Home Again

Well, all good things must come to an end, and so it is with our stay in Cambridge. After a long trip through London and Chicago (and an even longer trip for Tom), we arrived back in Cincinnati. Our wonderful friends, Don and Sandy, met us at the airport to bring us home. Of course, first we had to eat at Cincinnati's most famous eatery:















Boy, had we missed it!














This was our first view of 'home' as we drove along I-75 into Cincinnati through the Covington 'Cut in the Hill.'















And while we're passing downtown Cincinnati, here are some of the sights. This is the Cincinnati Bengals football stadium, Paul Brown Stadium.














This is Cincinnati's skyline. The Ohio River separates Cincinnati, Ohio, from Kentucky.










Here is a picture of the Roebling suspension bridge (the precursor to Roebling's more famous Brooklyn Bridge). That's Cincinnati on the opposite bank of the Ohio River.














This is Great American Ballpark, also on the bank of the River, where the Cincinnati Reds baseball team plays.












In this picture you can see a few of the many bridges that cross the Ohio River, connecting Kentucky to Ohio.













Here's a peaceful view of the Ohio River, just south of the city center, at the Anderson Ferry.













Deb had a blast cooking with her old pots, pans, utensils, etc.
















Finally, we are settled in 'home sweet home.' Cheers all!

Cambridge Churches II: Round Church, All Saints, St. Giles, St. Peters

The Round Church, pictured here, is one of only 4 round churches in England. It is modeled after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.











Here's the dome. Even though it is much smaller than other domes we've seen in many churches, it is still striking architecturally.














The round Romanesque arches indicate how ancient this church is.















The bases of the hammer beams were fitted with these beautiful carved angels.












This is the main altar. The glass depicts St. George and St. Andrew on either side of the robed Risen Christ.


















Here's a close-up of the stained glass.
















Circling the dome were these bosses. Although they weren't 'Green Man' bosses, the facial expressions were interesting.














Here's one more view of the arches within the circular rotunda of the church.
















All Saints Church is protected by a trust. It is no longer in use as a church, and we had to go call for the key to enter.














Inside the church it was dark but extremely colorful. The walls were stencilled in reds, yellows, greens, pinks, etc. Here is one of the interior doors.















The walls also contained bible passages, like this.










Here is the painting that hangs over the Baptismal font. It shows Jesus calling the children.










This picture shows a corner of the church. You can see the many different colors and painted wall patterns.












This is one of two Baptismal fonts in the church.
















This is the front of the ambo (the pulpit). It actually contains 4 of these panels.















This gorgeous window is the great East window, behind the altar.










Here is the nave of the church.


















All the stained glass windows were beautiful.











Here we are with Fra' Lawrence Lew, a Dominican friend from Cambridge Blackfriars and author of Contemplata aliis Tradere, a Catholic blog "on matters mainly theological, philosophical and ecclesiastical."











And here's a good family picture taken inside of All Saints.











We passed this church, St. Giles, nearly every day. It is located at the bottom of Castle Hill on the way into town.













Here's the nave of the church. The plain exterior hides the lovely interior, from the windows to the altar.
















A statue of the Good Shepherd. . .















. . . and the Madonna and Child.

















The windows in the church contain an image of a famous figure. Most, but not all, were saints. Here is St. Catharine of Siena.














And this is St. Ignatius of Antioch. The windows were absolutely gorgeous! Danny took a picture of every one!
















We visited the church during their flower festival, celebrating the completion of a 2-plus year renovation project. The artistic flower displays were spectacular as well.

This one is called 'All Souls.'















This display was called 'Christ Church.'















The reredos on the altar was an absolutely stunning mosaic.










This picture shows the screen. It's hard to see, but the cricufix is suspended from the ceiling above the screen.




















This crucifix stands at the entrance to St. Giles' Church.














St. Peter's Church lies across the street from St. Giles' Church. Like several other ancient churches in Cambridge, it's no longer in use, but is open to the public.

















St. Peter's Church is tiny: it seats probably 30-40 people at most. It is a simple space, without much decoration.















This picture shows the entire church!






















This Baptismal font in the back of the church dates from the 13th century.

Cambridge Churches I: Great St. Mary's, St. Bene't, St. Botolph's, Little St. Mary's

Great St. Mary's Church, pictured here, is the University Church. It's located in the center of the city.

















In front of this church books were burned at the time of the Dissolution. Also, here is where the initial mile-marker is located for the London road, the first measurements of their kind in England. There are approximately 16 others along Trumpington Street going south out of Cambridge.











Here is the main altar.
















The church is lined with beautiful windows above the arches as well.










Deb loved these details on the pews. There were many mythical creatures as well as the fleur-de-lis.
















There was no 'Lady Chapel' per se, but this icon and small statue were beautiful.
















From the Tower of Great St. Mary's, the views of the city were wonderful. Here you can see Gonville and Caius College, Trinity College and St. John's Chapel.











The street on the right in this picture is King's Parade. The main gate to King's College is to the right, as is King's College Chapel.












Here's an aerial view of Deb's favorite place to shop: THE MARKET!









The view of King's College Chapel was terrific.













This is the Senate House. Student's take their exit examinations here. Then their scores are posted on large boards, for all to see, in front of the building.











This is St. Bene't Church (short for Benedict). The tower you see is the oldest structure in Cambridge, and dates from Saxon times.
















The interior is simple but beautiful. Here is the main altar.
















There were carvings like this one at the foot of the ceiling beams all along the nave.
















This picture beautifully shows the ancient Norman/Saxon arches.














There was no Lady Chapel since the church was so small. However, this Madonna and Child statue was there.

















Here's a sample of the stained glass windows.
















This iron sculpture was found in a prominent corner in the church.











This alcove wass part of the entryway to the church. The windows were lovely.









St. Botolph's Church, pictured here, sits directly across the street from Little St. Mary's (pictured below).













Here's the main altar. Again, it was a small church, and quite simple inside.















This is a sample of the beautiful stained glass windows.
















This picture, of the nave of St. Botolph's makes it look larger than it actually is. Here you can see Tom and Claire sitting in a pew. You are looking from the altar to the entrance.















This view is from the entrance of the church, looking up the nave to the altar.















The last church on this post is called Little St. Mary's Church. It is located next to Peterhouse College (the oldest of Cambridge's colleges) and was actually the chapel for Peterhouse 600-700 years ago.















With the summer greenery, it's hard to see the entire church. Here is a picture of the side.










In this photo, you are looking at the nave and the main altar.

















The Baptismal font was gorgeous, and had several crests lining it, including the seal of the city of Cambridge (in the middle here).
















In the early history of the church, this was part of the altar screen. The intricacy of the carvings was amazing! Now this screen lines the back wall of the church.












This stained glass window is in back of the altar (the Great East Window).














Here is one final view of the nave of Little St. Mary's.