"Climbing Up on Salisbury Hill"

Salisbury is a small town that reminded me a lot of what one might think of when they think, 'British Town'. It had cute shops, adorable old houses, and a stream running through the middle. There were several houses all with elaborately decorated yards. And by decorated, I mean with plants. Many had rose bushes, daffodils, hibiscuses, daisies, violets, dandelions .. ok maybe I am getting a bit out of hand here, but they were very elaborate botanical gardens by themselves.

And right in the middle of the town is a giant cathedral. The spire is one of the highest gothic spires in the world, and it was difficult to see all the way up to the top without opening your mouth in wonder.

The building itself was very gothic, and made with dark stones. Like last time I visited, they were working on part of the structure, so some of the building was masked with construction, but it was still beautiful. Gargoyles and saints look down at you from the rock faced building, as you walk into the massive wooden door.

The inside of the cathedral is much the same as any cathedral. There are pews to sit on, giant windows of colorful stained glass, and a dark, wooden pulpit for the choir and priest to speak from. There is only one main difference, a large pool of water near the center of the massive building. The pool was added a few years ago in honor of the cathedral's birthday and allows for interesting reflections of the steeple of the church, as well as the stained glass.

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Our trip to Salisbury was a rather short one. We walked through the city and had a short break outside the cathedral near the park/green lawn, and then headed inside the church. There was a short man who gave everyone a very interesting tour of the place and allowed us to walk around a bit. He also told us that the cathedral's steeple actually leans just a few inches in one direction. But luckily, it leans into the wind, which means it is less likely to fall over. For some reason, that did not help me feel much safer about it.

We then had a delicious dinner at a local college. This was within the first week or two of arriving at England, and the dinner was probably the first balanced meal we had eaten since arriving. It was a glorious day.

Until next time...

Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin

P.S.- The title is based on the song "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel.

"2 is not equal to 3. Not even large values of 2." -Grabel's Law