Embracing a moment at Ely Cathedral

The day started a with a startle. I stood in a queue at a shop. There was a man behind me. A woman walked up and engaged him in conversation. It seemed they knew each other well. Standing less than two feet away, it was hard to not overhear the conversation. She rattled off several stories in less than a few minutes. One story was about quitting her job to spend more time with her family. She said it in relatively bold way, saying, 'we have lots of nice things, but if we screw up the kids we don't get that back'. Then she talked about a friend going on vacation saying 'they're going to America, she likes to keep things boring and comfortable, but she did go to Abu Dhabi once'. Interesting. On one hand I took it as a nice reminder to speak politely, with consideration for others. On another hand, I felt like it was quite a judgmental soliloquy she gave. That was the first time I had ever heard someone talk like that over here.

I moved on very quickly from that experience. I began the drive up to a town called Ely. There are many signs in the UK, I especially notice all the signs on the roads. One brilliant series of signs are included in roadwork. "Kill your speed" reads on simple, effective sign. "Our dad works here" reads another with a photo of two young boys with hard hats on. "Be alert, mum's at work" says another memorable sign in the construction zone. I bet those are children are actual sons and daughters of that work crew, so I see many positives there.

Traffic was bad, so the car recommended a trip through London, or at least closer to London that I had ever driven. I must admit I was nervous for some reason. I knew about the Congestion Charge, but when I saw red curbs and Low Emission Zone, I really wasn't sure what they meant. I kept up with traffic and researched the signs when I made it back home. Red curbs simply mean no parking or stopping, low emission zone means you pay a fee if  your vehicle has high emissions.

It took nearly 4 hours for an estimated 2 hour drive. I stopped in Cambridge for food. I didn't have time to walk around the university because the last Ely Cathedral tour was at 3pm and it was already 2pm.

I made it to the cathedral in Ely at 2:50pm. I bought a ticket and the nice woman mentioned it was the last spot! I told her about my commute and she was quite happy that I made it in time and a ticket was available. I checked last night, I'm not sure its possible to buy tickets in advance.

The tour started with some nice facts. 1300 years ago the area of the cathedral was a Norman monastery. 800 years ago it became a cathedral. In 1322, there was a major collapse in the centre of the building and a stunning 'octagon' was erected in its place.

There are 288 steps to the top of the tower. The guide stops every 75 steps or so for a break. He also yells a few facts down the stairs which are spiral staircase, cold, damp and going straight up. What an experience. It actually crossed my mind that this is probably how directions were yelled in times of war.

The stained glass in the cathedral is noticeable. The tour guide commented that its all Victorian stained glass and they believe to have the largest collection of it in the world. I found it to be beautiful - very clean - very colourful - and tremendous artistry. 

288 steps west tower 

The bells for the tower were automated around the year 1700. They were done manually before that. The town of Ely used to be in marshland. There were many eels. So they named the town Ely and its pronounced EEL-ee. According to the guide, Ely is Britians 3rd smallest city. The smallest city is London because it is technically 1 square mile. I'm honestly not sure if that was a fact or a joke, I actually think it might be true.

The view from the top is fantastic of course. One of the first things you notice is that the roofs are inverted. They look like funnels as opposed to pyramids. The story is that most of the water in the area is saltwater, which doesn't work for making beer. So, the monks captured rain water. Supposedly all ages drank the beer.

After the walk up the tower, I walked around the cathedral. I enjoyed all the different areas. After awhile, I sat down because I just couldn't leave, it was too great of a place. The choir was practicing. They were practicing their magical collective voice, on their journey like so many elite voices before and after them. Their bold and gentle voices filled the vastness whilst cold mystical breezes whispered on my knees. I sat and cried a bit. I'm not sure what was happening. I thought about living in England. I thought about this point in history. I thought about family. Mistakes and successes crossed my mind. But more than thinking. I just felt. I could smell the fresh flowers. I got a sense of the pain and joy that comes in and out of the cathedral. And life. I grabbed it and embraced it for awhile. Strange maybe, but inspiring and enlightening definitely. Delightful.