American Cemetry in Cambridge                                              The Round Church                               

The Entrance to Magdalene College, Cambridge University

Day 69

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Cambridge, England

This morning Mary and I boarded the Cambridge City Sight Seeing Bus.  The bus took us on a tour of the city of Cambridge.   I learned that the only American land in the British Isles is in Cambridge.  The City of Cambridge deeded 13 acres of land to our country in gratitude for our American soliders who died during WWII. We did not tour the cemetery grounds but our bus driver allowed us to get out of the bus and take a picture of the monument and the American Flag.  Among those buried in the cemetery is the band leader, Glenn Miller and Joseph Kennedy, JFK’s brother.

The University of Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges.  Each college has its own set of buildings and each is independently run. (i.e. like Baptist Churches.)  There are also many churches within the city.  One of the most famous church is the Round Church. The church was built after the Crusades.  It’s round structure was designed as a reminder of the circle of life,: birth, life, death and resurrection.

After our tour, we visited Madgalene College.  This is the college where C.S. Lewis served as Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature.  We walked around the quad and toured Pepys Library (pronouned PEEPS).  We also spent time in the chapel.  As it happened, the Old Library, was offering a special exhibition of old manscripts.  One of the manuscripts was a letter written to the Chancellor of the University by Lewis accepting the position as Chair.  We were able to see the letter but we were not allowed to take pictures.

From Madgalene College we headed back to King’s College to attend another Evensong.  You simply won’t believe what happened there.  I sat next to an American couple from Northern California. She had just retired as a choral teacher and this was their first time in England.  When I told them them I was from VA, she shared that she was originally was from Falls Church, VA.  He was originally from Wheaton, Maryland.  He attended a rival High School, Springbrook, and graduated one year before me.  We surmised that we probably attended the same football game together somewhere in our past.  He also attended St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Aspen Hill.  This is the church where my uncle and aunt were members.

BUT that’s not all…the couple in front of us overheard us talking.  She turned around and said; “You wouldn’t beleive this but my children went to Montgomery Blair High School.”  It truly is a small world and we are all more connected to one another than we can ever realize or imagine.

I count it all joy,

Pastor Vallerie