Tag Archives: cathedral

Exploring Zaragoza

I have made a couple of trips to Zaragoza in Spain for work. The first time I went, we got to the hotel at the end of the afternoon and there was a bit of time available before we were heading out to dinner. Consequently, I was free to go for a stroll for a while. The hotel was right in the centre of the city so I could get around quickly. I walked down towards the large plaza in front of the basilica cathedral. It was having some restoration work done on sections but much of it was clear to see.

The streets around the city were busy with people out enjoying themselves. Plenty of activity and places to stop and relax. The River Ebro is a short distance beyond the cathedral, and I headed down there briefly. There was also a market building close by which was worth a look. Since it was Spain, plenty of ham on sale there! There was also the remains of an old wall structure from long past in the history of the city.

It was a really nice chance to look around a city that I might not otherwise get to visit. It is a work trip so no extensive exploitation and the next day it was off to the factory but a good chance to be made the most of.

Chester in the Evening

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A work trip meant an overnight in Chester. I got there late in the afternoon as the light was already fading. By the time I had checked in and changed, it was dark. However, Chester is a picturesque place day or night. The many half-timbered buildings that still survive in the city centre are very attractive. Add to that the cathedral and the sculptures and you have plenty to see. I wander around taking a bunch of shots. I do think a visit again when I am free to explore will be worthwhile. In the meantime, here are some photos of the Chester by night.

Building A Cathedral On Boggy Ground

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Winchester Cathedral was not built on the best of ground. About 100 years ago, a major effort was made to save sections of the building from collapsing. A diver spent many months under water in the pilings beneath the building bringing in material to shore everything up. The effort was ultimately a success and some buttresses were added to take care of the rest. However, this all was done after the walls had made some significant movement. Today, this is still apparent when you look at some of the angles and realize that things are pointing in odd direction. The original stone masons were not inaccurate. Things just moved after they were done. Their choice of foundations was more of the issue!

Winchester Cathedral

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First stop on our vacation was Winchester. It has been quite a while since I was last there and I didn’t remember much about it. The cathedral is the center of the city of old and we had a stroll around to see it. Later, Nancy took a visit inside but I never got around to doing that. Instead, I have to make do with some shots of the exterior of the cathedral. It will reappear in another post before too long, though.

Re-Roofing Chichester Cathedral

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Chichester Cathedral was something I would easily recognize from a distance. It has, for many years, had a copper roof and this gave it a bright green color. It was very distinctive. When we were in Chichester this year, we walked around the cathedral grounds and they were working to replace the roof. Apparently, copper had been used in a previous re-roofing because it was cheaper. However, it was not an ideal material for the roof as it was not heavy enough and had moved in the weather allowing some significant water damage to the wooden structure underneath.

This is now being repaired and the roof material replaced with the leads that had been used prior to the copper. The project is underway in phases and has made good progress. Some of the exposed roof sections are already done so the remaining work is under scaffolding. However, there is still signs of the green roof. Soon the cathedral will look something like its original configuration. I shall miss the green but I imagine those looking after the cathedral won’t miss it so much!

Salisbury Cathedral

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We had a nice evening out with my nephew, Chris, while we were in the UK. He took us in to Salisbury for dinner. When we had eaten, he took us for a short walk through the center of the town and to the Cathedral. It was nicely lit up for the evening. I only had my cell phone with me but the camera on that seemed to do a reasonable job capturing the shot. I was pleasantly surprised. Just for comparison, I add a picture below of the cathedral I took a few years ago while flying over Salisbury with my friend Sean in his Europa.