Walking through a Choir of Angels

We began the day by attending the Eucharistic service at Truro Cathedral. It is the only cathedral in the whole of Cornwall. Apparently, there was once a Diocese in Cornwall up to the end of the 10th century, but then it shifted to Devon. By the 19th century, the call for restoring a Diocese in Cornwall reached a fever pitch, and after 30 years of advocating, the people of Cornwall were rewarded with Truro Cathedral. It was consecrated in 1877.

The Cathedral is a beautiful building, towering over the city. Though it is rather young in English historical terms, its architecture fits perfectly alongside the most beautiful churches I've seen here. The only thing that makes it seem newer is the fact that the stone is so beautifully clean.

The Cathedral is tucked amongst the city
center buildings

Participating in the service this morning was inspiring. Once the church bells stopped calling people to the service, the organ began to reverberate throughout the building. And as the processional of the church officials and the choir began in a haze of incense, I was in awe. 

The choir was incredible. Every time they sang, I had to close my eyes. The sound was so moving. When it came time for communion, we were lead through the quire (where the choir is) up to the high altar. I cannot describe what it felt to walk through that tunnel of glorious sound, but it was transformational.

Here is where the choir of angels sang

After the service, we had a lovely chat with the woman who sat in front of us. It seems that our American accents were pretty apparent when we sang and wished everyone peace, and she just wanted to know what had brought us to Cornwall. Perhaps there aren't so many people from the States visiting this place. After our time here, I cannot imagine why.

One of the three magnificent rose windows
in the Cathedral

After church, we hopped on a train to Falmouth. I loved peeking into people's back gardens and just sitting back and letting someone else get me around (I'm so sick of driving).

Catching a glimpse of water along the train route

Boats at the Prince of Wales Harbour in Falmouth

Once we arrived back in Truro, we hopped into the car for a drive to a small but inspirational garden. I took a lot of photos, but they are mostly to remind me of what I might do in my own garden at home.

The private home of Poppy Cottage and the entrance to its
very public garden...we had to run across a busy road!

One of the many enchanting structures in
the garden

Fortified with a pot of tea and some cake there, we headed home, where I was able to play with our proprietors' dog, Dudley. We're great chums now. All it took was me scratching his tummy and throwing a ball for him. 

My new chum, Dudley the dog