Getting my Worcester Bearings

Guild Hall in Worcester City Centre

After returning the rental car first thing this morning, Helen and I did day one of Induction for new staff.  We walked through the city center on our way to the Hive--the new library shared by both the city and the university.

The Hive Library

Helen pointed out how delicious it is that the Queen opened the Hive.

The Hive is a wonderful facility and all very new and exciting.  I found it interesting that there was a cafeteria right in the lib AND that we were permitted to carry our coffee cups through the lib to our meeting room.  We were greeted with fairly extensive remarks by the Vice Chancellor (what we would call the Chancellor), as well as his deputy.  I was impressed by how open he was about challenges facing the campus, as well as the clear commitment to diversity expressed throughout the session.  The VC actually participated in an exercise we were assigned.

The induction continues for two more days, but meine Frau Direktorin (i.e. Helen) has absolved me from the remaining days (ta). 

Helen showed me the way to the St. John's campus.  We walked along the Severn River to the Sabrina Bridge to the campus.  I met our program associate Cath and saw the office where I'll be working.  I managed to walk back alone--without getting lost.  I can't believe how warm it was.  Wearing a black sweater set probably wasn't the best idea.  Still...it was absolutely beautiful.  People were out in droves, as were the swans.  The cutest thing was the throng of fat naked babies splashing around in the fountain by the Brown Hotel.  I don't think I have ever seen such chubby cherubs au natural.

I didn't measure how long it took me to return to the flat, but it was a good day to walk.

Helen, Katherine, Kaitlyn and I met at the Cathedral hoping to climb the tower so as to see a panoramic view of the city on this clear, beautiful day.

Alas, that wasn't to be.  Apparently, the tower has closed on all but Saturdays.  We'll try again.  Keep your fingers crossed for a clear Saturday.

The other three headed out for a cuppa, leaving me to wander about the cathedral.  I wandered about to get a general sense of the venue and to determine what to concentrate on during my next visit.  Here are a few shots from my afternoon jaunt.

The flag on the left says "possibly the most interesting of all England's cathedrals"

I love the British understatement on the these flags.  The Cathedral is VERY impressive.  The original cathedral was built in the 11th century--that's mind boggling.  There are a great many monuments and effigies throughout the cathedral.

This is the Beauchamp tomb c 1400.  I was fascinated by the woman's head resting on a swan.

This is the monument of the Earl of Dudley (1885).  The marble used in this monument is incredible.

My favorite monuments were the memorials to mothers.

There were two "authoresses" so honored.

And a clearly beloved wife -- this was my fave:

I love that she is sitting up, as though the sculptor chose to remember her alive, rather than in repose.

I've read a number of novels set during, or in the aftermath of World War I, and visited the War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle. I find myself more and more significantly moved by these public remembrances, especially in light of the horrible sacrifices made in the name of that horrible war.

 

This photo is the white square on the second step of the World War I memorial.

The photo looks like a little boy.  The thought of someone so young being killed in action breaks the heart.

The South African war memorial is also striking.

There's so much to see, the mind boggles, but finally it was time for a cuppa.

After a couple of hours' rest, my husband and I ventured out to get dinner.  We found a place just down the street from the pub where we'd had fish and chips the night before.

Bindles proved to be a marvelous find.  We had a delicious sweet corn soup, followed by pan fried sea bass, savory carrots and duchess potatoes.  To say the fish was pan fried doesn't do it justice--there was nothing fried about the flavor or texture.  The meal was perfect.  The flavors were well balanced and the proportions were just right.  We loved it.  We will definitely encourage future visitors to consider it as a dining option.

We ended the day with a little walk at sunset as the cathedral bells peeled.