Day 1 2/8/09 - England

London -> Winchester -> London

Highlight

• The train was delayed on the way in, but the weather was nice.
• Walked past the Westgate, then took a walk to the Great Hall, site of the former castle, and saw the Round Table, as well as an exhibition on the
• Walked down the high street, observing the nice statues and the Butter Cross they have.
• The garden around Winchester Cathedral was excellent. And because it was a nice day, there were about a million people there enjoying themselves.
• Maybe it was Sunday, and a lot of it was closed, but we didn’t have to pay the £6 entrance fee into the Cathedral. It was magificent, in the same style as Canterbury Cathedral, but not as grand.
• We spent awhile admiring the architecture, and also took pictures of Jane Austen’s grave. The crypt and the bible were closed off though.
• Passed St. Swithun's upon Kingsgate, which is a little church located on the arch of the Kingsgate
• Off to lunch at the W Arms. It was a bit of a wait, but the food was pretty good. I personally found the beef at Gunard’s Head a bit better, but I loved the lemon posset and the lamb.
• Walked past Winchester College, but didn’t want to pay money for a tour, as we had already been to Oxford and Cambridge
• Passed Jane Austen’s house, where she spent about 6 months of her life, on the way to Wolvesey Castle, which was pretty much all in ruins, but gave an idea of how big it used to be.
• Went to the Winchester City Mill, where we watched a working mill machine ground flour by the flow of the River Itchen, and enjoyed the little garden it has.
• Walked up St Giles Hill to get a good view of the city. It was very peaceful there.
• By this time, it was past 5pm, so all the attractions were closed. We passed some beautiful gardens, looked at the Guildhall
• Went to the station where we caught the train home, which was running 30 minutes late.

Food

• The Wykeham Arms:
  • Prawn and Lobster Salad with Marie Rose Sauce
  • Slow Roasted Top Rump of Beef served with Roasted Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy
  • Roasted Leg of Lamb served with Seasonal Vegetables, Roasted Potatoes
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce
  • Lemon Posset