My First Cathedral

I visited my first English city outside of Cambridge today. Since I wanted to make it a day trip, I stayed in Cambridgeshire and went about 18 miles northeast of Cambridge to a town called Ely. That's pronounced ee-lee. In this small, rainy English town rests an ancient cathedral. Ely Cathedral was originally a monastery, built in the year 673... No, I didn't forget a 1 at the beginning. The entirety of the cathedral was built in 1081, shortly after the Great Schism of 1054. It is by far the oldest building I have ever set foot in.
So after a 45-minute bus ride through open farmland that reminded me of the Midwest and some woodlands that reminded me of the South, we arrived in Ely. If you want to talk about architecture done right, look at this building. It was built completely by hand, centuries before any type of power equipment was invented. It's amazing to think and see what people can accomplish if they're motivated to make something for God. It reminds me of Matthew 26, when Jesus was anointed at Bethany by the woman with the expensive perfume. His disciples are angry, saying it is wasteful to spend so much money on ointment for Jesus, but Jesus says that this woman has done a beautiful thing. I think of this when I hear people say we shouldn't spend so much money and effort on churches. We all need a place to worship. Why not build magnificent structures with stained glass that tells the message of the gospel in picture form to worship in?
The stained glass in this cathedral, according to our tour guide, is quintessentially English. English stained glass nearly always has vibrant reds and blues highlighting the image it is depicting. They really focus your thoughts to the right things while you're in a place of worship, along with being stunning to look at.
I went here with four friends from Westfield House, making the trip all the more enjoyable, and I'm pretty sure we damaged our cameras and smart phones taking so many pictures.
To the left, you'll see me standing on the roof of the cathedral, looking down on the rest of the cathedral and on the town of Ely, able to see for 8 miles in every direction. That's a quite a view... And much cheaper than the London Eye at that.