Riding my bike through the Norfolk countryside tonight I was thinking how lucky we are to have so many country lanes. Norwich has always amazed me by the fact that one minute you're in the city and the next you are surrounded by fields.
Once we're off the main road, I love cycling along the narrow lanes, peeking at the county cottages hidden away, deciding which one I'd choose if I had the money!
Chris races along trying to beat his record. I just dawdle, taking in the view, the smells, especially at this time of year with all the blossom, the birdsong and of course being plain nosy, peering over hedges, looking through windows!
And I'm always tempted by that lane that I pass each time and which looks so enticing. I'll try it next time.
I'm a great one for saying "I wonder what's down there" and getting lost. It made things interesting though, when I was working in the Far East and finding my way around strange cities.
When we started our business we didn't know Norwich at all, so we went down every road we could find which had businesses in it and wandered in each business to leave a leaflet or chat to the owner. It was a great way to get to know the city and to pick up local gossip.
It took me about two years to get around Norwich without a map, though. It's the only city that has had me completely stumped.
It's topsy turvy.
My brain would tell me the Cathedral should be in one direction but the map would tell me the opposite. My logic would say the Forum was in one direction but it was always in the other.
What I've always loved about Norwich, though, is the friendliness, the juxtaposition of the new (the Forum and Chapelfield) against the old (the Norwich Lanes and the wonderful Cathedrals and churches), the abundance of independent shops, the cobbled steets at Elm Hill - and the fact that you can easily walk from one side of Norwich to another.
What do you love about Norwich?
