Grace England Tour 2016: July 18-Stonehenge and Winchester Cathedral

The “you must eat a protein first at breakfast” and no more than one pastry/two small glasses of juice rule seems to be working well. There was less fierce energy on the bus on the way to Stonehenge. After my second Barbie-dream-sized cup of coffee, I noticed there was a sign that said poached or fried eggs could be ordered. I ordered two. And sipped another teeny cup of coffee while I waited for my breakfast protein to arrive. When it did, there was a great deal of fascination with the “unusual egg shapes” as one boy described it, on my plate. I told the boys how eggs are poached and cut them open so boys unfamiliar with a poached egg could see their delightful and appealing interior. There is so much to be learned on an international trip such as this…Anson, an egg connoisseur, was quite familiar with both the cooking procedure and the satisfying delight of a poached egg. But I digress.

It was a short drive and there were plenty of oohs and ahhs when we first spied Stonehenge. Carter got on the microphone and described how this wasn’t the first and not the only massive stone structure in the area. He told us how Stonehenge was over 5,000 years old and predated the pyramids of Giza. Upper school boys who studied ancient Egypt with Mr. V nodded in understanding. We got our tickets and audio headsets and took a shuttle to the site. Chaperone groups wandered. I asked the boys to line up and Mr. Bruner took a photo of each boy with the stones in the background. Will send that once I have his card from his camera. We listened and learned and took a variety of pictures, both documentary and goofy. The shuttle conveniently dropped us off at the gift shop where little replicas, clothing and many things Stonehenge are purchased. Except for the Stonehenge chocolate or other confectionary items for sale. The only Stonehenge key chain I can find has pink sparkles in a flat bubble that surrounds an image of the stones. It is sad and a little bit funny to see how far marketing has taken these ancient monuments. But there is hardly any time for more detailed searching as I am busy convincing boys that large life-colored replicas of Stonehenge might not have a permanent place of prominence in their homes. This is typical on these trips, discussing how, when purchasing a present, it is best to think, not only of what is most appealing to you, but to the person for whom the gift is being purchased. I ask one boy what his mom likes and he tells me she likes wine. And sure enough, there is some Stonehenge wine he also can’t buy. She ends up with a Stonehenge coffee mug I make the cashier double bag. This scene is replayed with a number of boys.

Back on the bus we head to Winchester Cathedral which, according to Mr. Bachmann (who seems to have encyclopedic knowledge, not only of musical history but also of religious structures) tells us has the longest nave of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. He quizzes the choir with obscure questions about different composers all local to areas we are visiting. Both men and boys are being stumped and Mr. Bachmann is delighted with their interest and enthusiasm for the correct answer(s). In general Mr. Bachmann is delighted/delightful and lends a relaxed and congenial air throughout the trip, which only increases our enjoyment of a trip well planned and delivered.

We break into three groups: two chaperone groups and half the choirmen with one chaperone group each. We meet our tour guide who tells us it is a “delight and privilege to offer us this tour today of this very special cathedral.” Our guide explains about the original Norman architecture featuring rounded arches and window frames. We see the jumble of small pieces of stained glass in the west window and our guide explains that after the civil war of the 1640s, much of the glass was shattered. The remaining shards, which dated back to the early 1300s, were gathered and reassembled into the hodgepodge we see today. Beauty everywhere. The mosaic floors are breathtaking. Tombs (of dead people as a chorister recently wrote) are everywhere. One has three sculptured figures sitting at the foot of a tomb and angels at the head. A boys asks about this and is told the three figures at the foot arranged his finances and his will and the three angels are there for obvious reasons. I suppose if you ask any of the 41 travelers from Grace to write a blog, you might get 41 different responses. So know that unless I indicate otherwise, these remarks and photos are my own…for better or worse.

It has been unseasonably warm, close to 90 for the past couple of days. We are grateful for the showers in our hotels, for the air-conditioned coach and for having time to spend with people we may see differently in this new environment. All for the better, as best as I can tell.

The pictures below came from Mr. Bruner, Anson and Calum but since they loaded them on the bus on the way to Stonehenge, I cannot know the photographer for each. Pardon that they are not in order. Enjoy them anyway.