Inside Winchester cathedral.

We’ve arrived in England! From where the QM2 docked at the port of Southampton we took a taxi to Winchester and checked into the Marwell Hotel – out of town in the countryside (famous for weddings with an adjacent zoo!). Almost immediately we taxied into Winchester, walked down the High Street, then went to the cathedral and took the tour. ML, who is reading Pride & Prejudice, was interested in seeing Jane Austen’s tomb, but since it is the oldest medieval cathedral in Europe there was a lot more history. After and speaking of history, we went to the oldest pub in England (dating from before the Battle of Hastings) for an early dinner. The car we booked to hire (a rental) got canceled due to unavailability (much to the relief of everyone not wanting to drive on the left side of the road with me – in a manual transmission MPV – including myself), so we’re taking the train to Ashford Kent tomorrow morning to stay at friend Allison’s farm. We’ll help her prepare for a party she’s giving on Sunday…!?

Inside Winchester cathedral.

Bishop Fox, showing his morbidity.

St. Swithin, the patron saint of Winchester.

Outside Winchester’s great stained glass window which was destroyed by Cromwell’s forces in 1642.

Inside Winchester’s great stained glass window which was reassembled randomly, like a pique assiette mosaic.

The Royal Oak Pub, one of at least a dozen claiming to be the oldest in England (this one claims pre-1066).