Day trips to Milton Keynes New Town and Winchester - England's ancient Capital City

My father was born in Bristol UK along with three brothers. Meyer, George, and David. Meyer was the oldest and a mysterious character who was rumoured to be a spy. At the age of 65 he started to study Mandarin. He never married and didn't have children. His brother George, had a career with a shelving company called Dexion. He had two children Lynne and Jackie with whom my sister and I maintained regular contact. His third brother David also had two children, Norman and Marylou. While I was quite close to my cousin Norman when I lived in England for a year in 1968/9, over the years we have had only limited contact. However, on this trip I was determined to meet up with all of my cousins and fortunately this worked out. 

Norman and Marylou live in North London, Marylou is in Stanmore and since like many Londoners, she no longer enjoys going into the city and having to deal with protesters, she invited Norman and me for a Friday night dinner of fish and chips. We had a delightful evening getting caught up on the family news, including the Shirley's 90th birthday celebration. 

For many years uncle Dave and Norman ran Geller Business Equipment in London's West End where they sold cash registers and other business equipment. When England decided to switch from shillings to pence, they had many good years!

YouTube: Why everyone hates Milton Keynes and why they might be wrong.

New terraced housing in Milton Keynes

My cousin Lynne, who at one time was told she looked like me!

England has come a long way from the days when your choice was a pint of bitter or mild.

The train station in Milton Keynes is quite different from most other UK train stations. 

Lynne lives in Milton Keynes and she invited me to join her for lunch and a tour around the town. Milton Keynes is famous as a place the English love to hate. A planned new town, it was built after the war and is very different from most traditional English towns and cities that have developed over time. I didn't think it was as bad as my wife and others warned me about. I came across this video which tells the story of Milton Keynes very well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se1VnZxWv8M

Jackie lives in the New Forest and she suggested that we meet up in Winchester, in between where she lives and London. She made a reservation for lunch at the Wykeham Arms since she thought I would be interested in seeing the original flush toilet designed by Thomas Crapper, and she was right.

While I was familiar with Winchester Cathedral thanks to the 1960s song, I wasn't aware of the city's significance as the ancient capital of England. We spent a delightful day having a very long lunch and walking around the historic city. 

Winchester's main commercial street is a lovely pedestrian street.

I went inside since it claimed to be the oldest pub in England. However I subsequently learned many places claimed to be the oldest pub in England. Since this one only dated back to 1002 it was relatively new, compared to a few others!

Yes, this is the cathedral

The worlds first speed bumps?

The Wykeham Arms - exactly what one expects in a charming old English pub.

Of course I had the Wyke pie!

City Hall

While it may sound silly or trite, Winchester reminded me of what England used to be. A lovely, clean place with beautiful historic buildings, very little graffiti or garbage - a place where it was delightful to walk. In many respects, the exact opposite of Milton Keynes which is a very nice, but car-oriented place. But I still enjoyed visiting both, and especially spending time with my cousins.