Southampton and Winchester

We have two official "daughters," only one of which we had actually met until last night.    As we were getting ready for bed we heard a knock on our door and there was Colleen from Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Clair.  She is majoring elementary education with a specialization in Special Education.  She wants to work with autistic children. She and Jayne hit it off immediately.

Today we had breakfast with our two "adopted daughters," Maritza and Jennifer.   We met them one of the first days on the ship and seemed to run into them regularly after that.  Maritza is from Atlanta and her mother works for the Center for Disease Control.   Jennifer is from Lubbock and is part of a huge blended family.  Both are seniors at Dartmouth.  This morning we heard the stories of how two southern African-American women ended up going to college in New Hampshire.  Barry had lots of questions about Dartmouth because he spent his freshmen year in college there.  

 After breakfast we loaded up with eight others (4 students, 4 lifelong learners) for a visit to the city of Winchester and its famous Cathedral on an excursion planned by Semester at Sea.   A guide gave us an informative walking tour of the village, the highlight of which was our visit to the 13^th Century Great Hall which was once the seat of the English Court. In it has hung King Arthur's round table for over 700 years.

 

After our walking tour we ate lunch in a local pub.  After we had ordered our lunch at the bar, Barry was considering what beer to buy.  "What do you recommend," he asks a gentleman at the bar.  "I like the Doom Bar Ale," he said.  "What's it like?" Barry asked.  "Have a taste of mine and see what you think," the man replied.  That was the beginning of a long conversation while we waited for our food.  David was a merchant marine who has sailed to New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans.  "I prefer the deep South," he said. "The people are so much friendlier.  In New York, I tried to strike a conversation with someone and they backed away from me!"  Before long, he had bought Barry another glass of the tasty Doom Bar.

 

In the afternoon we visited Winchester Cathedral, the construction of which began under the Norman's in 1063.  It has of course been added to and expanded over the centuries, but our expert guide helped us to distinguish the various types of architecture and construction techniques, as well as the religious significance of the structure. Unfortunately, some of its medieval stained glass and the sculptures in the screen behind the altar were destroyed in Cromwell's attempt to force a Puritan version of Protestantism on England.  A highlight of our visit was seeing the Winchester Bible from the 12^th Century, which was diligently copied by a single monk over 5 to 7 years and then "illuminated" by brilliant artists.  Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed.

This was Barry's first experience being a "trip liaison," which meant that he was responsible for making sure no one got lost or left behind. It was a small group and there were no mishaps. Well worth the discounted price.