Today was Winchester Cathedral day -- and it was another long and very good one. 

We left the hotel around 8:00 a.m., walked in the chilly air down to the bus stop, and rode down to Waterloo Station where we hopped on a train for Winchester. It was a bustling morning at the station, with crowds of people rushing to catch trains for work, but Cia led the way through the horde and we soon found ourselves comfortably seated on a smooth and fast moving train. We both love train rides, so we settled in for about 60 minutes of heaven. I listened to the Christian Science weekly spiritual lesson on my noise-canceling headphones, while sometimes nodding and smiling with Cia as we both watched and enjoyed the lovely English countryside.

In Winchester, we walked up to the cathedral, a most impressive piece of architecture, and spent about 90 minutes on a guided tour, which introduced us to the many amazing aspects of the cathedral. Our guide was an effusive, knowledgeable guy, and he gave us all the enthusiasm he had as he led us around the cathedral. It was an enlightening and engaging time for me. We especially enjoyed the several tributes to Jane Austen, who spent her last days living in Winchester. She, actually, is one of the big reasons we decided to visit Winchester, and 
I'm thinking seriously about re-reading all of her novels, for she is one of my all-time favorites.

We had lunch outside at the cathedral cafe, and then took a lovely walk along some river meadows, about 2 miles, with beautiful and expansive views of wetlands and low hills in the distance. There were two small streams flowing along on either side of us, and we talked about how the poet John Keats must have enjoyed his many walks on this same path. Occasionally, we stopped and sat on a bench and read some of his "Ode to Autumn", which he wrote in one day after taking a long walk on the path, which is now called the Keats Walk. It was an inspiring walk for both of us.  

* climbing some old stairs *

* a tribute to Jane Austen *

* A stained glass window that was repaired
after it was destroyed by vandals in the 17th century.
The pieces were put back randomly, since very many were missing. *

* a tribute to Jane Austen *

* above, three views from Keats Walk *

* a statue in Lancaster *

* some medieval stonework *

* another statue *

* descending some ancient stairs *

* Winchester Cathedral *


Below, scenes from the village of Winchester