The Cathedral is absolutely stunning, with an enormous west end covered in decor. Our first day here in Wells was a Sunday, so while Henry and I took a nap, Tom, Cindy, and Derek went to Evensong. Apparently, it was a beautiful service with the music of an incredible choir, trained at the Wells Cathedral School of Music that his links to a school founded in 909. WOW! Over a thousand years of music education in this city, the smallest city in England.
One of Henry's favorite parts was watching the clock. We were there at the half hour, so the knights rang the bell while we were sitting there. After that, every time we heard the bells he wanted to go see!
Today, our fourth day in Wells, we decided to sleep in, rest, and visit the Bishop's Palace, which is just behind the cathedral. Talk about an amazing place!
We did the house first, which was built in pieces by several Bishops, beginning in 1210 by Bishop Jocelin. Today, the Bishop of the Diocese of Bath and Wells lives in part of the palace, and the rest is open to visitors during the day. They've done a wonderful job making it visitor friendly, even for kids!
Henry's favorite bit was a stained glass puzzle on the first floor (not the ground floor, mind you). The pieces were plastic, of course, but as it was lit from underneath, it gave a beautiful impression of stained glass. He wanted to take the pieces with him, of course, so we had to explain that we leave toys in museums behind for other kids to play with. He really wasn't satisfied with that, until I told him we could go outside and run around the beautiful gardens.
And yes, they really are beautiful. About 14 acres of gardens open for visiting, including St. Andrew's Spring, where the city takes its name (Wells, you see: there is a well here. Very clever and original, I know). Henry ran about collecting sticks (as he does all the time now) and pointing out the beautiful flowers that have been planted throughout the gardens. It was lovely and calming, a beautiful outing.
We didn't feed the swans, but we learned from Neils, the man who owns the house we are staying in, that the swans have been trained to ring a little bell hanging on the wall of the moat when they are hungry. We did feed the ducks the first night we were here, which Henry thought was just awesome.
If you get a chance, do visit Wells. The market was also beautiful and delightful, with local farmers and artisans.
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