Elderly People in the Roundabout (Winchester, too)

To get to Legoland, we had rented a car, so the following day, we had a healthy discussion about where to go next. Finally, we let the kids decide, and we headed for Winchester. Winchester was the capital of the kingdom of Wessex, and is also home to the legendary Round Table of King Arthur.

In our driving, we've noticed several differences in the signs on the roads here and what you might see back home. Most are reasonably self-explanatory. For those that are not, I usually ignore them and hope that they're unimportant. However, on the way to Winchester, we saw what has perhaps been the oddest sign I've seen to date. Coming up on one roundabout, we saw a sign that said something like, "Watch for elderly people." Strangely enough, there had been a couple of older men at the prior roundabout, so when we didn't see any at that roundabout, I suggested that perhaps the elderly people had gotten lost and were at the wrong roundabout. It was just a strange thing to see.

Road signs aside, we eventually did make it to Winchester, and I was glad we went. In addition to the previously mentioned Round Table, we picnicked in the ruins of Wolvesey Castle, which was originally built around 1110, and meandered the town visiting Winchester Cathedral (which doubled as St. Paul's in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, starring Cate Blanchett - even though the two look nothing alike), and enjoying the High Street. Winchester was a quaint and lovely little town, with several beautiful little cottages, and pretty shops. We also took the mile or so stroll through the Water Meadows which inspired Keats to write his ode "To Autumn." After walking through, I could see how Keats could have been inspired. (See pictures below.)

We made it to the Hospital of St. Cross on the other side of the meadows, where Mich and I claimed the "Wayfarer's Dole" - a cup of beer and a piece of bread, and headed back in to the Great Hall to see the Round Table. Winchester was definitely one of those little towns that surprises you - I think we all thoroughly enjoyed it, and the little blurbs in the guidebooks hardly do it justice.

On the way in, we had passed by Chawton, so when we left, we pulled over in the small village of Chawton to visit Jane Austen's house, where she lived for six or so years, and revised and published almost all of her books. She also had a house in Winchester which we stopped by, however, she only lived there for about six weeks before she died. The house was closed, but we were able to wander the grounds, and we took a few pictures of the outside. I figure I might pick up an Austen for the plane ride home now.