Day #132 - Southhampton, Salisbury, Winchester

Salisbury Cathedral

Cruise Liner leaving Southampton (not Queen Mary 2)

Southampton harbor

Winchester Cathedral

Saturday, July 24th

Today was a relaxing, peaceful day.

I continued on my tour of southern England - heading to the western side of the country. I started in Salisbury. A town located very near Stonehenge. The drawing card - the Salisbury Cathedral. Construction began in 1220 and was completed in a record 38 years. The spire, the tallest structure then known in the world - and still the highest in England - was added toward the end of the 13th century.

The cathedral felt very similar to Canterbury Cathedral that I visited yesterday. They both have a courtyard inside the building structure. They also have a very picturesque walkway around the courtyard. I'll remember this site for the 404-foot spire - easily visible from most anywhere in town. Salisbury itself was a neat place. Very busy streets. A fun place to spend some time.

I next headed to Southamption. I wanted to see the harbor. I learned that Dover is the biggest industrial port in England; whereas, Southampton is the largest passenger port. Southampton has become the cruise liner capital of northern Europe. On my arrival, I walked down to the oceanfront and could see a huge ship. All the people were up on the deck. It was just setting sail. A ton of people were around in the car parking area as folks waved to the ship. I've included a picture - this is not the Queen Mary 2 (described shortly)

Southampton has a place in history. The Titanic set sail from this port back in April 1912 on her ill-fated maiden voyage. Southampton was also the port of departure for many of the Allied troops on D-Day. There is a plaque in the harbor honoring those people who lost their lives in the battle.

Today, many of the world's largest cruise ships depart here. For years, a cruise liner named Queen Elizabeth 2 (1,791 passenger ship) was the only regular ship crusing the north Atlantic. In 1993, this ship was replaced by Queen Mary 2. This ship is billed as the largest, longest, widest, and tallest passenger ship ever. It is more than twice the size of Queen Elizabeth 2 and three times the size of Titanic. It carries 3,000 passengers and stands taller than the Eiffel Tower and longer than 41 double decker buses. Think about that. I can't even believe it. Taller than the Eiffel Tower? And 1/4 mile long? I've only been on 1 cruise liner to the Bahamas -- maybe many of you have seen or been on these kind of cruise ships. It's hard for me to get a grasp on this.

Leaving Southampton, I headed to the city of Winchester. I visited the Winchester Cathedral. Construction of the cathedral began in 1089. It is the longest medieval cathedral in existence (526 ft). The cathedral was built of Quarr stone from the nearby Isle of Wight. Famous writier Jane Austen (1775-1817) is buried here. Impressive. A very neat town as well. Both Salisbury and Winchester are towns where you could just walk around and spend the day.

Tomorrow I head due north. Waiting for me on my arrival --- bagpipes, Scottish Whiskey, hiking in the Hebrides, the Edinburgh Castle, and a monster named 'Nessie'.