Manchester, UK
This photo was taken on the first day of our trip in Manchester at the Manchester Cathedral. With this sight being the first major cathedral of the trip, I was quite moved. In this moment, I had been awake for several hours and was a little sleep deprived. With the combination of the angelic chorus, the beautiful cathedral and the long flight I was nearly moved to tears. It was a magical moment, regardless of how tired I was, that I keep coming back to as I reflect on my trip. I really enjoyed how the city of Manchester was laid out. The city had a balanced mix of dated and original architecture which attributed to the appeal of this particular cathedral. When I entered the cathedral from the outside, I was facing a church with antiquated architecture that reflected my prior assumptions about what the cities were like prior to the trip. The city had a balanced mix of dated and original architecture that attributed to this cathedral’s appeal. The thing that piques my interest about this city is that it appears while Manchester was being developed into a major city, the people in charge of city planning wanted to preserve the historical monuments such as this one to keep the charm of the city. Some of these monuments (cathedrals, inns, restaurants, etc) appear out of place in a metropolitan style setting, but I think it emphasizes the idea of holding onto the city’s roots which seemed important due to the many images of historical figures around the city such as Emmeline Pankhurst and the Manchester Bee.
York, UK
York was my favorite spot on this trip. I loved the environment of the Shambles that led to this magnificent piece of architecture. When I pictured the smaller cities of England, the layout of York was what I imagined. I loved seeing the antiquated architecture everywhere and hearing the rich stories of the buildings. This particular photo was one of my favorites that I took on the trip (despite that I inadvertently photo-bombed my own picture). In York Minster, this room is hidden in the back left corner of the church. I wanted to take a picture from the middle of the room, so I had an image of each of the stained-glass windows that outlined the room. I was able to stand in the middle of the room, looking up and take in the views of the room. It was my favorite moment of exploring this church. I wanted to capture the moment with a photo with my phone so I could reflect on the moment later on. The room itself was breathtakingly beautiful with how each amazing window was symmetrical at the peak of the ceiling. The story surrounding this room showed how impressively innovative the builders were with architectural design. The room was circular with seats outlining the lining of the walls. As this room was created to be a meeting point for church leaders and clergy, the seating along the outside of the room allowed the people to hear each other without yelling over one another. The builders were able to track the ways that sound would move off of the walls in a way that allowed everyone to be heard in the circular room. York Minster was another cathedral that I felt made a huge impact on my trip.