Greetings after another long and eventful day! Do you remember how I wrote last night that I needed to get up by 6:40? Well, when I woke up this morning and looked at my watch, it said 7:15. We were leaving at 7:30! Apparently I did not receive the wake-up call I requested or I was so tired that I just didn’t hear it. Well, I rushed around (luckily I had packed last night) and I managed to scarf down a quick breakfast and still make it on time at the coach. Amazing! I’ve never moved so quickly. We had about a four hour ride from Canterbury to Stonehenge, near Amesbury. I spent this time finishing up last night’s journaling, listening to music, and taking a small nap. I also enjoyed looking at the countryside and seeing it change and become a bit rockier. Although the sun actually managed to peek its head out once or twice, it was primarily another gray and foggy day. I must say, however, that nowhere I’ve seen is fog prettier than in England, wistfully winding through the sleeping valleys and rolling down the lush grassy hills of the English countryside. Lovely!

Majestic Stonehenge

Eventually, we made it to Stonehenge and I was jumping for joy with anticipation. The first thing that surprised me was how close the giant stones were to the road. I had pictured Stonehenge more remote, standing majestically up on some high hill or something. Next, I was a bit surprised at how much smaller the stones looked than I expected. As I approached the stones with my guided audio tour, however, their 22 ft. height seemed much higher than they looked from the road. The site was incredible. Stonehenge sat before me in wonder alone in a vast field once covered with trees like a giant gazing out across the misty countryside.

Now for Stonehenge’s history. Stonehenge dates back to 3050 BC (blows me away!) believed to have been used first as a temple with a simple circular ditch and bank, within which lay a circle of upright timber posts. By about 2,500 BC the stones began to arrive, the Sarsen stones coming from north Winchester and the smaller blue stones from west Wales. The arrival of the stones began over 800 years of construction and alteration of the site. I found it incredible to learn that many of the largest stones weigh over 40 tons, about eight large elephants as the audio tour said. How the stones arrived is still a mystery, although the large Sarsen stones can be dragged from Stonehenge to Malborough Downs (in Wiltshire) on wooden rails by 200 people in about 12 days.

It was interesting to hear the tour describe the other myths as to how the stones were moved to their position such as giants, Merlin the magician, the Devil, and aliens. Perhaps we’ll never know how exactly Stonehenge came to be. There are so many other factual details I could describe about Stonehenge and its surroundings, however, I would be re-writing the entire guide book I bought at the gift shop. While some of my fellow classmates seemed disappointed and apathetic about Stonehenge, I thought it was one of the most amazing and enchanting sites I’ve ever seen. To see something so ancient, so beautiful, and so shrouded in mystery almost sends chills up my spine. For further information about the mystery and design of Stonehenge, please click here and to discover more about visiting Stonehenge, please click here

Sarsens and Blues

The gang checking out the Royal Oak pub in Winchester

After the great Stonehenge tour, it was off to Winchester, home of Jane Austen, John Keats, Alfred the Great, and William the Conqueror. Winchester was the first capital of England before being moved to London. Upon arriving, we had several hours to walk about the city and eat lunch. Amy, Cara, Britta, Jessica, Anne, Matt, and I split up from the rest of the group and ate at the Royal Oak pub, a site I’d discovered in my guidebook.ating back to 1390, the pub claims (as many do) that it is the oldest in England. It is at least the oldest pub in Winchester. It was a really fun lunch and I was stuffed after eating a spicy chicken wrap with roasted lyonnaise potatoes (they have a lot of potatoes here!). Then it was time to meet the rest of the group at Winchester Cathedral which Katy titled as “most beautiful”.

The site of Winchester Cathedral was much different than that of Canterbury Cathedral. While Canterbury was tucked back in its own nook, somewhat isolated from the city, Winchester had a more public feel as it was located very much directly in the city. The outside had almost a collegiate feel, surrounded by a large grassy area with tall trees, much like a small park. I must say, while I didn’t feel my heart skip a beat or my breath shorten like I did at Canterbury Cathedral, I found the grandeur of the sheer size of the cathedral and its royal red doors to excite me to my core. Upon entering, we met our guide Janet who immediately explained the initial history of the cathedral. Winchester Cathedral was built after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and was founded in 1079. After 250 years the cathedral was “made more beautiful” and the sharp Norman features were made more rounded and softer to create the architecture that we looked upon.

I found the story of the great stained glass window interesting. Originally the window displayed pictures of religious figures. Then in the 1300’s it was destroyed by Civil War soldiers who threw rocks and bones at it, shattering it to pieces. The fragments were put back together shortly afterwards, creating the kaleidoscope of colors towering high above the nave below. Winchester also has the reputation as the longest cathedral in medieval Europe at 556 ft. It was pretty incredible to stand in the nave and look down the long distance to the end. Amazingly, over 1,000 people were buried beneath the stone floors where we walked, including novelist Jane Austen. The nave of Winchester Cathedral was of the Perpendicular Gothic style and was similar to Canterbury Cathedral with its great arched ceilings. I had never heard of a Chantry Chapel before, but Winchester was filled with them. Chantry Chapels are small chapels where the bodies of bishops and other prominent people would be laid to rest and where the priest would pray for their souls every day. One beautiful part of the cathedral was the area beyond Bishop Stephen Gardiner’s Chantry Chapel known as the Retrochoir. The decorative tan, black, yellow, and cream colored tiles we walked on there were the original pavement, dating from 1260-1280.

The grand entrance to Winchester Cathedral

We visited the area of the crypt below the cathedral to see a long room with a solitary statue of a man (by contemporary artist Antony Gormley). Every winter the crypt is flooded with water which flows up to the statue’s knees. Because of this, the crypt has never been used. Many more statues and paintings by modern artists (especially by Peter Eugene Ball) filled the cathedral. Just as Thomas Becket was the spiritual figurehead of Canterbury Cathedral, Sir Swithun, the bishop of Winchester from 852 until 862 when he died, was the spiritual figurehead of Winchester Cathedral. When Swithun was to die, it was his only wish to be buried outside the walls of the cathedral. Originally, he was buried outside but was then moved indoors in 971. It rained the day of this transfer and legend has it that if it rains now on Sir Swithun’s Day, it is a sign that it will rain for 40 more days and nights. A shrine was erected in 1073 for Sir Swithun, but it was then destroyed in 1538 during the Reformation (as were many aspects of the cathedral).

Vaulted ceiling of Winchester Cathedral*
Bishop Gardiner's Chantry Chapel	Nave of Winchester Cathedral*	Crypt of Winchester Cathedral (by Antony Gormley)*	The Great Screen of the Winchester Cathedral Quior*

* denotes photos courtesy of John Crook

One of the final notes that should be made about Winchester Cathedral is of William Walker, the “Winchester Diver”. By the 1900’s, the foundations of the cathedral, situated atop peat bogs, were beginning to sink. For six years, from 1906 to 1912, Walker dove deep beneath the cathedral, took out the old wood, and put in stone supports. He did this all alone! If it were not for his efforts, I wonder if there would have been a Winchester Cathedral to visit. There were so many other beautiful altars, artwork, and architecture that I could describe, but Winchester Cathedral was so massive. I found it inspiring to my own faith and before leaving I lit a candle and said a prayer thanking God for such a beautiful historical place of worship and for another beautiful day.

For further information about Winchester Cathedral, please click here

Grasmere House in Salisbury (photo courtesy of grasmerehotel.com)

It was back to Salisbury and to our new hotel, Grasmere House, to prepare for dinner. We all dressed up and sat in the dinning room where one wall is made all of windows. I ate first the Duo of Melon with Fruit Coulis, followed by the Sirloin Steak on a Bed of Sauté Vegetables served with Peppercorn Sauce and some white wine. For desert I had the delicious Chocolate Gateau, a cake layered with cream. Fantastic! After dinner Amy, Anne, and I went out to find a pay phone and stopped to take pictures inside the tiny graveyard of All Saints Church. Spooky fun! Now I must be off to bed as, yes, another busy day awaits us tomorrow. Cheers!

For further information about Grasmere House in Salisbury, please click here

Page created January 31, 2006 by Maggie Obermann Cornell College m-obermann@cornellcollege.edu