Winchester & Theater
After breakfast, we headed to Winchester, the city of Kings and Priests! Once we arrived in the 2,000 year old city, we split into our school groups to have a tour of the city. We saw Jane Austin’s house, where she lived out her final days, Winchester College, the oldest independent boarding school for boys in England, and Wolvesey Castle, the palace of the powerful and wealthy bishops of Winchester! Even though Wolvesey Castle is in ruins, its architecture is mesmerizing! We also got to go to the Great Hall, the place where King Arthur’s Round Table can be found. In fact, Henry VIII hated the idea of equality that the Round Table truly represented, so he had a portrait of himself painted on the table in the same place that King Arthur would have sat! Finally, we visited Winchester Cathedral. While at the Cathedral, we got to see Jane Austin’s grave, the Winchester Bible, the finest surviving 12th century English bibles, the crypt with the sculpture called Sound II, a memorial to William Walker, or “Diver Bill,” who single-handedly saved the cathedral from sinking, and finally the shrine to Saint Swithun, a man who was said to have healing powers and remains are now spread out in churches all over England!
In between all of these fascinating works of history, we had free time to do some more shopping! We loaded up the coaches and came back to Wellington to prepare for the performance of Wicked!
Although we got back late from the performance, we can all truly say it was breathtaking, especially because of the wonderful props, costumes, sets, and, of course, the actors!!
We are looking forward to Windsor Castle and Runnymede tomorrow!!
