Churches

I realized last night that as of today, I only have a week's worth of posts left in this blog - that's right, you get just seven more of these (the astute among you will point out that that number should actually be eight, but I'm staying at Heathrow the night before I fly and probably won't have Internet access, smart guy). You all know I've never been one to shy away from a gimmick (Remember my Super Bowl Halftime post? Stupid refs...), so I figured I'd sum up my time here in that tired old style of the top ten list (though, for the sake of being different, I've gone with the top seven from each category). Today being Sunday, I thought I'd start with the best churches I've visited. Here they are in reverse order:

7) St. Paul's Cathedral, London
Because it defines the greatest city on Earth in a way that no other monument (even Big Ben) really does.
6) King's College Chapel, Cambridge
If you like fan vaulting and stained glass, this is the place for you. For my money, the best thing about it is the view of the exterior from the River Cam.
5) St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol
Sort of a miniature version of Salisbury and Wells. Queen Elizabeth I thought it was the best parish church in England, and I can't disagree.
4) Gloucester Cathedral
Ugly city, but the enormous window in the cathedral, the gaudy tomb of Edward II, and the vaulted cloisters (as seen in Harry Potter...) make it worth the trip.
3) Westminster Abbey, London
Because if they're famous, British, and dead, they're probably buried here. I'm still giddy about seeing Darwin's grave.
2) Salisbury Cathedral
About as English as it gets. The view of the spire from the sheep pastures along the Avon is probably the best part.
1) Wells Cathedral
The astronomical clock and scissor arches alone would probably be enough to put this way up the list, but it also happens to be a gorgeous building in a great little city.

Stay tuned for more of these. I'd give you all a teaser about what I'll post tomorrow, but as is probably obvious, I'm making this up as I go.