Sunday, November 6, 2016

Winchester High Street winds its way from the King Arthur statue through the old city gate to the Great Hall containing King Arthur’s Round Table. Along the way we passed a city market selling antique type products. Rhonda had never eaten roasted chestnuts, and Kathy and I were used to buying them from street vendors, and so, when we ran into a street vendor roasting them on a charcoal fire, we could not resist. Delicious.

When we entered the Great Hall, we were told that a concert was soon to begin. Sure enough, almost immediately we heard the voices of the London Philharmonic Choir singing as the singers entered the hall to stand under King Arthur’s Round Table, mounted on the wall above. The conductor called it a “pop up” concert because the choir simply decided to sing in the almost perfect acoustics of the Great Hall. There were no prior announcements or advertisements, and the people visiting the hall were the only guests. It was an unplanned, planned event and was another unexpected pleasure of our travels.

Heading back to Salisbury, we went straight to Salisbury Cathedral and gazed up at its majestic steeple. Entering, we learned that the Bishop of the Anglican Church was soon to lead the Sunday Evensong service along with the Cathedral Choir. Dressed in green and white, and lit by candle light, the choir was resplendent in harmony as they sang the psalms and liturgy. The robed young boys who stood in front of the choir had beautiful voices and wore cowls (pleated round collars) around their necks. Looking around at the wonderful woodwork, the high Gothic arched ceilings and the beautiful stained glass windows, the music washed through the soul. A beautiful worshipful time ensued. We were once again blessed with unexpected events on this sunny English day. WEG