"A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep"
In 2020 my dear sweetheart surprised me with a card inviting me to take a world voyage the following year. By surprise, I mean surprise in a BIG way! We both had discussed this world voyage but I never dreamed we would be able to take such a trip, but Grayden assured me that we could and we should! So we went about securing our reservation to take the Queen Mary 2 world voyage in January of 2021. Of course, because of the pandemic that had to be cancelled and rescheduled for January of 2022 only to have that cancelled as well. So on foggy January 3, 2023 we began our long awaited voyage around the world! Lady Liberty sent us off to dream of the world beyond, while my own my heart could hardly wait to see what lies ahead of us.
The first leg of our voyage sent us from New York harbor across the Atlantic ocean to Southampton, England on board the beautiful Queen Mary 2. Those of you who have read about our travels know we love this ship. She is the only ocean liner that sails the world's oceans. Being the pride and flagship of the Cunard fleet, we began our transatlantic crossing.
Crossing the Atlantic in January was a little rough. I use a product called MotionEaze that our son told me about. It works instantly and does not have side affects such as drowsiness. It also is all natural. Captain Aseem Hashmi was at the helm and gave us daily navigational updates at noon. Grayden and I walked the Promenade when the weather permitted. Three times around the deck was 1.1 mile. As I have mentioned before there is so much you can engage in on board. They offer wonderful Insight programs, Afternoon Tea and an on board gym and library to visit between meals in Britannia or the Kings Court. You can do as little or as much as you please! Movies are offered in the evenings or entertainment in the Royal Court Theatre.
Grayden and I enjoyed many magical moments listening to Akosh play so expertly from beautiful music from The Great American Songbook and many other great pieces in the Queens Room.
After seven glorious days at sea we reached the shores of England. As we contemplated what to do in each port, we decided to take a tour of Winchester when we arrived in Southampton. Winchester is only 14 miles away so our tour bus carried us quickly to the lovely town.
The statue of Alfred the Great by Hamo Thornycroft dominates the skyline as we enter the city. Alfred the Great was king of the West Saxons from 871 to 886 and king of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899.
Winchester is a charming old city with old Tudor buildings doting the cobbled streets among quaint shops and ancient history galore.
Christmas lights were still in place during our visit on January 10, 2023.
Don't you love the name of this restaurant? So clever and I must say original. After checking it out, I learned it offered Thai food. Alas, we moved on our way down toward Winchester Cathedral.
The City Cross or Buttercross as it is known, dates back to the 15th century. These market crosses dot many English market towns. The name Buttercross comes from the fact that local produce and dairy products (butter) was sold here. The Buttercross statue features 12 Virgin Mary pieces and various other saints and other historical figures.
Winchester Cathedral was a highlight of this tour for us. To think that it has been a house of worship for 900 years or more is astonding. We walked around the exterior as we had to wait to enter for our timed visit.
This Gothic cathedral, with Norman transepts and tower, was built in 1079. The official name is Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and Saint Swithun. I'll refer to Saint Swithun later if you read on.
The British honor their fallen like no other country I've visited. To that we see the poppy wreaths laid in tribute.
A Garden of Rememberance
When our time came to enter this house of worship our hearts were full of awe over the beauty we saw.
For me, entering a cathedral is a spiritual experience. The sheer magnitude of the building overwhelmes my senses. Quieting walking about the cathedral our guide directs us to many points of interest.
The fact that this sanctuary has witnessed all the good and the horrors of history is quite evident.
The Great West Window clearly shows the pains of the past.
Most stained glass windows tell a story and this mosiac window is no different and one that is quite telling of the people that survived the 1642 Civil War in Winchester. During this time the cathedral was partially destroyed inside. Graves were dug up and the Great West Window was shot through with muskets and anything that could be hurled about it. Afterwards the citizens of Winchester collected all of the pieces of glass that they could recover and saved it in their homes. Twenty years later after the monarchy was restored, the local people wanted to restore the cathedral and especially this window. So they collected all the shards of glass that they had saved and had the window made in place of the one destroyed. Even though it is a different one it still has great meaning of salvation and resurrection. Putting back together the broken pieces is certainly a good lesson for life in the gorgeous window.
As you can see above the window is quite colorful and so meaningful to the people of Winchester.
Many other beautiful stained glass windows line the walls of Winchester Cathedral.
The above window is found right above Jane Austen's place of burial.
Jane Austen passed away in Winchester on July 18, 1817. Her beloved writings live on today. At only 41 years old, she was taken to Winchester to be under the care of doctors until her death. Modern experts believe she suffered from Addison disease.
Our many photos can't possibly be shared here, but I must share some of the majesty of this magnificent cathedral.
As I mentioned St. Swithun in the beginning of this post, I wonder if you have heard this weather proverb?
St. Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mare
Or maybe you've heard this one:
If on St Swithun's day it really pours
You're better off to stay indoors
I had never heard these sayings so it was interesting to learn more about its origins. St. Swithun was a bishop in Winchester Cathedral in 852-863 when he passed away on July 2nd. Swithun was given the honor of patron saint more than 100 years after his death. He was originally buried outside of the church at his request, but was moved inside on July 15. It is said that it rained that day and continued for 40 subsequent days. There are many who believe it rained because St. Swihun's request to stay outside was violated. St. Swithun's Day is celebrated every July 15 in England and in Norway (and formerly in medieval Wales) on July 2nd.
After our visit to the cathedral we walked back to our coach (as the British say) and returned to the Queen Mary 2. In true St. Swithun style rain began to pour upon us all.
As the ship began letting go the lines, Southampton sent us off with beautiful fireworks to celebrate. Yes, even as it poured!
Thank you for reading this long introduction to our trip. Stay tuned as I hope to share more as time permits.
