Rocks and Docs

     Upon leaving London we found ourselves quickly in the countryside.  Our first stop this Palm Sunday morning was church, Winchester Cathedral to be exact. This impressive building was the site of the coronation of many English kings including William the Conqueror.  As with all of the cathedrals we have visited, this one housed the graves of prominent local citizens. With due respect to the church leaders and nobles buried there I was anxious to find the resting place of a favorite author. In an unassuming location in the floor was the grave of Jane Austen.

Later her brother had a plaque placed in the wall to acknowledge her literary contributions

    Visiting this enormous Gothic church really works up an appetite so after we saw all  we could from chapel to crypt we went into the town in search of lunch.  As we walked through the cathedral grounds we noticed two things:  gravestones were scattered on the land around the church and people were hanging out next to them. They were picnicking, playing with their kids or just sitting in the sun. It seemed disrespectful at first be we realized that it was more of an acceptance of death as a part of life.

    We continued into town and found a place to sit outside  for lunch. The Slug and Lettuce https://www.slugandlettuce.co.uk/  provided the perfect place to eat and people watch before we continued to explore the town.       

     There was as usual too much to see and not enough time so after only a few hours we moved on to Salisbury and our first actual bed and breakfast accommodation, Avonlea House.​ http://www.avonleahouse.co.uk/.  I can't say enough how friendly John and Jackie were, the room was beautiful and the breakfast was delicious. This is a must stay place for anyone in the area.  Dinner that night was at the Haunch of Venison a very old traditional pub that served….. Venison.  We had a room to ourselves upstairs to enjoy venison stew for me and a venison combo plate for John.

 The next morning we were off to one of England's most famous sites, Stonehenge. The giant stone circle was impressive. But since we prefer our history to be more based on fact than speculation, we didn't spend all day there

    We were anxious to go to the Salisbury Cathedral. Not only is this another impressive church, but it also has one of the 5 surviving copies of the Magna Carta. It is handwritten on lambskin parchment and displayed in a covered area in a special room. We weren't allowed to take pictures but we did get to see it up close. Another special thing about this cathedral; it has the oldest working clock in the world.

Two days was not enough time in this area of England, but the next morning we were off to our next destination.