its film debut this past March in the film Jack the Giant Slayer...

although its history with a large cast of characters, 

would be quite the screenplay on its own.

Having the largest cathedral close in England, 

part of the close is one of the oldest schools in the world.  

Norwich School was established in 1096 and still uses the Cathedral for morning assemblies.

As notes from the massive organ...

filled the air...

 the boys choir entered...

and proceeded to practice...

 for the five services they are involved in each week. 

Quite the setting for a reflective Sunday afternoon rest.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

"First thing I do is rush to the window to get a proper look at the garden, which has a close-shaven lawn mown in stripes and dotted with ancient conifers including, for those of an arboreal turn of mind, a Wellingtonia. Beyond the garden is the road; beyond that, a field and beyond that, a railway on which little trains scuttle past." ~ Paddy Burt, Telegraph

Paddy has the right idea...

and is much more eloquent in his description of the view we beheld from our window 

of the Old Rectory Hotel in Norwich, while visiting the Norfolk area of England.

Our arrival the night before had been under darkness and drizzling rain so when the sun rose above the tree line the next morning we sighed over our cup of coffee as we gazed over the manicured lawn.

After a late flight we were welcomed into the family parlor to unwind before dinner,
 as the stress of travel melted away.
Moving into the intimate dining room it felt more like a visit to a friends manor where a dinner party was in progress, as smiling faces greeted us as we made our way to 'our' table. 
Although, this friendly manor has a talented chef in the kitchen 
offering tasty choices for dinner and breakfast as well.

A lovely place to unpack your suitcase while exploring the Norwich area.

Happy Tuesday.