gloucester: a drizzly day, a dodgy pub, and a dodgy pie
it was raining when i got off the train in gloucester. not just a drizzle-the kind of rain that makes you wonder if you packed the right shoes. i checked the weather: 12.66°c, feels like 11.89°c, and the humidity's sitting at 73%. perfect for huddling in a pub with a hot drink and pretending you're in a movie. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing.
first stop: gloucester cathedral. i mean, you can't not. the architecture is ridiculous-like someone stacked a bunch of gothic dreams and called it a day. i overheard a tour guide say it was in harry potter, which explains the constant stream of people whispering "is this where they…?" i heard that the crypt is haunted, but i didn't stick around to find out. not my vibe.
next, i wandered into the docks. gloucester's old docks are weirdly charming-like a postcard from the 1800s that someone accidentally left out in the rain. i grabbed a coffee from a little café that looked like it hadn't changed its menu since the 90s. the barista warned me the "special pie" at the nearby pub was "an acquired taste." i took that as a challenge.
that pub-the one with the dodgy pie-was called the dockers tap. it's the kind of place where the carpet has seen things. the pie? yeah, it was an acquired taste. i'm still not sure if i acquired it. but the ale was cold, and the locals were friendly in that "we see everything" kind of way.
if you get bored, cheltenham and worcester are just a short drive away. someone told me cheltenham's regency architecture is worth a look, but i was too busy recovering from the pie to check it out.
walking back to the station, i passed a vintage shop with a sign that said "everything must go." i almost went in, but my suitcase was already judging me. gloucester's got this weird mix of history and chaos-like it's trying to be proper but keeps tripping over its own cobblestones.
would i go back? maybe. but only if i'm ready for more dodgy pies and damp shoes.
check out more about gloucester on tripadvisor or read up on the cathedral's history if you're into that sort of thing.
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