A cold day in...

Ely.  Cambridgeshire.

We're getting back in the habit of weekend day trips.  Last Saturday we braved the cold temps and ventured a whole 30 miles to the town of Ely which is notable for a few interesting sites:

1. Oliver Cromwell's house:

2. The Ely museum:

The girls enjoyed the museum mascot - an eel named Neil - who had various questions posted throughout the museum and several hands-on activities.  They were most interested in the ancient fossils exhibits and the Victorian Life floor.  Matt and I enjoyed learning more about everyday life in England during WW1, particularly the details of the extreme food rations that were imposed.  At one point, housewives were asked to donate their aluminum cookware in order to build planes for the Air Force!  These people really gave up everything for the hope of victory.

Finally, #3. Ely Cathedral:

Yes, we've seen a lot of cathedrals and certainly they all begin to look the same after a while.  But fortunately for us, Ely has a reputation for being unique and sure enough, it had some new and interesting features that we hadn't seen previously.

Some extremely intricate stone carvings:

A massive vaulted tower in the middle of the transept (the original one collapsed in the 14th century, then was rebuilt):

And beautiful stained glass windows depicting Biblical scenes.  Can you tell what story this one is?

We had a good time quizzing the girls on each window and what story it represented.  It made touring the cathedral quite a fun activity.

There was even a Stained Glass window museum on the upper floor of the cathedral. The girls got some more hands-on play time whilst Matt and I got to wander the exhibits and read the history and processes of creating stained glass.

We also enjoyed a lovely lunch at a local pub (restaurant) and found a few treasures at the outdoor market (brrr!).  We sure do enjoy seeing new places together as a family.