Back to Somerset

Hey everybody, we made it back to England. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

We arrived in London on July 3rd and spent the night at an airport hotel to get acclimated. We picked up this cute Mini and headed 2 hours west to Somerset to reunite with Lara and Alfie (Welsh Springer Spaniels) in their 500+ year old stone home. We sat for them last August and were excited to see them again. 🐾

Oh these narrow lanes for two cars! 🚙

We took a tour of the Wells Cathedral - the first part was built in 1175 and it was modified and expanded over hundreds of years. ⛪️

There was a special event to look for mythical beasts. We found the dragon in the Nave. 🐲

The ceilings were truly out of this world. 🤩

The famous scissor arches were added to support the additional weight of the towers when they were added. ✄

The enormous organ pipes were still there but the organ was being repaired. 🎶

Stone steps showed their wear after hundreds of years. 😫

This clock had been running since 1392. Wut?! 🤯

29 seconds movie of clock chiming 4pm.

Pretty view of cathedral behind the Wells market square. 📸

We went back to the cathedral for the 'high parts tour' where you could climb up and delve deeper into the building. Lots of very old wood and lead in the roof. 🪵

This was a 'singing window' which showed the thick walls. Groups would stand inside and sing to the crowds outside during high holy days. 🎶

Oyster shells were used to space the stone blocks in the walls. Wow. 🤔

Old window in the 'high parts' behind the scenes. 🪟

We made it back to the house and checked on the chickens and waved to the sheep. 🐑

The dogs just fit into the Mini. 🐾

Lovely walk at Collett Park in Shepton Mallet. 🌳

Loved this repurposed phone box. 📞

I enjoyed reading while watching tennis and this was an engaging story loosely based on Wells. 📚

We went back to the cathedral for a third time to attend an organ concert. While the giant pipe organ was being refurbished, they had a temporary instrument. The sound was impressive. 🎶

Next to the cathedral was the Bishop's Palace (naturally). I had mixed feelings about how this and the cathedral were constructed but appreciated that they had endured and provided quiet spaces for reflection today.