The Cathedral

For the first time in my life, I got up moderately early on a Sunday morning to go to the library, and it turns out it doesn't open until 11, so I'm doing this instead. The reason I'm going to the library in the first place is because I have done no work this week. None. I don't want to. I had an abnormally long summer vacation, I have a bus pass, and there are things to explore here. But anyway--this is the Norwich Cathedral. It was started in 1096 with a bunch of things changed and added on. The spire was struck by lightning at one point, and a lot of things were destroyed in the dissolution of the monasteries in 1530ish/40ish, I can't remember the exact date. However, the spire is now the second highest in England, and the cloisters (that's the picture above) are the largest in England.

We had the cutest old lady Scottish tour guide, and it was helpful to have a guide since there was so much to see! I could've spent hours in there just looking at all the weird carvings and details on things. I just wish my architectural knowledge wasn't so BAD...it's one of those things that I learn and then immediately forget. I did get to see some things that I've read about in art history textbooks, so that was gratifying. I wanted to poke around in the pews a bit more, since a lot of them had misericords underneath, but all of that was roped off. I think I need to ingratiate myself with the Guides, since that might also get me a chance to go up in the clerestory, which would be sweet. I'll have to work on that.

The face picture was on the ceiling of the cloisters, which would have been used when the cathedral was still Catholic and a monastery. He's called the Green Man, and is a symbol of fertility (it seems strange to have that in a monastic building.) I thought he was really cool looking; the ceilings in the cloisters were covered with carvings like that.

It is now almost 11, and the library awaits. Argh. Enough procrastination for me.