Jul 2008

Last night we did not make it to Stourhead, but did get to stop at the site of an old castle and chapel called Old Sarum. Now only the hill (outside Salisbury) and some ruins are left. It was closed, but most of the group jumped the fence to look at it. Brooke and I stayed out and I took a doze in the lovely grass (I adored the grass in England!)
We could not have gotten a better closure to our trip than the visit to Salisbury. The cathedral (the old Sarum liturgy upon which the 1662 Anglican liturgy is based, originated here) is my favorite of all that we visited on the trip, although we did not make it in time for evensong. It had some unique features. Most striking to me were the colors used, like the deep blue stained glass window behind the altar and the various tans and other colors blended in the upper windows. The vaulting in the ceiling down the center of the cathedral had been painted in more of the same reds, tans, and other colors, unlike some of the other vaulting we had seen that was predominantly white or gilded or one color. There were also pictures painted on the ceiling. I could see most of the organ pipes, some of which were incredibly huge. They still had the large wooden semi-circular cope chest, too, in which the vestments used to be kept.
After seeing the cathedral we found a pub for our last English dinner, called the New Inn, and established 1777. The food was great. I ordered the cottage pie (like shepherd’s pie) and a half of hard cider (I had hard cider for the first time in England). The pie, drenched in this great brown gravy, came with good green beans and peas on the side. I grew quite fond of that gravy.
After dinner we drove a bit more to Reading where we stayed in a hotel for the night. It was quite nice to shower and crash onto the soft bed. Morning came all too soon, but we had determined to get all packed and ready and beat the guys to the door, so we had to get up on time.
Finally, after returning our royal blue rental van and riding the shuttle to the airport, we are sitting at a coffee shop enjoying a bit of breakfast. Josh and Erica got searched during the checking-in process because they had letter openers in their carry-on bags, but all turned out well. I think Erica had to buy a small checked luggage bag to send her letter opener in. Our flight home leaves in an hour.

What a treat Wells Cathedral turned out to be! That, I think, was the most moving of the Evensongs we have been to so far, especially for me because the last anthem they sang was the Tallis “If Ye Love Me” that Mrs. Norbut tried to teach the choir in Carbondale a year or two ago. (I love to remember now, after having returned from England, those moments of beauty. They are rare.)
Also while in Wells we ordered take-away pizza, which, unlike take-out in the States, is more like gourmet pizza. Father Boonzaaijer also took the ladies out for drinks and sent Josh and Nevid away to get the food and drinks. By this time in the trip, I was so tired that any alcohol just about knocked me out! But I managed to drink my half pint and walk back to the park in front of Wells Cathedral where we ate and watched some native college-age guys doing flips and handsprings, and the like. Free entertainment.
We drove that night to Wales to spend the night with Fr. B’s seminary buddy Jonathan Isaac and his wife Caroline at their beautiful home in Cardiff. It was a nice place to stay, very comfortable, and the fellowship enjoyable, but the visit for friends too brief. I liked how their house seemed all centered around the tile floors—it seemed as if the floor attracted the primary attention, and all the architecture and furnishings coordinated with and complimented it. The Isaacs graciously served us meals and allowed us to take showers.
That was yesterday—this day, or last, we came to Tinturn Abbey, which is an impressive ruin on the bank of the River Wye. The setting is beautifully wooded and hilly, which provided us with a place to hike for a couple of hours or so and eat lunch. Afterward we headed out thinking we might make it to Stourhead Gardens and maybe evensong somewhere.

Avebury is a large henge near a long barrow and a mound, thought to have been used for burying the victims of pagan sacrifice. Many great, gray stones form a ring inside huge green grassy earthworks. This morning was pleasantly cool, sunny and breezy, just right for the walk around the henge. Chris managed to hoist himself (a daring breach of rules) onto one of the stones to a comfortable-looking seat before we all walked over to the small church in Avebury (St. Peter’s?) which began as an Anglo construction and was built over by the later inhabitants. Features of all the various building styles can be seen in this church.
As I sit on the sidewalk in Bath writing, it is rather warm, though a breeze is blowing. The houses are not as white as I expected them to be, which some of our group said may be due to the time of day we are here. The baths themselves are interesting, and still have water in them (which is green with algae), which we are not allowed to touch because “it has not been treated.” It’s rather touristy. I especially enjoyed getting to stand and listen to the live piano music in the pump room, getting a brief look inside Bath Abbey, and seeing the columns where one of the scenes of Wentworth and Anne is filmed in the movie Persuasion. We girls took each other’s pictures there.
We’re sitting here on the sidewalk by the Crescent waiting for Chris and Fr. B to pick us up in the van, after which we head over to Wells to see the cathedral there.