We were glad to get back on the coach......the sea breeze had brought the colour to our cheeks(at both ends)....Though I wasn't cold(pushing the chair is warm work)......I was windblown.....and glad to rest my legs.
It was raining again too.
By the time we arrived at Exeter my tummy was rumbling and I was in need of a bite to eat.
The hot chocolate that ma had, had gone straight to her bladder....she needed a loo.
Now normally, the coaches drop us off at the bus station.
That is what I thought that Liam would be doing....and I knew where the toilet was from there.
On this occasion we were dropped of on the street near the Cathedral......I was flummoxed......it meant I had to start looking for a toilet as soon as we got off the coach.
I did find one, but it was down a load of steps......not suitable for Ma......We went in the Cathedral and asked in there.
A very helpful lady got a key out and took us both to a disabled loo on the Cathedral premises.
We decided that as we were at the Cathedral, we might as well have lunch in the refectory.
We both had a big bowl of the most delicious home made Tomato and Basil soup.
The soup was served with a very large rustic wholemeal cob and a generous pat of butter.
The food in the refectory is made by the ladies who support the Cathedral......all home made and we have never had a morsel that wasn't delicious.
Having lunched we went back to the Cathedral for our visit.
These great churches take a lot of keeping in good shape....and of course this is costly, which has meant that most Cathedrals do charge an entry fee.
There were people on our coach who didn't visit this beautiful building purely because they charge an entry fee.
We heard lots of mumblings and grumblings about it being a place of religion, and as such, entry should be free.
I wondered out loud, how many of these people who were doing the grumbling, were actually regular church-goers, and whether they attended their local church for their devotions. At a guess, not many.
The entry charge for Seniors was just £3.....that isn't a lot of money.
We paid our entry fees......I was allowed in at no charge because of Ma being in the chair, but I left a donation of £5.
I felt that the lovely place was worth that amount.(and much more)
When I go in these medievel buildings, I am full of awe and wonder at the skill of the men who laboured to create such beauty.......and with just their hands......no mechanical devices to make the work easier or lighter.
The men who started the work knew that they would never see the completed building.
Would never know the true splendour of their contribution.
I parked Ma in the Nave of the church and then went about taking pictures......it always feels irreverent to do this, and I try to do it as unobtrusively as I can.
We must have been in the Cathedral for over an hour.
When we came out the skies were still leaden grey and full of rain.
We only had half an hour left of our visit.
We had a wander through the shopping mall.......and nestled among the modern buildings is a tiny Church....the church of St Pancras......we didn't really have time to look inside, we needed to be heading back to the pick up point.
We got caught up in the traffic going back to Torquay so it was after 5pm when we arrived back.
Just time for a cuppa and a shower before dinner.
Ma said she was tired and wondered if she could have room service!
'No' I said.......'you can come down to dinner and torment with me'.
So she rested for a while in a recumbent posture......trying to regain her energy for the battle of the knife and fork.
I have cheated with some of my pictures......the Picture of the Cathedral with the beautiful blue sky is from a previous visit.......but the picture that i took on this visit makes the place look dreary and dismal........not what you want to portray when you want to motivate folk to visit these lovely places.
Forgive me......I'll say ten Hail Marys
I have added another couple of pics from a previous visit...better make that twenty then.
It was raining again too.
By the time we arrived at Exeter my tummy was rumbling and I was in need of a bite to eat.
The hot chocolate that ma had, had gone straight to her bladder....she needed a loo.
Now normally, the coaches drop us off at the bus station.
That is what I thought that Liam would be doing....and I knew where the toilet was from there.
On this occasion we were dropped of on the street near the Cathedral......I was flummoxed......it meant I had to start looking for a toilet as soon as we got off the coach.
I did find one, but it was down a load of steps......not suitable for Ma......We went in the Cathedral and asked in there.
A very helpful lady got a key out and took us both to a disabled loo on the Cathedral premises.
We decided that as we were at the Cathedral, we might as well have lunch in the refectory.
We both had a big bowl of the most delicious home made Tomato and Basil soup.
The soup was served with a very large rustic wholemeal cob and a generous pat of butter.
The food in the refectory is made by the ladies who support the Cathedral......all home made and we have never had a morsel that wasn't delicious.
Having lunched we went back to the Cathedral for our visit.
These great churches take a lot of keeping in good shape....and of course this is costly, which has meant that most Cathedrals do charge an entry fee.
There were people on our coach who didn't visit this beautiful building purely because they charge an entry fee.
We heard lots of mumblings and grumblings about it being a place of religion, and as such, entry should be free.
I wondered out loud, how many of these people who were doing the grumbling, were actually regular church-goers, and whether they attended their local church for their devotions. At a guess, not many.
The entry charge for Seniors was just £3.....that isn't a lot of money.
We paid our entry fees......I was allowed in at no charge because of Ma being in the chair, but I left a donation of £5.
I felt that the lovely place was worth that amount.(and much more)
When I go in these medievel buildings, I am full of awe and wonder at the skill of the men who laboured to create such beauty.......and with just their hands......no mechanical devices to make the work easier or lighter.
The men who started the work knew that they would never see the completed building.
Would never know the true splendour of their contribution.
I parked Ma in the Nave of the church and then went about taking pictures......it always feels irreverent to do this, and I try to do it as unobtrusively as I can.
We must have been in the Cathedral for over an hour.
When we came out the skies were still leaden grey and full of rain.
We only had half an hour left of our visit.
We had a wander through the shopping mall.......and nestled among the modern buildings is a tiny Church....the church of St Pancras......we didn't really have time to look inside, we needed to be heading back to the pick up point.
We got caught up in the traffic going back to Torquay so it was after 5pm when we arrived back.
Just time for a cuppa and a shower before dinner.
Ma said she was tired and wondered if she could have room service!
'No' I said.......'you can come down to dinner and torment with me'.
So she rested for a while in a recumbent posture......trying to regain her energy for the battle of the knife and fork.
I have cheated with some of my pictures......the Picture of the Cathedral with the beautiful blue sky is from a previous visit.......but the picture that i took on this visit makes the place look dreary and dismal........not what you want to portray when you want to motivate folk to visit these lovely places.
Forgive me......I'll say ten Hail Marys
I have added another couple of pics from a previous visit...better make that twenty then.
