Ely

Ely

This is probably the hardest and most difficult blog to undertake. Ely and the surrounding area was my home for nearly 4 years. It IS my favourite place in all of England and maybe the world, but I'm biased.

Ely was the first place we visited as friends of ours already lived there. It was the reason we chose to live there, but unbeknownst to me, it would become so much more.

The perfect day in Ely includes having breakfast at Grand Central (the waffles) checking out the local market, touring the Ely Cathedral, buying out Toppings bookstore, walking the down Cherry Hill, having lunch at Peacocks Tea House, and perusing out Waterside Antiques. Also, a visit to Oliver Cromwell's home is an interesting adventure as well!

History

The history of Ely is long and pretty interesting. Ely was once an island, the island of Eels, hence it's name, Isle of Ely, derived from the Anglo Saxon word 'Eilig'.

Saint Ethelreda was the first to establish a Christian community around 673 A.D. However, nothing survived the Norman invasion. William the Conquer defeated Ely's stronghold and ordered a Norman Cathedral to be built. It took 300 years to build Ely Cathedral and towers over the city. The cathedral consists of beautiful carvings, murals, and lighting from The Lady Chapel and the Octagon Towers to the Stained Glass Museum. The Lady Chapel has an interesting history. The Lady Chapel has carvings surrounding its walls, called relief scenes. During the reformation, there was a call to remove all images from the cathedral. The faces of the carvings were individually smashed (save one, good luck hunting).

A famous character in English history once resided in Ely, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector. Oliver Cromwell is well known for his role in the English Civil War when Parliment and King Charles I majorly disagreed. He quickly rose through the military ranks though he had little training. He won major battles and was one of those that took the formal surrender of King Charles I. He also helped squash the Second Civil War and sign the death warrant for King Charles I, thus ending a monarchy.

Ely Cathedral 

There is nothing I can say that can describe the beauty that is the Ely Cathedral. Even pictures don't do it justice, but I can try.

On the Palace Green, there are numerous festivals throughout the year. I enjoyed going to the Apple festival each year and stocking up on Watergull apple juices. If you go, you can even see some Morris dancing! The Ely Cathedral even puts on a decent Christmas market full of various food vendors and shopping booths!

City Centre Market and Shops

The Ely City Centre has many shops for enjoying a day out shopping; however, I enjoy going to the market days- Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday (although Sundays are new(er) and wasn't all that great when we were there).

The City Cycle Centre has an assortment of goods from toys to arts and crafts to bicycle repair. There is also numerous charity shops- the British Heart Foundation and Wood Green are my faves- I've found some interesting finds. The Ely Gin Company variety of flavours to try. I'm a little partial to the Grapefruit Gin. Toppings bookstore is a bibliophile's dream! The store is floor to ceiling books! And it's 3 stories! There's also Mr. Simm's Sweet Shop that I frequented.

There are also pubs, butchers, bakeries, and more to explore.

Tea Houses

There are quite a few tea houses. Samovar has a nice selection; I regret not going more often. The Almonry Tea Rooms has a great lunch, not a large selection of tea, but if it's a nice day, you can enjoy the outdoors and a beautiful view of the Cathedral. Toppings 3rd floor offers tea, but I was too engrossed in the selection of books to check it out.

My most frequented place, and hands down the best for scenery, food, and tea selection Peacocks tea house. It's a pretty popular place and can have a small line (or large).nHowever, Peacocks is worth the wait! The entrance had an archway covered in grape vines which opens up to a small courtyard which you can enjoy the outdoors on a nice day. Wisteria grows all over as well and is so beautiful when in bloom. Once inside the tea house, there are 3 rooms, all beautiful and quaint. I love the mismatch teacups and saucers. My usual order is the Devon Cream Tea. All I can say is delicious, your own teapot and scones with clotted cream and jam.

Waterside Antiques

The antique shop is endless. Three floors of everything imaginable; from jewelry to coins to old books and clothes, writing tables, old furniture, war memorabilia, you name it. Needless to say I rarely left with out burning holes in my wallet!

The Cloisters is also houses antiques. It's a smaller place and quite tight; however, I did find some interesting pieces as well. They seemed to keep different hours. I think I always tried to go on a Tuesday and they were always closed!

Walkabouts

Some of the best times I had were with my furry friend just walking around Ely, through the city centre, the Environmental Agency, by the waterside, and around the neighbourhood. Throughout the year, every season, there is beauty to be found. I especially miss the foggy fall mornings.

I feel like I will probably come back over and over to this blog to add things that I miss and love about Ely. 

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Stratford-Upon-Avon

The birthplace of William Shakespeare

Stratford-Upon-Avon is a market town on the River Avon. Originally, its wealth derived from its market charter from King Richard I. However, today Stratford-Upon- Avon 27,000 residents share their quaint town with approximately 2.5 million visitors each year. They can thank William Shakespeare for the influx of tourism which has become a major source of income for Stratford. No visit would be complete without a dose of Shakespeare (although, the town and river side is beautiful in and of itself)!

Photo Credit: D.S.

I had previously been to Stratford-Upon-Avon, but didn't make it to visit any of the Shakespeare sites, other than just passing by the outside. The night before, friends and I had a little too much fun at the Birmingham German Christmas Market (it was so much fun!) that we only detoured on our way home for a recovery brunch and to just check out the town. So, throughout this blog, there will be some pictures taken previously and more recent pictures as I revisited the town to check off another literary bucket list spot!

William Shakespeare is revered as probably the greatest playwright of all time. He was born  26 April 1564 and died 23 April 1616. During his life, it is believe he wrote 38 plays, over 150 sonnets, and various other works. He married Anne Hathaway (26) at the age of 18 and had three children with her. His most known works were said to have been written between 1589 and 1613. His early works were comedies followed by tragedies, followed by tragicomedies.There has been speculation as to whether or not Shakespeare was the actual author of some works. Much is not known about his private life which may give rise to some of the speculation.

Shakespeare was an actor, writer, and part owner of play company called Lord Chamberlain's Men which was later changed to the King's Men. 1599 his company began construction on the Globe Theatre in London. It's believed he retired from acting several years before his death, but still continued to write.

He upon his death, he was buried in Stratford at the Holy Trinity Church. It is said that Shakespeare was superstitious and had a curse placed upon his grave of any that would try to move him. The first folio was put together by friends of Shakespeare to accurately record his works and completed in 1623.

Today, you can visit Shakespeare's childhood home, another home he purchased later in life, New Place, Anne Hathaway's childhood home, and couple other places. Also, the Royal Shakespeare Company is a major draw for anyone wanting to catch a play penned by Shakespeare. However, as mentioned earlier, the town itself is beautiful and worth just strolling and taking in the Tudor styled timber houses, walking along the River Avon.

Photo Credit D.S.

Photo Credit D.S.

Photo Credit D.S.

Photo Credit D.S.

Another new blog to check out: Cambridge