July 11: Salisbury

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANature treated us to a wonderful sunset last night, and then an imposing display of stars. We never would have seen this had we not camped. The silk sheet that I placed inside my sleeping bag kept me warm and I slept better. After shaking off the morning dew from the tent, we took the street bus to Par, the neighboring town, and then the train to Salisbury. Come to find out that for £30 and proof of birth date, people over 60 years old can purchase a rail pass that provides a 33% discount on all trains in the U.K. When we asked at the tourist center yesterday, we were told that only citizens were eligible for this discount pass. When we arrived in Salisbury, we visited the Tourist Center there and asked them to contact the TC in Fowey; their misinformation cost us 18 quid.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA We are staying at The Old House in Salisbury. This 16th century building was converted into a 10-room  B & B  by the present hosts a couple of decades back. It has lots of character, but I favor the meticulously-kept gardens. From our room, I can smell roses and honeysuckle. In fact, there is  a floral scent throughout the city; the air is crisp without pollution, like after a spring rain. The center of Salisbury is a pedestrian zone with lots of eateries, markets and stores. We stopped for tea and pastries and watched the tourists walk by.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOne of the stores on the street is The Last Bookstore, which made us comment on the life expectancy of print books. The majority of our books sales are e-books. When I started selling Women of the Way about a year ago, 30% of sales were printed vs. downloaded electronically; nowadays, the printed version is minimal.  There was another bookstore in in town; it recently closed–another example of change resulting from technological advances.

We visited the OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASalisbury Cathedral. For more than 750 years, pilgrims have come here in search of inspiration and peace. In my opinion, it is much more attractive than the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. This was my first time in an Anglican church and found it less ornate (not so much gold and silver and fewer statues) than the ones I visited in Spain and Portugal. The church has beautiful grounds surrounded by a high wall with large oak gate entrances.  It was a nice promenade to help us digest our evening meal.

About The Author

Jane V. Blanchard

Adventurer and Author, I was born in Hartford Connecticut and now live in Sarasota, Florida.