Ely, UK, High Street - NOT amateur radio

This was Ely High Street yesterday in the pleasant spring sunshine. 

The cathedral is next to it, dominating the fen countryside. 

Ely is an old island, famous for eels!

See https://www.visitely.org.uk/ .

Ely, UK, market - NOT amateur radio

 

A drop of sun and everyone seems to come out!  This was Ely market a few hours ago.

Ely Train Station - NOT amateur radio

 

The photo shows Ely rail station with Ely cathedral in the background.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

 

This is Ely Cathedral from the nearby meadow.

Near Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

Ely is unusual in having a park with delightful views of the cathedral nearby. This is about 300m from the cathedral and is a delightful walk.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

This is called "The Ship of the Fens". It is on top of a hill and can be seen for miles, much like Chartres in France. 

The photo shows the view from the Almonry that has been serving meals since the 1200s.

Ely, Bishop’s Palace - NOT amateur radio

During WW2 my dad was a Pathfinder flying night raids in Lancaster bombers over Germany. 

Before joining flying crew he had to have his appendix removed here. It is now part of the Kings School.

I am sure he hated war.

Sean Henry statues, Ely - NOT amateur radio

At the moment there is an exhibition at Ely Cathedral of statues by Sean Henry. 

These are large and small and some are very realistic.

Ely last Thursday - NOT amateur radio

This was Ely earlier in the week. Ely Cathedral is in the background.

It is called "the Isle of Ely" as it is built on a rare hill in these parts. 

Much of the Fens area is flat for miles. It is one of the most fertile areas in the UK.

Ely waterfront - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned before, we went to Ely with a friend yesterday. 

This is the River Great Ouse, into which the River Cam flows is shown in the photo.

Peacocks - NOT amateur radio

 

Yesterday, we went to Ely with a friend who is staying with us. 

We ate at a small cafe at lunchtime.

Almonry, Ely - NOT amateur radio

The place in the photo has been serving food since the 1200s. Luckily the cheese scones are not that old 😉😉.

Ely from the train - NOT amateur radio

 

The photo show Ely as the train from Norwich drew into the station earlier this week. Ely is dominated by its cathedral on the hill. The River Great Ouse (into which the River Cam flows) runs through it. hence all the boats!

Ely snack lunch

On Wednesday, we ate at the Almonry restaurant in Ely. This is next to Ely Cathedral and has been serving food since the 1200s - that is some time!! Thankfully, the food was fresh and not that old. It is hard to imagine who was eating here back in the 1200s. I guess it was an alms house back then, giving alms to the poor.

Ely - NOT amateur radio

We went to Ely earlier today. This included eating in the Almonry restaurant that has been serving food since the 1200s. The food is fresh (not from the 1200s!).  

The collage is of Ely Cathedral.

Ely Cathedral Art Exhibition - NOT amateur radio

Today, we went to Ely. There was an art exhibition in the Lady Chapel at the cathedral.  It was very good and free.

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

Ely is about 20 minutes away from us by car. The cathedral, which is very old, dominates.

See https://www.elycathedral.org/

Near Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

 

This house was next to Ely Cathedral. I think it is either a cathedral office or linked to the King's School.

Lunch companion - NOT amateur radio

This morning we went to Ely Cathedral and had lunch in the Almonry that dates back to the 13th century. Imagine eating here then!

We had a companion for lunch: a robin that came to our table and, at times, was just a few inches away. I am sure it would have eaten out of my hand given more time. As it was, it had some of my wife's cheese scone when she was not looking!

Ely cathedral - NOT amateur radio

Ely is about 8 miles away "as the crow flies". It is about 12 miles away by road. On top of the hill is the magnificent cathedral that may be seen, like Chartres in France, from miles way. 

At one time, it was surrounded by marshy land hence the name "Isle of Ely".