Cathedral, Ice, and Xmas Market

We visited Winchester Cathedral this morning. It was easy to get into the cathedral along with numerous other visitors, but to get around to the side we joined a large throng of persons headed to the sprawling Christmas market next to it.  Along the ice rink you see just a few of the innumerable small stalls  where merchants offered a stunningly wide variety of goods, mostly high-quality handicrafts. In one, having lost my hat in the London subway a few days ago, I bought one of 100% wool made in Scotland by a Scots family enterprise.

The Norman style tower and wing to its right in this image belong to the oldest part of the huge cathedral, whose construction began in 1079; it was consecrated in1093.

Afterward we made our way out (easier than in), and soon took a taxi to  the train station to return to Waterloo and thence via the underground to Heathrow.  Early we fly with an English tour group to bird on the continent--I'll report from there in tomorrow's blip.