Internals

Our sixth day on this Island takes us back into the mountains to this fine monastery. Here we see the inside, almost ready for prayer and mass. “Every year thousands of locals as well as tourists flock to the pilgrimage site of Lluc to worship the statue of the Black Madonna in the 17th basilica of the Santuari de Lluc. The religious and spiritual site is the most important holy site on Mallorca. It is located in a basin at a height of 525 metres and is surrounded by a number of high mountains such as the Puig de Massanella, all within the Tramuntana mountains. See PiP Enjoy full size.

A very rare phone photo here from me whilst on a lightning surprise trip to our capital, London. Part of this trip enabled me to see for the first time, the inside of this most precious esteemed building with all its delights of our worlds histories. Before I got to explore (we only had couple of hours) I spot two wonderful staircases of which one is shown here. I never did get to go up it. I could write and leave millions of words of description here but I shall leave the research up to you my viewers. Only I shall say: At the centre of the British Museum sits the largest covered public square in Europe, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court. Designed by Foster and Partners, the Great Court is a two-acre space enclosed by a spectacular glass roof with the world-famous Reading Room in the middle. December 6th 2020 marked 20 years since the redesigned Great Court was opened. In that time, 113 million people have walked under the glass roof. A place for all, free and open every day to visitors, the Great Court is one of London's most unique spaces. In the original Robert Smirke Great Court design, the courtyard was supposed to be a garden. However, from 1852 many bookstacks were built, and along with the Reading Room it became the home of the library department of the Museum. The department stayed in the Great Court until 1997, when it was relocated to the new British Library building in St Pancras. Now empty, the Museum took the opportunity to once again reopen the space to the public. See followable PiPs. More on the reading room: www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/architecture/reading-room ( I did not get to see this.) BooHoo Enjoy full screen.

A look down the nave of one of our finest cathedrals. The cathedral church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln is the seat of the Anglian Bishop of Lincoln and work started on its construction in 1072 to be opened in 1092. It is the fourth largest in the UK. PiP shows one of the outside street view. Enjoy full screen.

All aboard this vintage steam train carriage for our trip from Bridgnorth to Bewdley on the SVR (Severn Valley Railway). I know –it’s not exactly a row of benches but it would have been, some years earlier. Enjoy full size and enjoy your week in safety.

We are here in the York Railway museum, home to some of our most prestigious railway engines. This is the Mallard, officially the World’s fastest Steam Locomotive. This powerful, aerodynamic masterpiece rocketed to 126mph in 1938, a steam speed record that was never surpassed. It has been on display here since 1975 after retiring from service in 1963 It last completed a run in July 1988 from Doncaster to Scarborough and back. The need for speed Mallard is an A4 class locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. The A4s were built to power high-speed trains in the late 1930s, and their shape was honed in a wind tunnel to help them cut through the air as cleanly as possible—making speeds of 120mph and above possible. www.railwaymuseum.org.uk The Pip, (adjacent photo-best full screen too) shows the cab view of the Mallard. Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

A spectacular look at the choir in this lovely cathedral. It actually runs from west to east on our right hand side here. We arrived at the church too late for an internal visit but realised that we could attend the choir here for an hour. In the end it was full to capacity with the choristers' sat behind the candle lit places also to my right but not in view. Above me to my left was the majestic organ that together with the singers held everybody in thrall. I was amazed how good this phone photo came out as there was no flash and I noticed as I left that photography was in fact forbidden! Enjoy full screen

All ready for the daily ritual of dinner here at Penryn Castle. Seating for Lord Penryn and nineteen of his guest here . Strange that the table is set with sweet cakes and fruit but maybe that is how thing were done in the day. The paintings here form part of the collection of Dutch, Venetian and Spanish paintings. Great names included Canaletto, Rembrandt, Wouwermans, Ruijsdael, Belotto and Palma Vecchio. Many of these pictures can still be seen in the Castle and the collection gave Penrhyn its reputation of being ‘the Gallery of North Wales’ at that time. PiP shows the castle. Enjoy full screen.

A walk around the old stable block reveals this storage space which not only houses an old horse- drawn cart but these strange wheeled scaffolding devices. It looks like the central laddered tower may be lifted much higher, gaining access to high parts of the internal rooms of the house? Have a good weekend.