The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox (Isaiah 11:7, NRSV).

My wife and I recently returned from a long-anticipated trip to England. The trip, a dream of ours for many years, was a celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary and my recent early retirement from university teaching. As a sabbath from our busy lives it could not have been better. As a chance to see a different, beautiful, and historic land and meet some of its people, it surpassed our expectations.

On reflection, there were a number of seemingly small details that stood out and defined the experience for us and spoke to us of a more peaceful life than that to which we are accustomed in the U.S. While England has its share of problems and shares many with us in the U.S., there was evidence of subtle differences in outlook and practice that promote well-being.

One such detail is the English love of walking and the system of public footpaths and rights-of-way that are maintained throughout the country. There are approximately 50,000 miles of public footpaths in the U.K. that are protected by law and by regular use. Pamphlets and books of recommended walks, short or long, easy or challenging, abound in every bookstore, tourist information shop, and visitors' center. There is virtually no equivalent in the U.S., where property rights and fear of lawsuits or vandalism overwhelm public spirit. Perhaps the closest thing we have in the U.S. is the growing Rails-to-Trails network where former railroad rights-of-way are being turned into walking and biking paths.

The English love of walking and support of an extensive network of public footpaths promotes physical health, a slower pace of life, and an appreciation for God's creation and the rights of others. Public footpaths follow roads and village streets, and cross pastures that are often populated with grazing sheep. Walking in these venues creates a connection that does not happen when driving. It is one thing to drive past a "quaint" pasture of sheep. It is quite another to walk among the sheep as you watch the sun go down over one of the Lake District lakes or as you ponder the faith of people who built the stone circle at Castlerigg 5000 years ago!

Another quintessential aspect of English life is that of the public house or "pub." We soon learned that the pubs with the most relaxed and friendly atmosphere were those that welcomed dogs accompanied by their masters. The dogs provide a point of contact--patting someone's border collie naturally leads to introductions and conversation and getting to know others in the pub. What starts out as simply going out for supper quickly turns into a social event and a chance to make new acquaintances.

Most, if not all, of the meals we had in pubs served locally supplied food. There seemed to be a significant emphasis on local food and fair trade. It was common for the "full English breakfast" served at the B & B to consist of local sausages, in-season, local berries, compotes, free-range eggs, and fairly traded coffee and tea. While we tended to travel the non-divided highway type roads as much as possible, when we did use the motorways we noticed the conspicuous absence of semi trucks. This is, I am sure, at least partly due to the fact that there is a greater emphasis on buying local food products in England than there is in the U.S.

England is an old country by our standards. What is amazing and to the credit of the British people is the intentional and meaningful ways in which they have embraced and integrated their history and past cultures into their current-day lives. Rather relegating the various prehistoric peoples, or the Angles, Saxons, Normans, Vikings, Romans and others to obscurity, the contributions of these peoples to the culture, architecture, language, and customs of the English people are recognized and celebrated. We, in North America in particular, could learn a lesson from our British cousins with regard to our native American population and history.

Among our many experiences during our trip, some of the most inspiring and meaningful were our visits to some of England's great cathedrals. We began our trip with a visit to Canterbury Cathedral, the home of the Anglican Church, where St. Augustine established a "seat" in Canterbury in 597 AD. Christian worship continues on this site today over 1400 years later! The beauty and majesty of the vaulted ceilings, intricate wood carvings and stone sculptures, and stained glass produces, perhaps, a glimmer of how Isaiah felt when he envisioned himself at the throne of God. Surely, one cannot be in one of the great cathedrals and feel anything but humbled.

We happened to be in the Canterbury Cathedral for afternoon prayers, and several days later in Salisbury Cathedral also at prayer time. In both cases we were able to participate in prayers for the world, the nation, and the local community as well as join in the Lord's Prayer with any who wished to participate. Later in our trip we attended an Evensong service at Yorkminster Cathedral where a choir of young and older girls and men sang hymns, psalms, and prayers.

While Christianity has its challenges in England and the rest of Europe, churches in general, and the great cathedrals in particular, provide beautiful, reverent worship and truly are a light in the darkness. The mission statement of York Minster, which has been a place of Christian worship for almost 1400 years, reads in part:

York Minster exists for the glory of God and as a sign of God's kingdom in the world. This Mission is expressed through:

• Daily worship and prayer
• Welcome and pastoral care
• Education and learning
• Service to the community