Norwich Day Two Part One

Greetings! I started my second day in Norwich by walking to the bus stop and taking LOTS of pictures along the way to help me in case I decide to get lost again coming home this evening!! Not going to forget that mistake any time soon! This is lovely Norfolk County in the morning - I just love it!

This is the street where the bus lets me off - should be able to remember the name!!

And here, looking back, is the scene of the crime. Last night while engrossed in the sunset I took the curve to the left but I should have curved to the right!! I've got it sorted now.

Norwich in the soft morning light!

I quickly made my way to the cathedral - I have lots I want to see and do today!

The sun has burned off the morning mist and left the sky blue as blue can be - how grateful I am for the spectacular weather I've had - the sun and the cathedral go well together!

I'm happy I was able to zoom in on the "cock" on top of the spire; I would have done better with a tripod but I'm happy with this...I had to find out what the symbolism of the "cock" is and here is what I found...

In the ninth century A.D., the pope reportedly decreed that every church in Europe should show a cock on its dome or steeple, as a reminder of Jesus' prophecy that the cock would not crow the morning after the Last Supper, until the disciple Peter had denounced Him three times (Luke 22:34). Because of this story, "weather cocks" have topped church steeples for centuries, both in Europe and in America.

Before I went inside I had a look at some 12c ruins...

...and had to touch them...

...lots of ancient cottages around the cathedral - glad to see they've been maintained over the centuries...

Into the cloisters I go...this would turn out to be my favourite area...

...because of the stone slabs on the floor engraved with the names of those buried below...

..and because of the ceiling bosses, the green men, and the many stories being told...

...some were kinda creepy!

I got a little snap happy as you can imagine so I winnowed them down to just a few for my post...

...I think the artistry is amazing for the times...

...but they're everywhere!! So I decided to buy a book instead of trying to take a picture of every one!!

..oh, just a couple more but that's IT!!

I spent over 5 hours at the cathedral - relaxing in the cloisters, enjoying the sunshine and the medieval atmosphere, recording some of the singing and searching for the names of my ancestors - I found many!!

...the arches made excellent frames...

...oops, just one more...

...a lot of people stopped by to have their morning coffee, to sketch, to meditate and think...

...oh...more green men!!! The ones at Norwich Cathedral are among the best examples in the world!!

The most common and perhaps obvious interpretation of the Green Man is that of a pagan nature spirit, a symbol of man’s reliance on and union with nature, a symbol of the underlying life-force, and of the renewed cycle of growth each spring. In this respect, it seems likely that he has evolved from older nature deities such as the Celtic Cernunnos and the Greek Pan and Dionysus.
To learn more about Green Men go HERE!

There was a class doing some sketching while I was there...

OKAY OKAY, last one, I promise... - he's just so creepy!!

Okay, now into the cathedral itself! I lit a candle in memory of loved ones (my mom, my dad, and my grandma); it's the one at the top.

I took hundreds of photos but am only including a few...really! This was my MOST exciting moment - I found my surname in a little grotto full of graffiti!! The date underneath is 1645. Unfortunately I can't decipher the first name and not sure what the SC means in front of the date but it gives me something to research!!

This is the little grotto where I found my name!

I got rather a sore neck from leaning back and taking photos of the ceiling vaults!

Whoa!! The architects were amazing fellows!!

The wood carving in the choir stalls was incredible! But these seats must be for the boys as they are very small!

Gorgeous!

My new friend, Thomas!

I went back to the cloisters after visiting the gift shop and found some Cattons!!  I will check to see if we're related!

I'm such a sucker for a well framed shot!!

I decided to walk around the church to get some other views...

...and found that there are some sections that are really crumbling...

It looks like brick was used first, then faced with the nicer stones.

This section is much older - the carving is less mature...

These guys look pretty intense!!

...and that was that! I left the cathedral and headed back to high street - I've got some shopping to do!!

...but I couldn't resist one more photo as I was walking along...