Monday's Memories: Winchester Cathedral

Yes, you were beautiful, Winchester Cathedral.

Just look at that ceiling...

So many of the places we visited left me in awe at the ingenuity of man and what God has enabled us to do.  Especially in 1079.  Can you imagine how long it would have taken to turn limestone rocks into this?

The Cathedral was so long and so immense, and we kept walking and walking.  We climbed up old wooden stairs to the library where there were books so, so incredibly old.  Hundreds and hundreds of years.  Of course there was no photography allowed and most importantly, no touching!  I just looked hard and thought about how these were the books perused by monks in the 1100s. 

We saw the famous and beautiful Winchester Bible, hand-written in the 1100s.  We also saw a copy of the first Bible printed in America, translated by John Eliot into the language of some Algonquin Indian tribes in Massachusetts.  KJ said it's the most important, unreadable book in the world.  I do wish I could have taken a sneak picture of it, but those really kind British senior citizens I mentioned earlier?  They are hard-core about their posts.  There was a special "guard" in the room to answer questions and make sure no one broke the rules.

This explained the stained glass window erected in memory of Jane Austen.  The brass plaque was added later by family members since her grave stone made no mention of her writing.

We had two great houses we wanted to explore before day's end, so we headed out around lunchtime.  I ventured into the cafeteria to buy a "chicken and mayonnaise" sandwich (none of this "chicken salad" business in England).  I also found some Diet Coke (do you notice a trend in my hunting up some caffeine at every stop?).  The ice machine wasn't working properly, but the man behind the counter agreed with me that it worked out better for me because I'd get more coke that way.  When I stepped up to the counter to pay for my lunch, the lady immediately realized I was an American because I didn't have a card with a "chip."  I needed to swipe my card.  This always took a little longer, and she very kindly asked me where I had been on my holiday and where I was headed.  When I told her we were driving to Oxford that day she looked up at me and said, "Mind the bikes."  Her advice would later prove to be very well-founded.