The ROOOOOUUUUNNNNDDDD Table!!!

Okay, for all you "Camelot" fans, you'll have to say the title of this blog with the enthusiasm of Richard Harris as King Arthur. Here's the legendary round table, although believed to be a fake, at the Great Hall in what's left of Winchester Castle.

Wolvesey Castle in Winchester

Not everyday you get to walk around medieval castle ruins! We didn't even know this was in Winchester. What a pleasant surprise!

More of the town

Here are some more pictures of Winchester. The shot of Amanda and mom is in front of the tearoom where we had lunch. Really good scones! And, I took the picture of the Pizza Express for our friends in Bloomingon, Indiana. Somehow I'm guessing this Pizza Express is a little different...;)

Crusin' the Town

Here are some pics from the town of Winchester. We found a delightful little park and riverwalk near the cathedral.

More Jane at Winchester

How cool is this! This was upstairs in the Winchester Cathedral near its library.

Really Old Things

I'm not sure that we Americans have any concept of "old" over here in the "New World". A 12th century tomb- c'mon!

Inside the Cathedral

Here are some highlights of the architecture of Winchester Cathedral- as seen from an amateur's lens and an inexpensive camera.

Jane's Burial Site

Inside the Winchester Cathedral I made a beeline for Jane Austen's burial site. Here are some pics.

Winchester

On our first full day we headed down to Winchester to meet my cousin, Amanda, who is working on her Masters at Bournemouth University in Poole. Winchester was sort of halfway for us, and an easy destination to meet Amanda at the train station. The Winchester Cathedral is where Jane Austen is buried. It was great to see Amanda again! We had a great time touring the city. (FYI- my posts are a bit out of order. Mom and I went to Chawton, Steventon, and The Vyne on the 19th. Winchester was the first site we visited on the 17th.)

The Vyne

We visited The Vyne on our way back from Chawton and Steventon. It is believed to have been one of the estates that Jane and Cassandra visited to attend balls. No one working at The Vyne seemed to be aware of this, though. Kind of disappointing but still a beautiful estate. The first picture is actually the back of the home. No pictures allowed on the inside. The small outbuilding is the "Summer House." Really neat architecture!

Steventon

Steventon is where Jane was born and grew up. This is the church where her father presided. The rectory where they lived has since been torn down. The roads to Steventon were something! Quite narrow! Luckily, we didn't meet any oncoming traffic. The grave marker on the site is that of Jane's brother, James.