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Published: April 27th 2010
After 4 nights in London, we decided it was time to get out of the city and see some of the countryside. The man at the pub who told me the shroud of Jesus was a fake, suggested that we go to Winchester. We had originally been talking about Stonehenge but he said it was a waste of time-- "just a bunch of rocks sitting around in a field". He told us that Winchester was a small town with a lot of history and he was right!!
We arrived yesterday morning and had already reserved a room above a local pub. We went to drop off our backpacks and met the owner of the pub, gary. The pub/inn is called the King Alfred Pub after the cities most prominent leader, King Alfred. Even Gary's dog was named Alfred! After that we each went for a run and then decided to do the 2 hour walking tour of the city with a guide from the Tourist Department. It was informative and we learned a lot about just how much has gone on in this city. There have been 3 civil battles here and the architecture shows portions of each conqueror's architectural influence. We also saw the home where Jane Austen lived for the last 3 months of her life before her death.
The inn that we stayed at was great! Gary was very friendly and accomodating and the rooms were quite nice. It was such a treat not having to wear shoes in the shower!! We woke up this morning and went downstairs where Gary was waiting with cereals, juices and fruit setup for us. He also asked us what kind of eggs we would like and made us a breakfast of our choice. If any of you ever get over here, I highly recommend visiting this town and staying at the pub!
After our stay in the countryside, Nate & I have decided that for each city we visit we need to get out of the city for at least a night and get a true feel for the country and culture. It's been amazing to experience each. Today, we are headed back into London for the night and then we leave tomorrow at Noon for a 9 hour bus ride to Paris. We decided to take the bus instead of the train because 1. It's much cheaper! and 2. We will get to see more of the country along the ride.
I have been amazed at how friendly the people here are (for the most part) and will admit that initially I was not too excited about coming to England. However, after my visit I have made the decision that I would come back. Maybe not to see London again, but definitely to another small town. The culture is incredible!
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Lauren
non-member comment
Yay! So glad you are having a good time and things are going well. Can't wait to read your posts on Paris!