Ely

I’ve been through Ely on the train many times and always looked at the cathedral rising up from the flat plain around it as we went past.  Many years ago J and I went to see it, but it was the impoverished years of our youth and it was expensive so we didn’t.

Finally today we did – I am no longer impoverished, but it is still expensive – between the entry, the lantern tour and the stained glass museum, it was nearly £70 for the two of us.  I know the upkeep of this buildings is high, but it does not do much for the spiritual life of the nation if people can’t afford to see buildings like this.  And having paid the extortionate entrance fees, they had the cheek to ask for another donation which I did not give them.

The building itself is nice, but not in my top ten cathedrals.

What was good was the tour of the Octagon Tower – 170 spiral steps up to the roof.

Then you can peer down through the shutters in the lantern at the peons below, one of whom was J who is terrified of heights.  Here I am with the other angels.

When we got back to the station, our train had been cancelled.  I was discussing this with J and speculating on whether we should get a taxi back – the man next to me on the bench said “Oh the 19:07 is always cancelled.  The 19:37 is always ok”.  One wonders why a railway would be organized like this.

Late back and had a pizza outdoors at 9pm in Lynn’s main square – the “Friday Market”.  Norfolk weather is really wonderful.

The “pink palace” is the illuminated Corn Exchange.