June 27 - The BEST Place Ever for a Flower Show

Disembarkation in Southampton was easy-peasy. No customs, no passport control, no waiting for luggage. Steven picked us up and we hit the road.

First stop: Winchester Cathedral.

This magnificent Gothic cathedral was begun in 1079. It is one of the  largest cathedrals in England. The length of the nave creates sweeping sight lines that draw the eye upwards to the beautiful vaulted ceiling.

Serendipitously, the cathedral was the venue for a flower festival this weekend. When we entered we could immediately smell the flowers - thousands of them. We saw the most gorgeous flower arrangements I have ever seen. Each one alone would have been stunning, but there were dozens of them. The theme was "Cascades." There were long shimmering cascades of gossamer suspended from the ceiling. There were traditional and contemporary designs. The arrangements were lush and extravagant and creative. Most of them looked like they belonged in the cathedral. I have never seen anything like it.

In the Crypt: It's hard to see the statue in this photo. The display is inspired by Confucius' observation - 'A Man of Wisdom Delights in Water.' Antony Gormley's sculpture is an island of calm amidst the frothing tumult of rushing waterfalls, suggested by tumbling showers of flowers.

A very old fresco is the backdrop here

To add to the festive atmosphere, young music students were performing a recital. There were tents outside where tea was available. (I don't know about crumpets.) 

Some of the other things we saw in the cathedral:

Doesn't this tile remind you of a quilt?

Pilgrims would crawl through the Holy Hole to be closer to the bones of St. Swithun

Our tour of the cathedral finished with a visit to the spot where Jane Austen is buried. What an amazing place.

Our second stop was Salisbury Cathedral.  The spire of this cathedral is the tallest in Britain. Although this cathedral dates back to 1220, it includes recent embellishments such as a stained glass window installed in 1980 to remind us of Prisoners of Conscience. My favorite recent work was the 2008 font. It looks like an infinity pool and reflects the gorgeous ceiling. My favorite old piece was a clock dating back to 1386.

The cathedral is similar in style to the Winchester Cathedral, but it is more ornate. But what makes this cathedral truly special is the document that can be seen in the room known as the Chapter House. It  is one of the four remaining originals of the Magna Carta.  The tiny calligraphy is beautiful. This year happens to be the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and there are special art installations to celebrate it.

On the way to ur third stop we drove by Stonehenge. It was beautiful, despite all the tourists. It towered over them and you could imagine it without modern-day crowds milling around.

Then we arrived at Avebury, another site of stone circles - in fact, "the largest stone circle in the world" is at Avebury. Avebury is a very cute little village surrounded by fields. We started out with the museum. Part of it is in a former barn and part of it is in a former stable. I wasn't very impressed with the museum, bt I did learn that the stone circles are believed to be around 6,000 years old (perhaps only 4,600 years old). I was extremely impressed with that! 

I also learned that they have no idea what the stone circles are for. The most likely hypotheses are that it was some sort of fotification or that it served a religious purpose.

You can see large stones scattered here and there in the fields as you approach. You can't really see the big picture without a map. But as you walk around you can tell that the outer circle is a large mound built out of very chalky rock. Inside that circle is a ditch which could have been a moat. Even if it were not filled with water, it clearly served a defensive purpose. Inside the "moat" you can see the remnants of a ring of stones. They are all different shapes. SOme of them look like abstract sculptures of humans. Most of them seemed to have holes drilled in them in random spots. I know this because at Avebury - unlike At Stonehenge - you are able to walk right up to the stones and touch them. You are able to sit in the shade of a stone and enjoy a picnic. You are able to attempt to commune with some ancient spirit. And, sadly, you are able to allow your children to climb on them. In fact you are able to do this if you are an adult. (The Brits are as bad as the Americans.) 

In side the outer stone circle you will find remnants of two stone ovals and the odd stone here and there. There also appears to be a double row of stones leading up to site as though they might have marked the boundaries of a road.

Check back soon for more photos!