As Winchester was once a great city under King Alfred, it seems fitting that Atsede’s Alfred University would send her on a program there. This summer, we were shocked to discover that we had both applied to go abroad to England. When we both got in, we swore to visit one another across the pond. With the start of Spring Break, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. Plus, I was determined to see the Round Table.
Winchester is so quaint and welcoming. Normally I hate that word, but at the moment – 8 am on a bus back to London – it’s the best adjective I can find. Thus far, I have found all English cities beautiful in their own way, the stone architecture and lush countryside being continual contributing factors. What I got from Winchester, though, was different. The vibe is so homey, and with the University of Winchester a mere 10 minute walk from “downtown,” there is so much to cater to us crazy kids.
Due to a miscommunication in my arrival time, I spent the afternoon exploring. First, I went to the City Museum. It was “Meet the Romans” day, which entailed adults dressing up as Ancient Romans and harassing small children. Naturally, I avoided them like the plague. From there, I walked a mere stone’s throw away to the stunning Winchester Cathedral. Unlike York Minster, which I found imposing and rather cold, the cathedral was bright and welcoming. I could have stayed there all day. While I could not find Jane Austen’s grave and memorial right away, despite it being right next to the door, I came back the next day and got a lot of pictures with my girl. RIP Jane. On Saturday, when I made my second sojourn to the cathedral, there was even a singer and orchestra practicing for an evening concert. It was so heartening to walk around the beautiful stone masterpiece to the melodious sounds of string instruments and harps.
Thanks to Starbucks and its consistently free Wi-Fi, Atsede and I managed to find each other. I got a mini tour of the campus, before we buckled down to the immense task of getting ready to go out. But prevail we did, and then we traversed the maze-like dorms to find her school chums. I had forgotten what dorm life was like. At first, I was nostalgic, but by this morning, I was ready to shower without shoes. It’s the little things.
We had a great time playing “Wild Kings.” Gotta love apps that are purposely intended to get you drunk. Probably a good thing that you have to pay for the upgrade to “Saucy” though – dorm nudity was not part of my plan for the evening. After pre-gaming, we all headed into town. Winchester, being a college town, is made up of a myriad of bars. We went to a few, did some dancing, before ending up and the bar of my heart: O’Neill’s. There was a live band playing called “The Sacre Blues,” who were utterly fabulous. They definitely got me screaming my lungs out to “Hey, Jude.”
After the night’s festivities, I was determined to spend the next day seeing Winchester. It is a very historical town, boasting not only the cathedral but also the Great Hall, home of the supposed Round Table. Sadly, due to carbon-dating it is likely that the table shown, painted during the reign of King Henry VIII, is too young to have been used by the legendary King Arthur. Regardless, a girl can dream! And also take a lot of pictures for her proposed honors project…
The Great Hall itself is also a beautiful specimen of medieval architecture. Though it has been renovated and additions have been made many times, it still has a distinctly Norman feel. The windows were my favorite additive, as they are decorated with each of the kings that had a hand it its history, as well as their coat of arms displayed alongside those of their courtly favorites. Difficult to take pictures of, but magnificent to behold. There is also a recreation of a medieval garden, named for Queen Eleanor. It was incredible to picture the royals of old leisurely walking through such a place.
After, we planned to go and hike up St. Catherine’s hill, the original site of the Norman stronghold built in 1067. While no remnants remain, the hill still stands, stoic as ever. Unfortunately, due to the exorbitant amount of rain that has been hammering all of England over the past month, the path was extremely muddy. Not the best for Sperry’s or leather boots. Instead, we went to the garden at St. John’s hospital. I do not know if I have ever been in a more peaceful place. It was a garden out of a dream: a pond, hedges, a single tree leaning over the water, shading a single stone bench. The epitome of picturesque.
From there, we trekked back to the uni. Seeing as I had somehow managed to leave my plane tickets at home (yeah, didn’t tell my friends that part…), I needed to reprint them. Apparently RyanAir charges you £70 to print them at the airport. That would have been awkward. Crisis averted, Atsede and I do what we do best: got a pizza, snuggled up in her bed, and pumped out 4 episodes of Game of Thrones and the Cuse v. Duke game. Dedication: it did not start until 12 am, England time.
And now, here I sit, in Victoria coach station once more, awaiting my princess chariot to delicately deliver me to Stanstead Airport. As I attempt to find some modicum of comfort in these unforgiving stainless steel chairs, in clothes I have been wearing for almost 3 days, there is a single thought giving me the strength to go on:
I’m coming for you, Rome!
