Bury St Edmunds: A small town whose charms are first hidden by the huge Sugar Beet processing plant that is just off of the highway. Once we passed the plant, the quaintness of the village became apparent. Small winding roads took us up past the other great employer of the town, Green King Brewery. But the brewery seemed to fit the city; it did not overpower the surrounding buildings.
The real treasure of the day was the cathedral and monastic grounds. The church was not as impressive as many of the religious centers of England, but the one thing that they did well in its creation, was to emphasize the theme of the martyrdom of St. Edmund. Tapestries on the wall and stone carvings in the sanctuary showed how Edmund, the third to last Anglo-Saxon king, was killed by the Danes--defiled by his tormenters.
The far more impressive areas were the Monastic ruins. The ruins have been surrounded with some of the loveliest gardens that I have ever seen. Small pools set behind tall thicket walls created an atmosphere that nearly commanded me to stop and serenely contemplate the universe. Open flowerbeds, filled with early spring flowers, put such colour and beauty back into my eyes. In between these glorious beds, ancient pillars of mortar and stone reached up from the rich grass yards. After such a wonderful day my day was completed with an almost majestic sunset. As night drew near, we walked towards the theatre for the perfomance of Blithe Spirit. The town of Bury St. Edmunds was all the charms that are found in English villages.