All's Well in Wells

When we arrived in Wells on Saturday evening, it was jumping because of the market that covered the main street.  But in the morning, this is what it looked like.....serene, empty and ready for services.  All of Wells seems to be centered around the cathedral, which is just a few steps away from this scene.

 We decided we would attend church as well and checked out of our hotel, also just steps away (we later saw brochures touting Wells as the smallest city in England.).  And put the bags in our car.  Here is, in fact, that car, parked against the wall in back of the hotel.  It looks like it would be easy to back out, but understand we are driving through alleyways that were meant for horses.

 And we are driving backwards and on the wrong side of the road.  Suffice it to say, the driver had to be directed by the passenger with shouts of stop, stop, every now and then to prevent disaster.  As you know by now, we made it.

 Anyway, here is Wells Cathedral, much more impressive, I think, than the one in Salisbury.

 

  And the bells calling people to worship on Sunday morning were just gorgeous.  Here's a sample.

The service itself was almost exactly like a Catholic mass, except that the celebrant was called the President.  The choir was breathtaking.  Boys and men together with some of the clearest high notes I have ever heard.  Later one of the members of the church told us that the cathedral has acoustics that are famous and like no other.  Of course, he could have just been boasting.   Next to the church is the Bishop's Palace with a real live moat!  No doubt to keep the rabble out of the glory that was religious life back then.

 The cathedral has all these beautiful angles.

 And on the other side was this old street with houses for lay people connected to the cathedral.  At the end of the road is the old cathedral school, where many of the young choir members go.

As we were leaving there was a lot of hubbub around the church and the town hall (you won't be surprised, I think, to hear that it is only steps away from the cathedral).  And then a couple of policemen on horseback came through the gate and stood by the doors to the church.  There were a lot of local celebrities present, including all the mayors of local towns.  We asked another policeman what was happening and he said the High Sheriff was leaving office and his successor being sworn in.  Apparently the sheriff is a big deal.

Then it was off to Bath, a very different city with lots of tourists hanging around the old Roman baths and Pump Room.  This city also has a huge church.  What's really nice is that the city provides guides free of charge for visitors.  Here's Ally, our guide, who was lovely and normal and therefore could not have made it as a guide in London.

 There were a lot of street musicians in the center of town, including this fellow who played the violin while  balancing on a rope.  As we passed Ally said "What some people will do for money," and we had to agree.

 This is the most famous group of buildings in Bath--the Royal Crescent.  It is used by many movies as a  backdrop because it still looks the same as it did in the late 18th Century.

 And here is part of the Circus, also well known for its architecture.  What fascinated me was that all of the streets coming off of the Circus are curved so you only see buildings from the center, not the rest of the city beyond.

 We left about 4PM for our journey home, which was uneventful, thank the lord.  All in all, a great trip.  So I am almost caught up.  Next, Portabello Rd and Billy Elliott.