Day 27 & 28 At Susan's then Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

At Susan's, Great Chesterford 

Saturday 30 April

We spent the day preparing for Christine's visit. John cooked up a storm with a Delia Smith chicken dish (Basque chicken - not sure if the Basques know about it) as well as making an apple pie and chocolate mousse for dessert. I fear our diets are slipping badly on this trip.

Chicken Basque
Tasted far better than it looks!

Christine, Barb and Susan on the back patio

John joins his sister and Christine for a chat

Susan, Christine John and dog Thea inspect the new
building going on next door to Susan's back garden

Dinner was a lively affair

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Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Sunday 1st May

Can't believe we've been here a month already. The weather was a bit overcast today (still cold of course) so we decided to go somewhere not too far afield. Bury St Edmunds is a market town in Suffolk only 45 minutes drive from Susan's place. It reportedly has a nice cathedral and Abbey ruins ... and so off we go!

Being a Sunday it was difficult to find parking, but after a couple of rounds of the car park we struck lucky and found someone leaving so we could take their spot. First views of the old Abbey Gates across the road certainly looked promising.

Abbey Gates ... viewed from the carpark

The gates date back to the 1600s

The abbey gardens are huge

The abbey is in ruins ... some parts date back to 1100s

Lots of people were strolling among the ruins and picnicking on the grass

St Edmundsbury cathedral

St Edmundsbury Cathedral cloister gardens
Much restoration was done 30 or so years ago - looks very fresh

Another gorgeous cathedral ...
... and being recently restored had lovely light feel to it

John is enjoying the cathedral ceiling and
white interior (most are in local stone)

This hotel has a Blue Plaque to say Charles Darwin once stayed here

Lucky for us it's not a market day today or the place would be heaving