United Kingdom
Ely

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    • Day 13

      Ely and the second week

      April 30, 2022 in England ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      This week was very fun apart from 22.5 hours of school. I mean Yes, I learn a lot and yes, my class which still consists of 80% German speakers is very cool and fun but its still school. We have some nice teachers which are quite chilled about talking, phones and not doing boring grammar but on the opposite side we’ve got some that think it’s a university auditorium and we are not allowed to have fun. And the thing that is most annoying is that Kanti Schaffhausen booked us extra lessons on Friday afternoon. WE ARE THE ONLY STUDENTS WHO ARE IN SCHOOL AT THAT TIME. The school’s student composition is also quite odd. There are only older and younger people but no peers (that’s one of my vocab).
      After the eager time in school, we always do something in the city. Yesterday we tried to get into the towns most elegant pub. They had a very strict security guards which didn’t gloss over the fact that we are underaged. We ended up playing billiard in a bowling centre.
      Today we visited Ely. Ely is an idle minute town next to Cambridge, which only earned the city name because of the impressive cathedral in its centre. That cathedral is wonderful. It’s a mix between gothic and roman architecture. Our guide told us a lot about the history and the myths of the cathedral and its bishops. No one dared to tell him that it was not as interesting as he might thought it would be. Next to the main cathedral is a smaller but still lovely church called the lady chapel. It was built to admire Maria. The guide told us that he thinks that the maria statue is ugly and has a push up bra. Personally, I think only the statue’s pose is weird, since it looks like she’s about to jump into a pool. Let me know in the comments what you think about it.
      After the long tour we walked through the small but pretty core of Ely. We were at a market and ended up eating the Sainsbury meal deal at the river ‘Great Ouse’. Finally we got back to the train station and took the train back to Cambridge where we sat down in front of kings college and enjoyed the great weather.
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    • Day 37

      Ely

      August 7, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      Where did Monday go?? That’s what happens when you get engrossed in family research!!! More lovely little villages, bad, narrow roads and dead ends!!! Moved ‘digs’ now right in Ely at a lovely b & b, very old a little tired but nice. Went to visit the Stretham old steam engine that helped drain the fens way back. Where some of the family worked.Read more

    • Day 37

      Cambridge

      August 7, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

      At ‘Shire Hall’ for 9.00 opening. Used ‘park ‘n ride’ as parking in Cambridge is expensive and busy love them. Research was reasonably successful. Certainly have other options for following through when I get home. Very helpful. The joys of being on site!!! Mixed feelings when I walked down by the river, there is still an Italian restaurant where Mike and I had lunch twenty years ago, went and had a coffee and watched the world go by. Spent all day researching, was looking forward to a nice meal. Should have known better. Ordered fish and a salad, salad rotten but they couldn’t really care. My wine was good so told them that was all I was going to pay for. - blank look, but not even an apology!! Poms!!! Of on my next venture tomorrow.Read more

    • Ely; the Eel Trail, part 1

      July 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      Ely is a cathedral city based in the Fens and about 14 miles north east of Cambridge; the Fens are a naturally marshy coastal plain in eastern England of which most is only a few metres above sea level - the city is built on an "island" of Kimmeridge Clay making it the highest part of the Fenland area. The River Great Ouse runs through Ely on its way north; the River Cam joins this a little further south at Pope's Corner, Little Thetford. Ely’s name relates to a time when the city was surrounded by marsh and its main trade was in eels - eels are still caught in the River Ouse.

      We follow "The Eel Trail" and start at Oliver Cromwell's House (he lived in Ely between 1638 and 1646); this was formerly St Mary's Vicarage and is now the Tourist Information Centre. We pass St Mary's Church and opposite the Bishop's Palace on Palace Green is the "Cannon on the Green"; this is cannon was captured during the Crimean War at the Siege of Sevastopol and presented to the people of Ely by Queen Victoria in 1860 as a war memorial.

      Just behind the cannon is Ely Cathedral; this has its origins as an Abbey founded in 672 and the present building dates back to 1083. Known as the "ship of the Fens" it is visible over much of local area as this is so flat. There are lovely views as we walk around it and then go inside to enjoy the cathedral itself; there is a contemporary piece of work known as "The Way of Life" (2001) and the nave is magnificent.

      A little up the road is the 14th century Ely Porta or Walpole's Gate; this was once the main entrance to Ely Monastery and is now part of the King's School, housing its library now; King's School is an independent public boarding school founded in 970 AD, making it one of the oldest schools in the world.

      We walk through Ely Park and have a magnificent view of the Cathedral before reaching the lovely Jubilee Gardens; there is a large eel sculpture as well as an 8 metre long eel mosaic made from shards of pottery uncovered by Time Team archaeologists working on the excavations in advance of the creation of the Gardens. The river is directly in front of us as we reach Quayside.
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    • Ely; the Eel Trail, part 2

      July 19, 2021 in England ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      As we walk along Quayside there are good views of the boats, barges and the marinas in Ely.  

      We turn left at the river and pass the Maltings (a Victorian brewery building beside the river that now hosts events, conferences and weddings) before walking up Waterside and Fore Hill to reach the High Street.  In the Almonry Wall opposite the Market Square is the magnificent City of Ely War memorial, taking the form of an arched and domed alcove within the rough stone wall.  There are beautiful old buildings further along up the High Street; after these we pass the Sacrist's Gate and Steeple Gate, both pedestrian entrances to the Precincts of the Cathedral. We then bear left at Minster Place to reach the Cathedral main entrance - the Galilee Porch - and close to where the Eel Trail started.Read more

    • 3. Littleport to Ely

      September 6, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      From Littleport railway station, I cross Sandhills Bridge and it is a 3 mile walk along the floodbank of the River Great Ouse to reach the hamlet of Queen Adelaide; this has three railway lines crossing its main street, each with a separate level crossing!  

      Further south, I divert to a factory area bearing right to Kiln Lane and the Roswell Pits; formerly a source of gault (aka Kimmeridge), an impervious clay, they are now a Site of Scientific Interest and a nature reserve.  There is an excellent view of Ely Cathedral from here.  I follow the trail along the river to pass Babylon ARTS, the leading arts organisation in Ely, and stop at Babylon Bridge for the magnificent view back; the bridge carries a private road to the various marinas that are on the other side of the river.  I pass the Jubilee Gardens and the Maltings (see Ely; the Eel Trail part 2) to reach Quayside, where there are lovely views of the marinas and various boats and barges mooring in Ely, before passing The Cutter Inn and walking to  Ely Railway Station.
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    • Day 66

      Ely - what a church 🤯

      November 18, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Ely, Elig, إيلي, Или, الی، کمبریج‌شایر, Իլի, イーリー, 일리, Ilis, الی، کمریجشایر, الائی, Ілі, ایلی، کیمبرجشائر, 伊利

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