Cromer Cathedral

Out for a walk, a bite to eat, and pub signs, we drove up to Cromer. The plan was a walk on the beach before lunch, but seeing that the tower was open brought a change of plans.

Cromer Cathedral Steeple

I can’t resist ascending to the top of tall spires. There are probably lots of reasons beyond those ascribed by armchair psychologists. There’s something moving about climbing a narrow stone stairway, spiraling up along the path followed by countless individuals over hundreds of years. I find a real connection to the history of a place in those deeply worn steps; 172 of them in this case. And the view from the top is usually to die for.

Cromer Cathedral Panorama

That thumbnail is just a small section of the panorama which is shown in full at the top of this essay. The full image is a little over 2mb, larger than I’d usually put up, but worth it^[1] I think.

The eroded gargoyles on the towers are very nice too.

Gargoyles on the Cromer Cathedral

We never did get a proper lunch, though we did stop in The King’s Head for a pint and some crisps. Not satisfied with “Salt and Vinegar”, “Sour Cream and Onion”, “Barbecue”, or the hopelessly mundane “original” flavor of potato slices fried in oil, the Brits have gone in for chip flavors as yet unimagined in The States.

Roast Chicken Crisps

“Roast Chicken.” Roast. Chicken. They do, in fact, taste just like roast chicken. Or, more accurately, like potatoes fried in the drippings from a roasted chicken. (Or, most accurately, like potatoes fried and then artificially flavored to taste like they’d been fried in the drippings from a roasted chicken.)

What other flavors were hidden below that counter, I didn’t have the nerve to inquire. Roast chicken flavor was quite adventurous enough for my first pint, thank you very much.