St David's Cathedral

St David's Cathedral in Hobart is open for any and every passerby to pop in to spend a minute or an hour in contemplation, prayer, or simple stickybeaking.  I popped in on the way home from our day out on the Windeward, and wasn't that a pleasant surprise! The cathedral, nothing much to look at from outside, was full of surprises inside. Old pennants and flags, some dating back to Tasmania's  convict era and slightly ravaged by age, hung in the foyer.

Built into the walls were gargoyles and stones from other buildings of worship around the world. It was unclear how or why parts of these buildings were pillaged to adorn St David's, nor what happened to those other buildings if other cathedrals were pinching bits willy-nilly for their walls.

"Stone from St Palruks Cathedral (without walls) Dublin 12th century." And where might the walls have gone?

Inside was a delight of stained glass and pipe organ.

"One of the superior organs of Australia" according to Wikipedia, although it's not clear who thinks so. With good acoustics and seating for a cosy 650, the cathedral is in demand for concerts.

Even the floor was parquetry of pleasing design.

If I hadn't been a wee bit tired already from the cold wind on the tall ship, I could have spent a lot longer soaking up the atmosphere and all the interesting things in St David's As it was, however, I soon headed home to our apartment where I put my feet up and had a nice cup of tea in anticipation of tomorrow's adventures.