Day #3 - Coventry Cathedral

It is hard to believe that we have only been here for three days! We have done so much in such a little amount of time (including Churchill's grave and childhood home, Shakespeare's birthplace, and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre's production of "Measure for Measure" to name just a few), but at the same time we have had a lot of time to explore Stratford on our own. It is such a quiet little town with so many interesting shops and restaurants to explore. Personally, the candy shops (they have the best fudge here), Moo-Moo's Milkshakes (Nutella flavor), and dessert from the local tea shop have been my favorites! But we have also had the opportunity to sample some of the more "traditional" English food, including fish and Chips for dinner at the pub last night.

As fantastic as the food has been, though, some of the sights that we have seen have been ever more amazing and inspiring. Yesterday, we spent several hours at Coventry Cathedral. The town of Coventry was bombed during the Blitz and the roof and sections of the walls of the original cathedral were destroyed along with the majority of the town. By the next day, the people had decided to rebuild, with Construction beginning in 1954. the new cathedral, built beside the ruins of the old, was surprisingly modern, yet so beautiful in it's simplicity. At the same time, though, its simplicity is deceiving because every design decision, including the colors used in the stain glass windows, had a specific meaning or significance behind it. The most meaningful part of the day, however, was the Ceremony of Reconciliation that took place inside the ruins of the old cathedral. It was so inspiring to think that from the day after the bombing on, the people of Coventry chose to focus on peace and forgiveness rather than the sorrow, hate, or revenge. A plaque was placed on the wall of the old cathedral that reads "The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former saith the Lord of Hosts and in this place will I give peace." For me, this quote summed up the sense of peace that filled both cathedrals and the sense of hope that one feels after visiting.