Second Sunday after Pentecost

This was a bit of a low-impact morning, which most of us rather needed after yesterday's strenuous activity. We were up and out in time to make the trek into town for the 11 AM Choral Eucharist in the cathedral. I was thrilled that our small group of pilgrims got to be about 15 yards from the high altar, with the imposing chair of St. Augustine looming just a few steps away further in the distance. We then had the afternoon to ourselves. After lunch, and some further poking around in the historic city center, some of us returned to the cathedral for evensong at 3:15. Yes, that does seem a little early for evensong, but it's rather standard practice in these parts on Sundays. As always, the choir was spectacular. Brenda and I enjoyed walking along the old city wall and through a local park, where we saw an extended family attempting to play what looked for all the world like baseball. Imagine that! 

Just outside the Westgate of the city, there's a pub called The Bishops Finger, which features a local ale of the same name. Brenda and I had arranged to meet Michael Barker, our omnicompetent tour manager, there for a pint before dinner. Although room temperature ale is not something I would ordinarily choose to order, it seemed just the thing to do on this occasion. Soon thereafter, the whole group re-gathered for a prearranged farewell dinner. It's going to be an early morning, as we need to have the wheels of the bus rolling by 6 AM in order to arrive at Heathrow in time to make our flight.