Would you Adam and Eve it?

A few more glimpses of our holiday. We were recommended a visit to the Norman Palace. A ninth century building subsumed into a somewhat newer one. It took us some time to find it though it is relatively near to where we are staying. We did find the cathedral first though, quite unexpectedly, as I still don’t have a map. We decided against going in however, as we’ll do that formally on Sunday.

So, we found the palace. We wanted to go in. The ticket office turned out to be quite a way away. We made our way towards it. Milling crowds. The bored face of the woman behind the counter said it all. No, you can’t see the apartments today. Only at the weekend. Yes you can go to the chapel. But you can’t see the apartments. Yes you can go to the museum. But you can’t see the apartments. Only at the weekend. She was on a broken record roll.

We got to the front of the queue. She was about to tell us what we could not see and was ready for us to move on without purchasing anything. But no. We confounded her. I asked for two tickets for old people, and when she had got over her surprise (she didn’t ask for I’d. Why???) she actually managed to print them off for us. And then warned us once again that the apartments were closed till the weekend.

We trudged back up the hill to the entrance. Here we were asked two or three times if we had tickets but no one actually wanted to look at them. We went through airport style security. And then we got to the Norman chapel.

It was stunning. Covered in Byzantine mosaics it was and is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Or would’ve been , if it hadn’t been so crowded. It is actually a functioning church, but you wouldn’t think so judging by jostling and the talking and the noise.

The decorations are so intricate, so colourful, so joyous and so well preserved it was a privilege to see them. But they let too many people in at a time, and so really you’re swept through with little more than a glimpse at a time.

Overwhelmed we made a bit of a run for it. Luckily the apartments were closed so we didn’t have to look at them. We avoided the exhibition – what is it of? No one knows. We were funnelled into the royal gardens but quickly turned back. Again it’s no fun to look at trees etc through a maze of people!

The surrounding area was interesting though.