Ely Cathedral and Wicken Fen

We've been out of touch for a couple of weeks. Marshall has been off to Hong Kong and Singapore. Vivian has held down the ship while he was gone. They did get to celebrate Guy Fawks day (bonfire and fireworks) and managed to slip in a trip to the War Museum. With Marshall heading back to Wilmington in the morning, we decided to stay close to home.

Ely is about 20 minutes from the house. It is famous for Ely Cathedral, a magnificent place that was constructed starting in 1083. The site actually has evidence of a monastery that stood in 673. The tower is over 200 feet tall. John was too young to climb so Maggie and Dad made the trek. It was quite the view from on high. The cathedral is noted for its stained glass windows as well. It was quite beautiful. We were also able to hear the Ely boys choir while we were there and the acoustics were incredible.

Ely is known as the capital of the Fens. Until the land was drained in the 17th century, it was basically a marshland. Wicken Fen is a nature reserve and is all that is left of the fenland. It has amazing trails all through the fens. There are Konik ponies and highland cattle. There were towers scattered over the walks that you could climb up into and you could see birds and horses and a whole bunch of other forms of wildlife.

Last stop of the day was a cafe on High Street in Ely. This was just down the street from Oliver Cromwell's house. He lived here when he was leading the rebellious Roundheads against King Charles I in the English Civil War.