A long walk along our local beach this morning, where as seems
usual in England now, the tide was out for miles. Interestingly, this
was a sand beach as opposed to a stone one, and even more
interestingly, there were lifeguards and warning signs about sink
holes that open up at low tide. Scary thought. There were also
horses on the beach, and on the way there, I got to pat one that we
saw in a field. Bribery in the way of fresh grass worked a treat. Very
nice velvety nose he had too.
We are off to the small town of Wells as I type this. Apparently they
have a magnificent cathedral and Europe’s most intact medieval
street. Will report back.
Well. I’m not sure what possessed Well’s forefathers in the 1300s,
but it’s true, they did build the very small city of Wells an absolutely
magnificent cathedral, not only with all the usual accoutrements that
one expects in a cathedral, but also rooms to conduct the business
of “The Chapter”’ essentially the governing body of the church,
which are still in use today.
When we entered these rooms, another visitor was singing a hymn –
her voice and the acoustics were very impressive. Other highlights
were the exquisite fine ceiling fluting detail which wouldn’t look out
of place in a modern design, the stone staircase, worn thin from 800
years of use, and wooden packing trunks from the 1,300s. There was
also a display of various implements from building and a man’s left
shoe of the era. It was a tradition of the time apparently, to bury a
shoe when building, for luck.
We also visited Vicar’s Close, the oldest, intact, medieval street in
Europe. Chris and I both expected a shopping streetscape, but it
was a row of houses, two sides off a cobbled street, from an arched
stone entryway. So pretty – each house was stone, identical, with
stone chimneys, low stone fences and wooden gates. Apparently
occupied continuously since medieval times. It was a little like
stepping back in time hundreds of years ago.
A short trip to Tescos to stock up on the way home and where we
are now. I’ve made a bolognese sauce to freeze, and Chris is making
Kylie Kwong’s omelette for dinner. Have to fly. There’s a cocktail
with my name on it….
Miss Baci Travels 