Yale, New Haven, Connecticut

En-route to New York they provided us with yet another opportunity to buy books, at the Yale bookstore. I already spent my entire second book allowance of several hundred dollars in two hours on Amazon.com, so book shops are no longer of interest to me. Besides which, I have long since filled up my two boxes. At over $300 a box to fly home (the U.S. Post doesn't ship anymore), I don't want any excess.

I headed instead into the Yale merchandise part of the store, to buy Bridget a sweatshirt. She knows Yale because it is where Rory Gilmore went to university. Turns out the merchandise side of things was a big deal. You can buy Yale sweatshirts, t-shirts, hoodies and sweatpants made by Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfinger, no less.

The Yale buildings themselves are gorgeous - the campus is like an old church town, full of stone buildings with stainglass windows, gated courtyards, narrow walkways, spires.

The Sterling Memorial Library was designed to be a 'temple of learning and a cathedral of knowledge'.

The old catalogue rooms in the 'nave'.

Above the circulation desk, a 1932 painting called Alma Mater, by Eugene Savage, a Yale Fine Arts Profressor. He wanted the painting to 'symbolize the inspiration that direct's Yale's spritual and intellectual efforts'.

It shows the figure of Alma Mater receiving gifts from Light, Truth, Science, Labour, Music, Fine Arts Divinity, and Literature.

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The circulation librarians. Below their desk is an inscription from the Book of Daniel, 12:4, "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased".

The newspaper reading room. Newspapers from all over the world, except New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

And, the cafeteria. Recognise it Bridget?