We attended the 9.30 Easter service in St Albans Cathedral which, as we had been advised the previous day, was spiritual and communal. There were processions and presenting of ‘The Book’ and speaking the word, which is moving to experience.

Between the two-morning services, bubbles, juice and tea were served in the Cathedral’s Welcome Centre to celebrate Easter. Whilst this was taking place, children were encouraged to find laminated eater egg tokens that were hidden inside the Cathedral. These could then be exchanged for a real Easter Egg. Before leaving the Cathedral we lit candles next to St Albans shrine then shook hands with the Bishop as we entered the Welcome Centre.

Afterwards we walked to Wetherspoons for a late breakfast/brunch. I was looking forward to a small vegetarian breakfast to which I had added a couple of extra items. Unfortunately, when Mr C placed the order he forgot to say ‘small’. For the second day running I was overfaced with a large breakfast. Mr C’s breakfast arrived minus some items he was expecting so I was able to offload some of my excess to him.

The weather was gloriously sunny allowing us to enjoy our walk to Verulamium Park where we viewed the Roman mosaic and hypocaust. We continued our walk along the river stopping for a Mr Whippy ice cream that we enjoyed whilst sitting on a bench watching the swans that were settled nearby. A boisterous dog ran towards them, unsettling them and causing them to scatter into the water for safety.

We returned to the Cathedral shop where I was in a better frame of mind to enjoy what was on offer rather than thinking of a gift for mum. I found a lovely glass heart to add to my collection of hearts which hangs on the wall next to my computer.

We walked back into town for a cuppa, in my case Elderflower presse from the museum teashop which we enjoyed in the old courtroom seating area. After which we had a mooch around The Works book shop before returning to the hotel to chill out.

We arrived back at the hotel to find that it had only just been serviced and wasn’t quite in order. The pedal bin hadn’t been put back together and there were no biscuits! A few minutes later there was a knock on our door, it was the housekeeping supervisor asking if our room had been serviced to our satisfaction. We pointed out the couple of issues which he rectified immediately leaving us with extra biscuits which we much appreciated. I told him he was spoiling us.

Later we dined in Bar Meze where the owner came to say hello and remembered us from our previous visit in November 2024. The food was just as good as our previous visit, although on this occasion we slightly over ordered.

We returned to The Cock and our usual seats in the bar area for a nightcap. On the way back to the hotel I photographed a scarf that was in a shop window near to the hotel. I had been eyeing it up every time we walked to and from town, but due to Easter the shop was closed for the duration of our stay in St Albans. I took the photograph in the hopes that I could buy it for the shop to post to me…

We left neither early nor late but precisely when we meant to. The journey, although tedious, was smooth without any hitches. Along the way we took a detour to have lunch in an ‘Extra Mile’ recommended eatery. The café was located in a small Rural Shopping Yard in the quaint village of Castle Ashby. Somehow, we managed to miss part of the menu options until after we ordered! The food when it arrived was delicious and, after we were comfortably replete, we had a mooch round the deli and eclectic shops that were also in the farm yard.

On the way to the café to save time we had used Mr C’s ‘magical mystery tour’ in-car SatNav (the TomTom was set to our hotel destination). The route took us along main roads and complicated junctions before eventually arriving in the countryside. Our outward journey using TomTom navigation took us along pleasant country lanes before arriving back at the motorway for the final leg of our journey.

When we arrived in St Albans, we parked our car and headed to our hotel, The Premier Inn, to check in and enjoy a refreshing cup of tea in our room. Mr C then walked into town to explore and get his bearings. I stayed behind, choosing to chill out with a colouring book and coloured pencils.

We dined in Bar Meze which is just across the road from the Premier Inn. It is a small family run restaurant and we were warmly welcomed by the owner when we arrived. The food has Greek, Ottoman and Arabic influences. We chose a selection of dishes to share, all of which were delicious.

Before returning to the hotel for the evening we had a nightcap in the nearby Cock Inn which, unusually for a Sunday, was lively and full of atmosphere.