Cambridge and Ely

The pace is picking back up as we headed out for our Tuesday tour. We headed to Cambridge first. We had "blue badge" tour guides. They were both very good, but not Suze the Great. One took those interested in science and one took those interested in history for an hour tour of that great town. (As a tourist, I certainly like Cambridge better than Oxford.) After the tour we had a short time to shop and eat lunch. We ate at Michaelhouse, one of our favorite lunch spots. It was a former church that is now used as a community center, cafe. I also saw additional portions of Corpus Christi College where one of my ancestors was a fellow. They hosted me for a private tour last time we were here but I'm still fascinated by the place.

Following the hours in Cambridge, we headed to Ely Cathedral. It really is one of my favorite cathedrals in England. The last time we were here it hadn't been hit by the tourists but unfortunately, that has changed. Now there is an admission charge, but I still think it is one of the best to see. It remains a community church with deep ties to the people of Ely. It has undergone few alterations and certainly no remodeling since it was built. Unfortunately, there was a funeral there today and we were unable to see it all. I think the students really liked it anyway. One of our students spent several years of her childhood there and sang in the choir at Ely. She certainly seemed happy to be "home".

On the way back to London, we stopped by the Madingley American Cemetery near Cambridge. Tony, our Westbus Coach driver, suggested that we stop there and I am sure glad he did. Most of the 3000+ Americans buried there died while in England during World War II training at the airbases or preparing for the Normandy invasion. There is also a wall with the names of all air men whose bodies were never recovered, including Glen Miller who disappeared in the Pacific. We have been discussing war and politics as a part of our Humanities class and several of the students have friends in Iraq so they were really thinking about the cost of war. It certainly was a moving experience for many of them.