Weekend in Winchester

King Alfred the Great

King Arthur's Round Table

The B&B where we stayed

Franny's new hat

Inside Winchester Cathedral

Our country walk

This past weekend, we spent some family time in Barton Stacey for Dad's cousin Julia's 40th birthday. She had a disco-themed party, which was fun, and a big Sunday roast lunch at the pub the next day. It was great to see everyone, albeit for not very long. Then again, we'll all be heading back in five weeks for Christmas! We left on Friday and stayed in Winchester that night. We all loved the city (more like a town, but apparently Winchester is a city because there is a cathedral), it wasn't large at all- just one main high street with lots of shops and market stalls. One highlight was all the beautiful buildings we wandered into or passed by. We saw Arthur's round table (supposedly) and mural of the members of parliament representing Winchester, and awesome brick apartments surrounded by a park. On Saturday morning we visited Winchester Cathedral, which was incredible. It's fifteen centuries old, and beautiful. Best bits: 12th century Bible in excellent condition, Jane Austen's grave, and the amazing architecture in general.

After a full English breakfast at the Dell B&B where we stayed, and a visit to the aforementioned cathedral, we drove to Barton Stacey and stopped to take a hike on the way. It was a great country walk, and the autumn leaves made it especially nice. Plus, we lucked out that it was sunny all weekend, and not nearly as cold here as Seattle has been (although I'm hoping for some snow this winter). All in all, great November weekend.