Old and New

We can't get over the juxtaposition of old and new here.  We attend a modern university that carefully follows an ancient university tradition; we live on the oldest street in town but have wireless internet and webchat with people across the world; and everyday there are scenes like this! 

This is "Abbey Fields," the huge park across the street that used to be the fields of St. Nicholas Church.  (We live on the other side of the church.)  So in this picture you see kids playing at a playground :).  But also, on the left, is the barn of the 12th century monastery that used to be on this spot.  Behind the playground is the churchyard cemetery, old green tombstones that are crooked and cracked, which have been filling the cemetery since Henry VIII destroyed the monastery there.  But you can see the short walls surrounding the cemetery, too -- those used to be the walls of the monastery.  We think it is so crazy!  If there was something that old in Utah you can bet they wouldn't surround it with a playground and let kids climb all over it!  Old is so normal here. 

The path from High Street down toward the pond at Abbey Fields (we treat the park like our front yard since it is just out the front door and we have no yard of our own!).