Ports of Call: England

Our Ports of Call in England proper were Southampton and Liverpool.  In fact, Southampton was our very first Port of Call and our last.  The journey from New York to Southampton is the almost fabled 'Cunard Transatlantic Crossing.'

10 May:  Southampton, Winchester and the New Forest:

When I was at University, I often took the train to Winchester to walk next to the river, have lunch at one of the restaurants in the town and visit the Cathedral.  Evensong was one of the highlights of any day spent in Winchester.  All of these memories induced a fierce longing to see Winchester again.

I don't think either Ann or John had much enthusiasm for the place but agreed to take us without hesitation.  We did have a very limited amount of time, as is usually the case at any port, so had to rush through the Cathedral somewhat in order to move forward to our lunch reservation in the New Forest.

Much that is most beautiful at Winchester Cathedral is on the upper level where the Choir is situated.  With Ann's help, I mounted the steps but, when we were leaving, a young guy who worked there offered to send me down in a lift.  He told me, inter alia, that only a specific number of disabled individuals ever was allowed on the upper level at any given time in case a fire should break out or any other emergency, such as an air raid from some German planes that had lost their way almost a century ago, should occur.  Somehow, and he was rather upset by this fact, I had slipped his net on my ascension but I now had been included in his count and it would be best by far if I were to take the lift.

In I went and was given a quick lesson for the operation of the controls.  At first I was rather embarrassed by the entire business as one might imagine.  Most people do not WISH to be perceived as disabled even to the point of refusing to use a cane or walker when one is needed.  I bit THAT bullet long ago and always use motorised transport in the supermarkets whenever possible but I have to confess I would not have used the lift at Winchester Cathedral if it had not been urged upon me.

My embarrassment, however, quickly turned to glee.  It was rather like a ride at the fair, and with my hand upon the joystick, the descent was rather exciting, almost like a roller coaster in fact, with sharp turns and a suprirsingly fast movement.

In fact, when I saw my 'party' watching me intently from the safety of the main floor, I began to giggle.  I felt like the Blessed Virgin descending in a cloud of glory from Heaven!  It was so absurd that one had to laugh, and I believe both Ann and Jim took photographs of the event.

I am posting this one for M who sent me the walker, so that I could move freely from one part of the ship to another and actually go ashore under my own steam.  Thank you, M!

Before I became disabled, one of my favourite pastimes whenever I visited an ancient church or cathedral was to race up the staircase (often a narrow spiral staircase) to the very top.  I am not certain why I enjoyed it so much, although part of it was the amazing view that usually awaited me at the top and part of it was the way one actually could travel back in time, the world narrowed to the view of the next step ahead...

There is no point in wishing for a different fate but I was saddened by my limitations, not being able to climb to the battlements of the City Walls of Southampton or to race to the top of a tower in Stavanger.  I could have done that without a thought or without taking much time in the past, but now every step is a major undertaking.

Nevertheless, I refuse to allow my physical limitations to dictate my destinations.  The woman in charge of the coach from Hamburg to Luneburg attempted to tell me I was not qualfied to make the journey because the streets were made of cobblestones and I would not be able to 'keep up with the group'.  Well, for a start, I couldn't care less about 'keeping up with' ANY group.  I would rather explore by myself in any case.  I made a point of complaining about her attitude to Cunard.  The fact that one is physically disabled should not preclude one from visiting any city or village!

St. Michael's Church was founded in 1070 and has the distinction of being the oldest building in Southampton that still is in use, although much of the Church is of later construction.