To Worship at Ely

This blog is under construction and due to time constraints, I can only post pictures for now.
(No longer true. It cost me "time travel" into the wee hours o' the mornin' but the dirty deed is done!) Which goes against my grain totally -- I want to walk you through my incredible Sabbath rest here in Ely of Cambridgeshire - one delightful step at a time - ...*sigh*
But enjoy the visual side first then. I will definitely add more and perhaps change some, having a mere 137 chronicling shots to choose from! Digital immortalization...wow. Suffice to say - this cathedral stunned me. Check out the video clip at the end of this post for a dramatic audio experience.

We woke on Sunday morning to a slight but persistent drizzle again. Catherine decided it was a perfect morning to sleep in since we would not be leaving for worship till 1:30pm.
The dormitory of Robinson College was built 1981.
I confess, it's NICE to stay in something 30 years old as opposed to 300. Medieval architecture is a wild and wonderful thing to behold but I have no illusion as to the comparative convenience of amenities between our eras and the impact it has on daily life.
The splendour of the Oxford Dining Hall has been usurped by modernism here in Cambridge (a precursor to postmodernism perhaps? :)
Cafeteria style food service did allow me to stow a yogurt and banana up to sleepyhead for breakfast all the same.

Ely Cathedral should be counted as one of the seven wonders of the world. Five coaches left Cambridge to transport about 250 of us o'er hill and dale and since I had forgotten both book and ipod, I determined to simply admire the changing landscape outside my window seat.



The landscape was mile after mile of alternating flat wheat fields and heavily treed sections that were so close to the roadside, it made one want to duck for cover.

Quite suddenly, this mysterious monstrosity loomed large on the horizon and soon, everyone on board was agog & a buzz with it...




I would say, this would be the moment our jaws went slack to the kneecap and we pretty much stayed in that position for the next hour.

Sarah the housemaid here at Robinson offered me this anecdote when she saw what I was working on.
"Wherever you went in the Fen country you had only to look up and see it there, riding the sky like a great ship"
It's noted on the Ely website too...


Thus we roamed and wandered within and without for the next two hours.

{Our call to worship being 4pm, allowing us time for "due process" uhm?.....Not!}


Choir(s) were practising somewhere inside; we were treated to the distinct pleasure of roaming these grounds serenaded by something I can only classify ethereal.

I haven't been on the inside of too many cathedrals in this lifetime but I can say now that I would die a content woman having toured this one!

Words fail me.

The video clip at the end of this post grants you a similar if somewhat "diminished" experience - I thought the tour under the spell of music was the ticket...please enjoy.

What is to be seen beyond the castle walls?

Ely is considered originally to be a Norman castle of the 7th century...
People often ask why such a vast church was built in such a small town.
In fact the Cathedral came first. When it was built Ely was only a small settlement, the town grew up around the Cathedral.
The Benedictine monks only concern was to glorify God, and nothing less than a building on a majestic scale would do.

Understated in the purest sense of the word.

Mind-boggling rings in me ears...

Gargoyles. What hideous beasts, really.

(Do that in your best Brit imitation :)

Many medieval cathedrals included gargoyles and chimarae. The most famous examples are those of Notre Dame de Paris. Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has come to include all types of images. Some gargoyles were depicted as monks, combinations of real animals and people, many of which were humorous. Unusual animal mixtures, or chimeras, did not act as rainspouts and are more properly called grotesques. They serve more as ornamentation, but are now synonymous with gargoyles.

Catherine is convinced the human race was smaller in stature at one time.

We have a good collection of the most ornate doors -- some of which she has to literally duck under and through.

In the video you get a sweeping glimpse of this marblized sleeping bishop.

We zoomed in on this curiosity -- is it symbolic of satanic forces nipping at our heels all the way to our eternity rest?

I've not taken the time to research its significance.

Or is it simply symbolic of death, that last enemy?

Cambridge, England

It's Saturday morning and we'll be soon be boarding...
One last toot around the quad taking the pic's I think I may have missed.
I didn't make it to prayers in this chapel more than once -- I had the naive notion I could sit in the still cavernous cathedral for my personal prayers but no, I discovered about twenty others being led by a volunteer reading and chanting from the Anglican Book of Prayers.
It was a delightful experience and would have been even more edifying if I had thought to bring my reading glasses.
Those little prayer books induce blindness!

It was drizzling when we left Oxford and it was still drizzling when we entered Cambridge three hours later.

Not to worry! We suck it up true Brit style and whip out the ever-present compact/wind-resistant umbrella and carry on per usual.

Our walk from the dorms of Robinson College to our main venue (pictured left) Great St.Mary's is reduced by five minutes from the Oxford experience. The stroll through scenic paths, over rivers by bridge and aside parkland is MUCH more relaxing however and as such - it seems to take no time at all.

Note the tower of Great St.Mary's.

I paid a token of two pound sterling to climb its one way only spiral staircase to the lookout for some aerial photography.

Half way up the 123 steps, a group of five foreigners (they sounded dutch/german actually) were brazenly calling out their descent -- 'coming down'! they repeated in their thick accent.

At five to one my options were few, but fortunately, only a few steps down again there was this teeny tiny crevice I could stand in while they all passed by. Talk about intimacy.

My aerial shots were worth the effort however. The sun broke out just as I reached the pinnacle. :)

The famous King's College is pretty much across the street from this weeks main venue,

Great St.Mary's. Here's some fun facts about the beautiful building that dwarfs the landscape here:
College name: The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge
Latin name: Collegium Regale Beatae Mariae et Sancti Nicholai Cantabrigiae Motto Veritas et Utilitas(Latin: Truth and usefulness)
Founder Henry VI
Named after The Blessed Virgin MarySaint Nicholas
Established 1441
Location King's Parade
Undergraduates 392
Graduates 280
Sister college: New College, Oxford
Official website

Hurry up mom! The open air market in the town center runs

every day of the week rain or shine --- Which is a moot observation here in merry old England eh?

We enjoyed a late lunch since we are basically free now till attending church on Sunday afternoon.

The Cambridge Chophouse was a good experience...but when I ordered a glass of wine, he brought the entire bottle to our table.

I did my best to pass off as much as I could to my dinner companion but there was still a bit left :) MORE than a bit and way too much to leave sitting there -- (my bill made it clear that I was charged for it). So. Into Cath's purse she went and here beside the computer to help me wile away the hours, she keeps me company. A very tasty Aussie Shiraz called The Beak. It'll do matey, It'll do nicely.

Have I told you of the myriad bookstores?

I have already bought four and refuse to buy any more at this exchange rate. The boon would be getting penalized for overweight baggage on top of it all!

Amazon.com here we come baby!

I found this poster ironic and redundant.

Do the English not know that Darwinism is passe by now?

This type of militant secularism is precisely why the C.S. Lewis Foundation insists on setting up shop in Oxbridge.

FYI: Oxbridge refers to the combined territory of Oxford and Cambridge.

Punting on the River Cam.

We've decided to give this a whirl tomorrow afternoon - and pay a guide to do the dirty work & save myself some potential embarrassment...

(I think being chastened by a bronzed statue is enough humiliation for the week)
What is a punt?A punt is a narrow flat-bottomed boat that somewhat resembles a Venetian gondola with the curve removed. Punts generally seat up to four adults while a fifth person stands at the rear and propels the boat with a long pole.
The design was developed in the medieval period to allow for easy navigation in areas with shallow water. Until recently punts were used by commercial fishermen working the fens of East Anglia, but today they are almost exclusively used for recreation.
Poling along the river looks effortless and easy; a relaxing way to enjoy a quiet summer afternoon. Looks can be deceiving however, as steering a punt is neither as easy or effortless as it looks. For one thing, the pole can get stuck in the mud of the river bottom, and steering from the rear of a punt takes skill and dexterity.
Unless you are remarkably well co-ordinated, your first few attempts to direct a punt in a straight line will provide some entertainment for onlookers on the banks. Don't worry, it doesn't take long to get the hang of things, and it really is a great deal of fun!
Punting along the River Cam is one of the traditional delights of visiting Cambridge, and something that should be tried - at least once - by everyone! Punts can be hired at Silver Street bridge, Mill Lane, Magdalene Bridge, Jesus Green , Trinity College, or Grantchester.
The cost is in the £8/hour range, with a damage deposit generally required. If you are feeling flush in the pocket you can hire a chauffeured punt and relax while your paid punter takes you along the Backs, past the historic colleges of Cambridge University. often the chauffeurs are students at the university, and you'll be regaled with tales of Cambridge past and present.

The parkland is abundant.

It's so Narnia - the stimulus for Lewis' active imagination are everywhere present.

Barry, is this the Barberry hedging plant material that is banned in North America?

I think it has wee red berries on it and oh so delicate waxy fern like sprigs.

The wrought iron fencing along the walk is covered with this stuff.

Soon we board a coach for worship at Ely Cathedral.

Ever since first viewing the You Tube Video on Oxbridge 2008, I've been in great anticipation of singing inside this...this church (which hardly fits as descriptive).

I shall certainly make a separate post on Ely Cathedral.

The Kilns

This post is under construction until I can address the details. *12 hour time lapse*

This post is now deemed complete and includes a video at the very end of it for your viewing pleasure. It's a YouTube creation and I can't be sure that I've successfully placed it until I publish the post. I'll keep the fingers crossed.

I confess, that while keeping the blog is time-consuming, the time I spend here is therapeutic for me. I feel connected with you at home and I am simultaneously keeping my pledge to carefully journal this trip...thanks again for coming along and esp. for sharing your comments. If you have specific things you'd like me to cover, by all means, ask. I am more than happy to play historical buff wanna-be or adventurous tourist on your behalf.

Catherine and I are boarding the coach after breakie and setting out across to Cambridge (reportedly two and 1/2 hours away). I thought it appropriate to post our farewell photo to the Oxford dining hall -- a place we've called home for this week. What a week this has been!
We also enjoyed a lovely farewell service in the incredible cathedral of St.Mary's as well...but more about these things later. Catherine hogged the computer all night last night and alas - I am behind! I confess however, that being in bed with a good book wasn't a bad trade-off for a change. Looking forward to walking you through our next medieval city...stay tuned!

I went to the Kilns yesterday.

Sans Catherine who didn't want to sacrifice her concluding session in the Persistence of Vision Session. Whereas my concluding session with Dr.Mark Reynolds in the Christian Apologetics in the Spirit of C.S. Lewis was a wash-out by that point for me. The first class was spell-binding. The second class I simply had a horrible time staying awake, much less focused!

This old bird needs her sleep after all :)

Not only that, I had the chance to hear Reynolds' idol, Richard Swinburne, at the morning plenary session and I kid you not -- if 25% of the people understood a word he said, it would be a generous count. Here's a daunting curriculum vitae if I ever saw one....

Richard Swinburne, perhaps the most significant proponent of argumentative theism today, studied philosophy and theology at Oxford University. After teaching at the University of Hull (1963-72) and the University of Keele (1972-84), he recently assumed the position of Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at Oxford University. He was selected to deliver the prestigious Gifford Lectures in 1982-83 and 1983-84. Among his many books are Space and Time, The Concept of Miracle, The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, Personal Identity, and The Evolution of the Soul.

I'm quite serious about not being able to follow him -- I tried with everything I've got and I kept it up for the entire torturous 40 minute spiel. When the floor was opened for questions, a stream of young philosophy students came to the mike asking equally unintelligible questions. It was then that I threw up the arms of despair, in my mind. I shall bring the CD recording home and you can decide for yourself if it is circumstantial evidence of the impossible to dissect.

It was a 15 minute bus ride from Keble College. I must say, all this bus business is a novelty for one born and raised in the Canadian "country" ....aka uncharted territory for public transit.

The Kilns is the home of Lewis and his brother Warren and also Mrs. Moore and her daughter Maureen. They represent the widowed mom and sister of Paddy Moore - dear friend to Lewis who was killed in action during WWI. Lewis was honouring a pact made with Paddy to care for each others' families in the event of death.
Speaking of the Inklings, perhaps an explanation is in order. Catherine and I started our free Friday afternoon with good 'ol English Pub style Fish and Chips (oh yeah, and a pint too!) in the old haunt of the Inklings....

Here's what I dug up on that:

The Eagle and Child Inn (1650) is one of the most famous meeting places in literary history. Its peculiar name comes from the family of the Earls of Derby who who originally owned it and on whose crest was an eagle and child. The pub sign shows its origins in mythology, with Zeus as an eagle abducting the infant Ganymded. The pub is familiarly known as "the Bird and Baby".

It was here on Tuesday liquid :) lunchtimes that the Inklings met from 1939 to 1962.

The Inklings were comprised of Lewis, his brother Warnie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Hugo Dyson, Owen Barfield and I think one other whose name eludes me. No girls allowed, she sniffs.

The Brits can be a brute sort eh?

Don't forget, girls weren't even allowed to apply at Keble College till the 1970's???

....Don't even go there Joanne.

Here's the original pub sign which the C.S. Lewis Foundation gratefully rec'd from the proprietor's garage at the time they committed to cleaning up the Kilns and making it a heritage site.

It rests on the wall in the reconstructed library room and its a painting on tin.

His brother Warren did a lot a typing for him -- an understatement
to say the least. After retiring in 1932 to live with his brother in Oxford,
he was one of the founding members of the Inklings, an informal Oxford
literary society. He wrote on French history, and served as his brother's
secretary for the later years of C. S. Lewis's life.

The gardens are well-tended, much as they were during his lifetime.

This intellectual giant had a great fondness for wildlife & the outdoors

When Lewis (the confirmed Bachelor)got married to Joy Davidman, an American divorcee with two boys -- he insisted on reconstructing his favourite childhood spaces...deserted dusty attics one could call his own - private space to draw, read and create!

Lewis wrote many of his books, including the Narnia stories and some works of theology, in his study at the house.
It was here he married the American Joy Davidman in a late flowering romance - commemorated in the play and film Shadowlands. Lewis died in one of the downstairs rooms in 1963.
When Lewis lived in the house it had eight acres of garden. Now it is tucked away amid an estate of executive homes, built on plots sold off by Warnie after his brother's death.
The house is now in rather better shape than in Lewis's day, when friends used to call it The Midden. When Davidman arrived in the 1950s she found the brothers had spent nothing on it for a quarter of a century. It had mould on the walls, wartime blackout curtains still on the windows and decades of cigarette ash trodden into the carpet. She persuaded Lewis to spend money on the property.

The marriage certificate. I think you can see my reflection in the glass.

Well then, I guess now you know I was actually there!

Lewis and Joy met by correspondence first -- she was an acclaimed poet and writer in her own right and came to Oxford to meet Lewis and sit in his lectures.

Watch the movie Shadowlands (with Anthony Hopkins) to get an excellent notion of this romantic story....

I'm beginning to understand the wonder and intrigue of Lewis land. So much of it is wood and walking and talking with friends and thinking....

I should really have been in Diana Glyers' session about Doing what the Inklings did - How God uses small groups to encourage and transform us.
Ah well, there's always next week at Cambridge.

C.S. Lewis and the Heavens - Search for Meaning in the Sky

Sweet.

Formerly, this 9acre property was a brick making factory with two large kilns forging the clay dug from this pond. The regard and care it took to become the wildlife sanctuary it is today certainly found its' beginning with the Lewis family.

An aside, completely unrelated....

As part of my devotions here in England, I have committed to return with Psalm 19 memorized.

Here's what I have secured so far:

The heavens declare the glory of God

The skies proclaim the works of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech

Night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard
Their voice goes out to all the earth

their words to the ends of the world.... *sigh* so true, so awesome.