In a fascinating development back in March, Adam (friend and bet-master) licked a cathedral! The lucky one in question was St. Edmundsbury in Suffolk, which apparently tasted “stony, but surprisingly refreshing.” My notes from the January 2012 (when David and I visited) are far less complementary. Guess I chose the wrong bit of wall.
Despite his new-found enthusiasm for cathedrals, Adam has yet to perform the dreaded forefeit. To be fair to him, he did try to complete the task recently, but instead we ended up arguing over the finer points of the bet’s contract and no naked dash was made. Poor man. He described how the whole thing has been hanging over him like “the sword of Damocles” ever since I won the bet back in December 2012. Hopefully we can come to some agreement and put this licking saga to bed at last, mainly for Adam’s own peace of mind.
Whatever happens, I am glad that the whole thing has awoken an appreciation for ecclesiastical architecture and history within me. I have learned a great deal and seen some incredible sights, and there are many more yet to see. In February I visited the beautiful yet austere Lübeck Cathedral in Germany and was encouraged to give it a lick by my two travel companions. This was done gladly and the experience brought back both happy and stressful memories, such as being caught in the act at Chichester, getting heckled by old ladies in Rochester and the unwelcome crunch of grit in my teeth, to name a few.
After the Lübeck lick was asked if this was the start of a whole new, international adventure. Well, we’ll see…
Cathedral-Licking Diary 