Thursday July 10 to Saturday morning July 12 – Coventry

Thursday was a "catching up" day, and for Bob it also included a good workout in the gym at the fitness club Angela belongs to. She walked with us to the club in the afternoon and while Bob did his thing in the gym, Angela read, and I wrote some postcards, downloaded photos to our laptop, and then prepared some for posting on the blog. We had a quiet evening at home with Angela and Ivor, chatting and watching some television.
On Friday we went with Angela on the bus into the city centre of Coventry. The buses run very frequently and it’s a much easier way to go into the city than driving and having to find a parking place. We walked to the old part of the city and had a stop by the famous statue of Lady Godiva riding naked on her horse. We’ve seen this monument many times in the past, but took another photo to put here on this blog. From there we went into the really old Holy Trinity Church, where Angela particularly wanted us to see "The Doom Painting". This has been described as "one of the most important discoveries ever made in the field of medieval art". It is believed the painting was created between the years 1430 and 1440. The Doom was so named because of the saying "Prepare to meet thy doom", and in the center, Christ is depicted raising his hands in judgment. To the left the stairs to Heaven can be seen, and other things pertaining to Heaven, while to the right the mouth of Hell is depicted, along with gruesome images associated with descent into Hell. The Doom became blackened over the years and was first restored during the 1830s, but it blackened and deteriorated again and in the 1980s it was feared the majority of it was lost. However, experts agreed on a plan of action in 1995, and renovation began, which was ongoing until 2004 when the finally finished work was publicly unveiled. Any history lovers reading this (Larry Slater, I’m thinking of you in particular!) can learn more about Holy Trinity at: http://www.holytrinitycoventry.org.uk
During the blitz of Coventry in World War II, Holy Trinity was saved from destruction, but the 13th century cathedral was lost, save for its spire and outer walls. The ruins remain beside the "new" cathedral, and have been preserved as a place where one can only reflect on the horrors of war, but where the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation prevails in the plaque at the altar in the ruined sanctuary, and the reconciliation statue built near the center of the ruins.
After lunch in the city we rode the bus back to Angela & Ivor’s home, by which time it was raining (again!). Angela then drove Bob over to her club so he could once more use the gym, and I did a bit more blog preparation work. Ivor cooked us a nice evening meal, and we had a fairly early night as we all had to be up early on Saturday: Bob and I to pack up and continue our travels, and A&I to go to a wedding near Leicester.