Tom's Trip to Ely

Finally some input from England!  Tom visited Ely (pronounced "elee") today, a town about a 20 minute ride from Cambridge. A, or THE, tourist attraction there is a huge Norman cathedral once the site of St. Etheldreda's church and later a Benedictine monastery.  Later still, the monastery was dissolved by King Henry VIII.  Various restorations have taken place since then, the latest ending in the year 2000.  This area was once more "swampy" than it is today so certain wildlife were more prevalent--like eels.  In fact, taxes were paid in the form of eels and perhaps the name of the town was derived from that?? At least it makes for a good story for tourists.