Winchester, despite its famous cathedral, (Oh-bo-de-o-do) is a truly horrendous place to get around in. We drove through it yesterday without even seeing a sign for Winchester Cathedral, or even a hotel and ended up staying about 20 miles outside of town. Getting to the church this morning wasn't much easier.
Winchester Cathedral is the longest cathedral in England and is the resting place of Jane Austen. Only three people attended her funeral, hardly anyone knew she had died. In fact, few even had heard of her! Posthumous fame is a bitch.
We spend the rest of the day just truckin' along, trying to find a nice place to spend our last few days in the English countryside. After a brief visit to Sissinghurst Castle we finally settled in the Durrant B&B, parts of which date to the 16th Century. Our room overlooks a pond and green fields, very "Laura Ashley" and very comfortable. Jenny, our hostess, welcomed us with the traditional English tea and (non-traditional) chocolate cake while Holly, the house dog, pestered us to play ball. It became a bit of a family affair when daughter Sophia and her main squeeze stopped in. We'll stay here for three nights and day-trip to the local sites.
