Don't you wish that I didn't write so much?

Today after church I went with my friend Ruth (who is one of the BYU students studying at Kings College) to the Kings College Chapel, which is said to be ranked a special number out of all of the British Chapels. But I don't know how special. . .but it is breathtaking.
It's different in architecture from the Canterbury cathedral because it has "fan buttresses" instead of the typical buttresses, making for a really pretty design on the ceiling. It's a good thing I don't go to church here because my neck would hurt from always looking up.
The Kings Chapel was started in the 15th century, commissioned by King Henry VI, I believe, and it took about 90 years to build. It, like the other chapels, has really pretty stained glass windows and hand carved wood and stone work. It also has a pretty controversial altar piece by Rubens; it was really pretty but I couldn't take a picture of it.
I dare somebody to count how many times I used the word "pretty" in this post.
IT'S SO PRETTY!!!

Canterbury Cathedral. . .8/4/07

This was an awesome trip because all I had to do was get on the bus and follow the train. It was so nice not to have to be staring at a map or making sure I'm getting on the right train and such. It was a pretty long train ride to Canterbury, which is in Kent, about 2 1/2 hours away from Cambridge. But that was on a bus. . .of course the bus and taxi drivers here think they're driving sports cars. . .anyway, it's southeast, relatively close to Dover. The town is small, but it's a huge tourist attraction because of its medieval cathedral and ancient roman ruins. [editor's note: there is a fire somewhere because it smells like smoke. But I don't think it's my dorm, so don't worry. If it is, I'll keep you posted. I just needed to comment on it.] The streets are super narrow with charming stone roads and beautiful old buildings, and it's really interesting to note that the gate to the cathedral is in the middle of a line of stores. But the gate was there first, ok? The cathedral is enormous. It always blows me away to look at these huge buildings, but not just because they're aesthetically pleasing, but to think about how they were made thousands of years before cranes and steel and hard hats. And all the craftsmanship is done by hand, which makes it so much more amazing. The cathedral started out as a smaller wooden castle, then upgraded to a stone church, and then added on for a monastery, with a couple more wings added here and the roof raised there. . . but it looks so consistent. The ceiling in the main nave, which is the long narrow part of the cathedral, has these un-real super high vaulted ceilings with beautiful flying buttresses. We had a guided tour that lasted about an hour and a half, but then I spent another thirty minutes wandering around. There are so many stories and great history associated with the building, but I won't get into it here because I already write too much; suffice it to say that I was enthralled.
I tried to take a picture of myself to prove to you that I was there, but it didn't work very well because I'm not very tall and my arms are pretty short.
I ate my subway sandwich (I broke my promise again because it was cheap---er) in the plaza out in front of the gate, where I was serenaded by a guitarist, a violinist, and then two guys on guitars. Luckily, they all took their turns and didn't play at the same time. I wonder if there is a sign up sheet to perform (and put your hat out for coins) in the plaza? I should see about that because I can sing "Sweet Home Alabama" just as well as they can. The violinist was really good though.
Before we met to take the bus home, I went into the cathedral for "Evensong," which is an evening church service. I wanted to hear the music there, and it turned out to be a choir from Christ's Church University in Kentucky. I think. Pretty random, but it was absolutely astounding. I could only stay for 15 minutes, but I'm glad I did. So pretty.

Hangin' with Jane. . .8/3/07

Hey y'all. So. Friday we didn't have class because it was the end of Term I and a lot of people went home, so I thought I'd head to the southwest quarter of the country and visit Jane Austen's home and maybe Bath. I was on the train to Alton, (Jane lived in Chawton. . .about 2 miles away,) but this man decided to kill himself in front of my train. . .so we were on the tracks for about an hour and a half while they took care of everything, including inspecting the train for damage. It was pretty crazy and not only did it mess up my time-frames, but it put a damper on the activities. Know what I mean? So don't ever jump in front of a train. It was sad, though. BUT, then when I got to Jane's house, it was cool. They have turned it into a museum, as they do with many many old houses here, and have a lot of things that belonged to her and her family. It was cool to see things like quilts that she made with her mom and sisters and the writing table she used to write at. And like most of the houses here, the rooms were small but it was beautiful.
I didn't have time to go to Bath, but the train ride home was uneventful, which was nice. I love riding the trains because I get to see so much of the English country side. I wish I could take good pictures off the train, but they never work out. You'll just have to trust me when I say it is beautiful. Unless you don't want to trust me, then you can come see for yourself.
PS. Just so you know, the lady in the picture is just a mannequin, not Jane. However, the embroidered collar on the wall behind the beautiful woman statue is said to have been made by Ms. Austen.