A day of not much excitement! As I look out of the boat window at the rain coming down steadily, I wonder how our last few days are going to pan out. We have been blessed by dry weather for the majority of our trip, cold certainly and even icy on occasions, but not the steady downpour we are seeing this evening. Emptying the boat in this weather could prove a little tedious!
Our day started with an early prayer Zoom call which meant we were raring to go out by 9am. However we didn’t think the cathedral would be open that early so I spent an hour flicking through magazines that I have been meaning to scrutinise before throwing them out so that they don’t return home with me. There may be a recipe, a book or film recommendation or some health advice that I want to take note of. I can’t just get rid of them in case I miss some nugget of wisdom. Infact one article I read was an excellent piece on how it felt to live alone in the pandemic. I forwarded it to my daughter H, who immediately confirmed that it was exactly as she felt. I wish I had read the article sooner. Somehow I never got around to it.
R was keen to go into town so that we wouldn’t be too late leaving Coventry, so I abandoned the magazines and we made our way to the new cathedral. I am not sure that it was open to visitors, at least at the time we arrived, but we were made welcome and told we could look around. There is a very large, extraordinary tapestry behind the high altar which I have mixed feelings about. I can’t quite make up my mind if I like it, but it certainly makes one reflect and has an impact. Apparently there are 360 different shades of green thread in the tapestry itself!
Leaving the cathedral we made our way into the centre of the city to have coffee and R was delighted to find a Turkish coffee bar, reminiscent of a trip to Jordan where we drank thick dark coffee with sugar to reduce some of the bitterness. You have to remember to stop drinking before you get a mouthful of the coffee dregs at the bottom of the cup. We walked on to Coventry’s indoor Market and wandered around looking at the hugh variety of stalls. I remember it being much more fruit and veg orientated. Infact the first time I visited I needed to buy a large quantity of leeks to made a vat of soup. I made R walk around the market twice before I made my decision as to which leeks to buy – they were from the first stall we visited. I am surprised R didn’t do a runner then!
Before leaving the city we had lunch at the cafe situated alongside the canal basin. R choose sausages and mash and I realised why we had a bit of a wait – they had cooked them from scratch and they were delicious accompanied by thick gravy and peas. I had a vegan roasted veg tart and a berry smoothie made with fruit juice rather than dairy and these too were tasty and all was good value for money. The staff were friendly and efficient so if ever you find yourself in Coventry, they are worth a detour.
As it is the City of Culture for 2021 they are obviously sprucing up the city and trying to attract visitors by advertising. To this end I was particularly struck by a poem I read.
We moored up for the night just before Hawkesbury Junction and R took the chill off the night by lighting the stove as we settled down for yet more Endeavour!
NarrowboatTLC 