Durham
I took my first real trip outside of St. Andrews the weekend of November 18th to participate in a debating competition in Durham, England. The train ride down the coast lasted around 4 hours, with a quick change in Edinburgh. Before I’d been to Durham, I considered St. Andrews the most attractive British town I’d ever visited. Now I’m not so sure. I’m sure you’ll see why:
Unlike those in St. Andrews, the Cathedral and Castle in Durham are completely intact. The castle even serves as a University residence. Only steps from the Debating chamber in which the final was held is the gorgeous Durham Cathedral. Within its ancient walls are housed the remains Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede, both of whose tombs I was fortunate enough to visit. Bringing everything full circle, the plaque marking Bede’s tomb was donated by, you guessed it, Rotary. The experience was heightened by beautiful singing from the cathedral choir.
A bit of trivia: parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed in Durham. Does this courtyard look familiar?
As for the competition itself, I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I still had lots of fun. After an exhausting day of competition on Saturday, the Durham Union Society threw a big party in the Union. Sleeping on the floor of the Snooker room was nowhere near as uncomfortable as it could have been thanks to Gwynaeth loaning me her sleeping bag! Still it was a far cry from Durham castle, which is still in use as a university residence:
Durham is well worth a visit.
