Journey to the Land of Eels. Ely That Is.

This weekend, I went to Ely with fellow Petreans* Andy Woods, Olivier Gloaguen, and Erik Panzer. We visited the 900 year-old cathedral, where our College founder, Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, once dwelled and worshiped in the late 1200's. In this trip, I learned that Ely got its name from the large number of eels caught in the area -- I heard the tour guide say "40,000 in a day" -- in ancient times. The size of the cathedral is astounding, by all standards. One can get a sense of how this place was very important to the ancient people of East Anglia, as there is, literally, nothing else around Ely other than farmland and the River Cam. This point was made clearer at the top of the highest tower of the Ely Cathedral.

I wanted to see Cambridge from the distance, but it was shrouded by impenetrable clouds. Nevertheless, the trip to Ely was special; it was as if I were visiting my ancestral grounds. This is not out-of-place because there would be no Peterhouse, and in that case, me, a contemporary Petrean, if Hugo de Balsham had not founded it in 1284. In this light, I would just be some dude hanging out in Cambridge if there were no Peterhouse.

The following are images captured during my pilgrimage to Ely. They do not do any justice to the real place, but hopefully convey a sense of what the place is like, both in the Cathedral, and the town-area surrounding it. As it turned out, Oliver Cromwell lived in a house not too far away from the Cathedral.

 Left to right: Andy Woods, Erik Panzer, Olivier Gloaguen, wandering the streets of Ely.

Breakfast at Ely: a sausage, an egg, onions, mushrooms, on a baguette. Mmmmmm.

The Lady Chapel is to the right; the Presbytery is to the left.

The tallest tower is called the "West Tower."

Looking down the Nave into the Octagon and Choir Stall.

Proof that I was in the Ely Cathedral.

Looking up into the Octagon. There is a "skeleton" of an angel descending from the Octagon -- it will be hovering above a Christmas Tree which has not yet been erected when this photograph was taken.

Details of the Octagon.

Details from the impressive West Door, where the main entrance to the cathedral is.

Details from one of the beautiful windows in the cathedral.

More beautiful stained glass.

Looking down from a balcony in the lower part of the West Tower.

A contemporary installation in the West Tower.

Left to Right: Erik, Andy, Kelvin, Olivier, top of the West Tower of the Ely Cathedral.

A view of the Ely Cathedral from its own West Tower.

The Ely Cathedral's extensive grounds, as seen from above.

Andy celebrating the ascent.

Another scene of Ely, from above.

Olivier, descending from the West Tower.

Andy emerging from the stairwell upon descending from the West Tower.

My man, second from the left, Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, Founder of Peterhouse, with the Peterhouse crest below him.

A close-up of Hugo de Balsham.

Not sure what this is, but it looks similar to the Peterhouse crest. The main difference is that instead of coronets, there are Fleur-de-Lys, and instead of red stripes, there are blue ones. My only conclusion is that this is a non-Peterhouse crest.

Looking at the West Tower from ground-level.

Shortbread -- what I described as "an intense butter cookie" to Olivier, as approved by Andy -- and a cup of Earl Grey are welcomed treats on a chilly day in Ely.

Not far away from the Cathedral was Oliver Cromwell's house. We did not go in -- didn't feel like paying to see his house. Also, there were two scary pilgrim-esque figures standing outside the doorway.

*The term "Petreans" refers to members of Peterhouse, Cambridge, the oldest of all the colleges at the University of Cambridge.