Fountain Abbey

Fountain Abbey...

How we had not heard of this place until we went is beyond me! We spent a wonderful rainy day in one of the biggest Abbey ruins in England. This Abbey back in the day was actually like a self sustaining village with everything from a bakery, brewery, guesthouse and all sorts of living quarters. It owned all sorts of land all around the area. At certain times during the year it housed up to 400 monks, which was obvious by it's gigantic size! 
While we were there we joined in on one of the free tours to learn more about it. Nel wasn't the biggest fan of standing in one place for long...I wish that I had freshened up on all of the cathedral architecture knowledge I "learned" (and forgot) in my art history classes. I was struggling a bit...

the side halls in the nauve

We walked to Anne Boleyn's seat, which was a viewpoint of the Abbey from across the river and up on hill. Unfortunately the vegetation had filled in from the summer and the Abbey was not as visible as it would be in the winter. It was fun to hear that Angie had been coming to visit Fountain Abbey since we was a kid on her school trips!