tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post2688851477568014698..comments2024-03-29T08:14:16.520+01:00Comments on From My Mental Library: The Tallest Church Spire in the WorldLibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-1278584182773183862014-05-28T07:46:02.673+02:002014-05-28T07:46:02.673+02:00That it certainly is!That it certainly is!Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-25721162666972813922014-05-28T05:24:32.584+02:002014-05-28T05:24:32.584+02:00An amazing work of architecture and art.An amazing work of architecture and art.christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08717459430504797508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-86206972946455154002014-05-27T08:18:23.297+02:002014-05-27T08:18:23.297+02:00Thank you, Monica, for mentioning the novel; it so...Thank you, Monica, for mentioning the novel; it sounds like something I would enjoy very much. Have you read "The Pillars of the Eath" by Ken Follett? That is one book that impressed me very much, and I read it during my first holiday in Ripon. It made me see Ripon Cathedral with different eyes.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-54162714096757714442014-05-26T19:11:01.127+02:002014-05-26T19:11:01.127+02:00Wow, I'm impressed. You did a good job in this...Wow, I'm impressed. You did a good job in this post of giving us a sense of how high the spire really is, by showing photos taking from different levels like that. It is hard to grasp when just looking upwards from the ground. I was never very good with climbing up high towers and the like... Not even when I was younger. (And even worse if they are the "see-through" kind of stairs!) Seeing this reminds me of William Golding's novel The Spire which was one of my study course books in English literature at the university, way back in the 70's or early 80's. Can't remember the details of the story now but it left me with a lasting impression of the hugeness of building projects like this, and the visions/motivations behind them.DawnTreaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04533307672147117843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-78858208857806115802014-05-26T17:28:02.320+02:002014-05-26T17:28:02.320+02:00Same here, Jenny. I think of how busy the place mu...Same here, Jenny. I think of how busy the place must have been during building, and how noisy - but still no comparison to what a construction site nowadays is like, with all the noise and pollution that comes with heavy building machinery. And also, without any of the safety rules!<br />Sometimes it is obvious why people went to such great lengths, but sometimes I wonder what drove them to build something right there, in just such a way.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-79774174977938042092014-05-26T17:03:43.007+02:002014-05-26T17:03:43.007+02:00What an amazing place, and lovely photos too! Whe...What an amazing place, and lovely photos too! Whenever I am climbing up somewhere really high or difficult, I imagine the lives of those who heaved the stones up and trudged up there to work all day, originally. I feel this sometimes when I see that people have built up roadways on steep mountainsides....Jenny Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16881781466502273314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-38078974725981645502014-05-26T09:45:33.891+02:002014-05-26T09:45:33.891+02:00Thank you, Carol! I was rather impressed with the ...Thank you, Carol! I was rather impressed with the view through the gothinc windows, too, and the gargoyles are just too good to miss, aren't they!Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-54951601857372080392014-05-26T09:44:52.183+02:002014-05-26T09:44:52.183+02:00It is wise of you not to harm yourself with make-u...It is wise of you not to harm yourself with make-up that would give you infections or at least make you feel very uncomfortable. I am not much of a make-up person myself, and never have really learned how to apply it - I just take a lipstick and paint it on, or a bit of eye shadow, and dab it on my lids :-)Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-35034589737276276682014-05-26T09:43:33.594+02:002014-05-26T09:43:33.594+02:00Firenze is probably my favourite Italian town (of ...Firenze is probably my favourite Italian town (of the ones I have visited), and I've been inside the Duomo but never on the top.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-63032766518311623902014-05-26T09:42:52.641+02:002014-05-26T09:42:52.641+02:00You are very welcome, John, and the pleasure was a...You are very welcome, John, and the pleasure was all mine :-)Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-68552164046947057112014-05-26T09:42:37.161+02:002014-05-26T09:42:37.161+02:00I didn't know about the 20.000 people, but I d...I didn't know about the 20.000 people, but I did know that people used to stand in church.<br />Nowadays, Ulm is a busy town with way more than 5.000 people, and the Minster fits its size quite well. What I still find funny is that Ripon, such a small market town, not even a train station there, has such a huge Cathedral.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-26522152814658067642014-05-26T09:40:56.717+02:002014-05-26T09:40:56.717+02:00Für mich war's ein tolles Erlebnis, das letzte...Für mich war's ein tolles Erlebnis, das letzte Mal war ich vor fast 20 Jahren da oben!<br /><br />On Ulm Minster, the enclosed space is not too bad; actually, most of the climb up is rather airy with many great views. I wouldn't want to go up there on a very windy and rainy day.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-33242895310804313632014-05-26T03:59:31.395+02:002014-05-26T03:59:31.395+02:00Some fabulous photos here, Meike. Especially the ...Some fabulous photos here, Meike. Especially the first gargoyle, and the view through the gothic lancet window. xoxoxCanadian Chickadeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12995693884248628958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-25685486972709383312014-05-25T22:32:59.033+02:002014-05-25T22:32:59.033+02:00You are right about the eye make-up, but I can'...You are right about the eye make-up, but I can't wear it, or at least I don't wear it often. That's because my eyes are very sensitive and I easily get infections so I try not to put on any eye make up. Moreover, I don't know how to do it :)Saucy Sicilianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10044337117600868975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-77798936019860505072014-05-24T23:09:08.876+02:002014-05-24T23:09:08.876+02:00Once again I am impressed. I've been up to th...Once again I am impressed. I've been up to the top of the Duomo in Firenze and that has somewhere over 400 steps but I couldn't even do that now or if by some miracle I got up my knee would never get me down again. Graham Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196744947133121475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-13684628645728693312014-05-24T21:18:00.541+02:002014-05-24T21:18:00.541+02:00What an impressive set of views. Thanks for takin...What an impressive set of views. Thanks for taking us up with you - so much easier on my knees and lungs. :-)Scriptor Senexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17795521284516432520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-87731781997651062892014-05-24T13:54:01.165+02:002014-05-24T13:54:01.165+02:00I wish I could have climbed all of those steps to ...I wish I could have climbed all of those steps to the very top with you! <br />I read about this church and it is a miracle that it was not damaged in World War II.<br />And during the Middle Ages, it could hold 20,000 people (before pews were introduced) and the town only had a population of 5000. WOW.Kay G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07228498846814735537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-88077873803073158652014-05-24T12:03:46.757+02:002014-05-24T12:03:46.757+02:00Mann-o-Mann, das ist allerhand.
I’ve climbed up t...Mann-o-Mann, das ist allerhand.<br /><br />I’ve climbed up the odd spire in France and Germany, but too often I’ve felt sick because of the enclosed space and the height and I will never do it again, even if I could. <br /><br />Frikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04277167831642088694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-60803912469702403892014-05-23T19:16:14.502+02:002014-05-23T19:16:14.502+02:00Hmmm I can't tell exactly how long it took me,...Hmmm I can't tell exactly how long it took me, but certainly less than 30 minutes, because I started out at the station with about 1 hour 20 minutes to spare, and when I returned to the station, I still had nearly half an hour until my train arrived. So, counting the walk back and forth between station and Minster, the climbing up and down (plus stops for photographs) was probably under 20 minutes one way.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-55271097773898234092014-05-23T19:14:32.993+02:002014-05-23T19:14:32.993+02:00768 steps up, and the same number back down, are c...768 steps up, and the same number back down, are certainly a challenge even to those without knee problems, Kristi!Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-46848688856817354492014-05-23T18:39:03.034+02:002014-05-23T18:39:03.034+02:00What an interesting place! I definitely could not...What an interesting place! I definitely could not climb up there. When I was young I went up to the Cupola of St. Peter's at the Vatican...I think it took about 30 minutes. Saucy Sicilianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10044337117600868975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-11026438558075243192014-05-23T15:06:09.829+02:002014-05-23T15:06:09.829+02:00Beautiful, but I know my knees would never take me...Beautiful, but I know my knees would never take me to the top! Or if they did, I'd never get down again!<br />I remember years ago (really decades ago) seeing in the newspaper a photo of a matchstick model of this Cathedral. It was made by someone in Cleveland, but I couldn't find a picture online....Thickethouse.wordpresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17187303460677067276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-10901109640248277122014-05-23T07:28:37.319+02:002014-05-23T07:28:37.319+02:00And still keeps going into it - the work on that h...And still keeps going into it - the work on that huge building never really ends. They finish restoring one part and start on another; some of it dates back to the 14th century, and age, air pollution and weather have left their mark everywhere.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-23107736330866162682014-05-23T07:27:28.033+02:002014-05-23T07:27:28.033+02:00It really is a fascinating place, Julie. This time...It really is a fascinating place, Julie. This time, I did not hear the bells, but enjoyed the whole experience nonetheless.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949425054295660529.post-4163188881598585302014-05-23T07:25:37.122+02:002014-05-23T07:25:37.122+02:00I don't mind heights; when I was a little girl...I don't mind heights; when I was a little girl, I "had to" climb every tree in sight, and one of my favourite places was on top of a rather high wall where nowadays I walk past and wonder how I managed to never fall down when playing up there with my friend.Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05704656564078750607noreply@blogger.com