Easter in Worcester

 Worcester is a cathedral city on the River Severn in Worcestershire.

Let’s get this out of the way first:  the correct pronunciation of Worcester is “wuus-ter” not war-ches-ter.  The sauce that Lea & Perrins makes here is pronounced “wu-stuh-shuh sauce”.  I had a friend in Nebraska who pronounced it ‘war-chester-shire sauce’.  (She also pronounced ‘hors d’oeuvres’ horses ovaries).

Worcester is about 45 minutes south of Ludlow, and a favourite location for backgammon tourneys.  Scott’s been several times without me and once with.

Now we go together and stay at Brown’s at the Quay hotel.

It’s an eccentric little place converted from the home of an wealthy, eighteenth century merchant.

Yes, that's a silver deer holding 
a tray of champagne flutes next
to a poster of the Hermes 
flagship store in Paris

Brown’s overlooks the Swan Sanctuary, favourite spot for watching the 150-250 swans living here at a given time (more in winter less in summer).

Swans gathering next to one of the many boat
houses along the Severn where we saw several 
single-, four- and eight-man sculling boats 

It’s also an easy walk to the Cathedral, which is a formidable sight. 

Worcester Cathedral on the River Severn at dawn

Part of the original cathedral from the 11th c.

King John (yes there’s only one King John - signer of the Magna Carta) is buried here. 

Among the many caskets and sarcophagi scattered about the church is one I particularly liked.

        Have a look at the detail on the plaque above the casket:

I don't suppose any of my nieces would be interested in recreating
something like this for me.

        Worcester has been around since the Neolithic period (New Stone Age) and was fortified by the Britons around 400 BC.  

So, you know, it’s old. 

Backgammon is older.  From about 5,000 BC, probably in Mesopotamia, and a board was found in King Tut’s tomb in the early 1300s BC.

Anyway, Scott hasn’t seen much of Worcester because he’s usually in an old legion clubhouse playing all day. This time it’s the Easter Bunny Bash, hosted by the Worcester Backgammon Club. 

This sucker weighs about 10 1/2 pounds. 
Scott carries it to all his tournaments.
The silver strip on the right is a 12 inch ruler

While Scott is out playing, I am out walking, dining and sightseeing. The walk along the Severn is pleasant, especially when the sun shines.

A swan statue looking out over
the River Severn

The Severn connects with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, so it’s not unusual to see narrowboats floating down the river.  It’s also not unusual to see modest pleasure yachts motoring by. (Don’t think ‘super yachts’ they’re too big for this river).

In spite of the wonderful history and good food at good restaurants, it was a crappy weekend. It was cold and rainy, I had a miserable chest cold and Scott won only one match. 

We were glad to get home.