SA

Day 6: Exploring Peterborough’s Cathedral and City Center

July 30, 2014

After walking many miles yesterday we decided to take it easy today and focus on the town we have been living in for the last few days. When you have no schedule, choosing the days activities is a lot more fun. Each morning we do a bit of research based on how we feel and set off on our quest. Today, we are exploring the Peterborough Cathedral and city center.

We took a taxi into town and went to find some lunch. We have had such beautiful weather the last week and today was no exception. We ate alfresco at a place called Wildwood. It was pretty trendy inside and had a great menu. Like every meal we have eaten, we ordered both appetizers and dessert. (Our main mission on this adventure was to eat good food.)

It was then off to the Peterborough Cathedral. Having been to cathedrals in France and Spain I had a slight idea of what to expect of the Peterborough Cathedral. What I didn’t realize was how nice it would be to enjoy. It towers above the city but is still nestled into the quaint city center. Since the town isn’t huge, compared to a London or Paris, there wasn’t a crowd or a hive of tourists. It was a nice quiet experience to walk around the feel its vastness.

There is no fee to enter the cathedral but there is a small fee to take pictures. I really didn’t mind paying the £3, but they seemed to only ask those of us with large cameras to pay the fee. No one questioned camera phones. It seemed like a small fee to help preserve the structure for years to come.

It really is a magnificent structure and the attention to detail, like most cathedrals, is beyond belief. The time and effort put into these massive buildings makes you realize their importance to a town during the height of creation. (I need to make an effort to see more American cathedrals.)

After an espresso break… a break that lasted about 2.5 hours on a shaded patio… we walked down to the river that divides the town. A young family was feeding the many swans and geese, so of course I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures. There are also a number of house boats tied to the side of the river. What an interesting life it would be living on one of them.

Since we only seem to eat on this trip, we then started our walk in search of a place for dinner. We have yet to have a night out so we found a pub full of people and sat joined in the fun. Many of the locals were watching the Commonwealth Games or playing Pub Trivia. We thought is was a good idea to head back closer to the house and go to more local pub but once we arrived we found it didn’t have much for late night fun. So, we walked home and called it a night.

(I have uploaded a number of photos the last few days without much editing. I thought it better to get them up right away then wait. I hope you enjoy!)

There is talk of us going to Cambridge tomorrow. It’s about a two hour bus ride and they have a thing called punting. (No, this is a not a sport.)