American Cemetery & Bury St. Edmunds

On Sunday, to celebrate (American) Memorial Day we went to the American Cemetery in Madingley, just outside Cambridge. It was the perfect SUNNY day to visit this memorial to Americans who perished (mostly on sea and in the air) in the British Isles, Europe, and the North Atlantic during WWII.
















This War Memorial Wall lists the names of all who died from each branch of the military: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard.












The grave markers lie next to the Mall and spread out down the hill covering a dozen or so acres.











This is the view along the Mall from the Chapel.
















On the day before Memorial Day, the grounds were manicured and ready for the ceremonies to be held the next day. Each gravesite was dressed with both the Stars & Stripes and the Union Jack. It was a very moving sight.









This is the view towards the Chapel. The interior is tiled, walls and ceiling, with a beautiful mosaic. On the right wall is a map of the world marked with all the WWII battle sites (air, land, sea). The windows on the left side of the Chapel contained panels with the crests of all 50 states.














Here is the mosaic behind the Chapel altar. You can see how the mosaic stretches out along the ceiling, depicting angels flying alongside airplanes.


















Here is a sample of one of the windows with the state crests.
















This view of the cemetery gives you an idea of its expanse.













There are 24 graves of Unknown Soldiers in the cemetery. Each of these graves is also adorned with white carnations.














Here is a view down the drive along the field of graves that leads into the fields beyond.







After leaving the American Cemetery, we decided to take a drive to the town of Bury St. Edmunds.




One of the first buildings you can see as you enter the town is this lovely Medieval building.











The Cathedral Church of St. James lies on the site of a former Benedictine Abbey. This picture shows the gate to the Abbey.
















The Abbey grounds contain beautiful gardens like those pictured here.











Our visit coincided with the final day of the Bury Spring Festival.











The Abbey ruins are substantial. The whole area was filled with people enjoying the day and waiting for a concert that was to start late in the afternoon.












Isn't this old bridge gorgeous?














Here are the ruins of an Abbey tower.
















Here are Sara and Keith walking in among the ruined arches.








In this picture you can see the ruined pillars that held up the main tower of the Abbey Church.














This is what's left of the original Church.













The present-day Cathedral can easily be seen from the Abbey ruins.










This is a closer picture of the pillars, as well as the North Transept wall. It shows just how large the original Church was.












This is another view of the Cathedral.

















A close look at this picture (download it and use a zoom) will give you a sense of what the ceiling of the Cathedral looks like. It was stunning!













This is called the Susanna Window. Susanna was wrongly accused of adultery and tried. She is pictured in the blue robe.













The absence of a choir screen separating the two parts of the Cathedral (as in most Cathedrals we've seen) give this church a sense of significant depth and grandeur.














This is the High Altar with the Choir behind.













Here is the organ. You can also see the colorful ceiling.
















This is a view looking up the central, Great Tower.

















Here's what the nave looks like, standing in front of the High Altar.















Finally, here's a picture of the Cathedral Bell Tower.