I Walked Across the Globe…

That’s right guys, I really have walked across the globe. It was exhausting and both mentally and physically challenging, but I managed it. Okay so my version of the ‘globe’ might be precisely 1.8 million times smaller than the actual planet we’re living on, but let’s not be pedantic.

One of the things I have always noticed when I have travelled to different countries and cities, is that often people are so busy wanting to explore other places, that they forget to appreciate the things that are right on their doorstep. This is something we’re all guilty of, I mean, the grass is greener on the other side right?

I live in a small-ish city called Peterborough. Heard of it? Didn’t think so. Hence why I have spent the majority of my life saying that I live ‘just outside of Cambridge’, or even worse, ‘an hour from London’ (anyone who has done a year abroad knows that it’s just easier to leave it at that). Peterborough might not be the most well-known, or even the nicest place to live, but there are certainly some great things about this little city that I take for granted. So this week, my friends and I decided to take a trip to one of our most spectacular, yet least frequented places in Peterborough: the cathedral.

The cathedral is one of those places that, even though it’s right there in the centre, I just never think to go there. As a non-religious person, I seem to somewhat forget the architectural, historical and general aesthetic value of this place and simply reduce it to its religious connotations, meaning I never feel like I should visit it. As something that has been on my doorstep for my entire life, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have been there…

During this past month, the Gaia Earth exhibition has been displayed at Peterborough cathedral. The artwork, by Luke Jerrem, is a 3D globe measuring seven metres in diameter that is suspended from the cathedral ceiling. Lit up in the centre of the cathedral, the imagery for the globe is compiled from visible Earth series, NASA , and let me tell you, it’s pretty amazing to look at.

We visited during the evening and inside the darkness of the cathedral, the globe illuminated everything around it, but it was so much more than just a glorified night light. There was something so calming about the structure, particularly with it being pretty much the only source of light in the room. The cathedral also provided mats for people to lay on and watch the Earth turn above them, which was a lovely touch.

We decided to take the Northern Hemisphere tour that allowed us to go to the upper level of the cathedral to get a higher view of the artwork and the main hall of the cathedral in all its glory!

Although the views from this tour were great, I must admit I was disappointed with it overall. Perhaps it was partly due to my own misunderstanding of what the tour involved, but I had hoped to go much higher into the cathedral and explore the towers, whereas this was just a very quick walk around the upper level. Nevertheless, it allowed us to appreciate the artwork from all angles!

After the tour we spent some time just wandering around and admiring the cathedral, something I hadn’t done in a very long time.

Overall visiting the exhibition was a really nice experience. Not only was the globe really cool, but the cathedral itself is such a beautiful building! After this whole evening, as someone who loves to travel, I have come to reflect on the importance of appreciating what’s on your own doorstep. Because if you step back and really take a look, it might be more interesting than you think.

What are the things you love most about where you live? Let me know in the comments below!

Check out my instagram to keep updated on my blog!