Pilgrim spirit spans the Atlantic

from Senior Life - St. Joseph Edition - April 2023

by The Papers Inc.

Enjoy fabulous tulip time without leaving the country

added to the plaque on the tower.

voyage, and stayed with her to the bottom.

In a quiet stand of trees outside Southampton’s old city’s western wall is a testimonial to the heart and hardiness of America’s early settlers.

The Mayﬂower Memorial overlooks the site where lastminute repairs were made to a creaking wine ship before its two-month voyage from England to New England in the fall of 1620.

Since then, this waterfront community has been the last port of call for millions of emigres to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other parts of the world.

The Mayﬂower saga is memorialized by an unassuming limestone tower supporting a copper replica of the ship that eventually set sail with 104 Pilgrims and 30 crewmen to plant a colony that would grow into the most powerful democracy on the globe.

Anybody who can trace their ancestry back to those original dissidents can have their name

This bustling port of a quarter of a million people that has played a major role in much of British and U.S. history doesn’t appear on many travelers’ radars, despite being within an hour from the much-visited Stonehenge and its 5,000-yearold monoliths hunkered into the Salisbury Plain.

It’s a leisurely train ride from Gatwick Airport midway between London and Brighton. The tracks trundle through suburbanized southern England sprinkled with glimpses of cattle and castles, horses and hothouses, and sheep, small towns and school soccer practices.

Students from the researchdriven University of Southampton and other local campuses give the city an up-to-the-minute air as you wander through and around its historic sights.

Occupying a prominent position in downtown’s East Park is a tribute to those Southampton men who helped build the Titanic, which set sail from here on its disastrous 1912 maiden

One of the many memorials to this legendry liner is a large stone pedestal crowned by a bronze angel with wings outstretched as it stands on the prow of a ship, reminiscent of a scene made famous by actress Kate Winslet in the 1997 Hollywood epic centered around the celebrated ship.

The new city has been built around Old Town, which stretches south from the main business and shopping district.

Entry is through Bargate, Southampton’s most recognizable landmark, the city’s main entrance for much of its history that became busy shortly after the Norman victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Begun in the 12th century and completed in the 15th, the gate, which was built just wide enough for a horse-drawn coach to squeeze through, was not only a means of defense but also a symbol of political power.

Flanked by two lead lions said to protect the city, the gate was once the site of town council meetings, the local court and toll road collections. Shields mounted over the entrance represent prominent families that governed Southampton. A life-sized statue of George III, the “Mad George” who “lost” the American colonies, stands over the entryway.

A stone memorial just inside the gate bears a plaque recalling the havoc hurled here by German aircraft during World War II. Southampton was blitzed badly because it housed a Spitﬁre factory besides being a major seaport that eventually was the debarkation point for more than 3 million Allied troops during the invasion of Hitler-held Europe.

Another reminder of how military and maritime matters mingle is the skeletal remains of Holyrood Church, where Crusaders worshiped on their way to the Holy Land. It was almost destroyed by enemy bombers in 1940 and serves as a memorial to Southampton sailors who lost their lives at sea.

Daily Walk the Walls tours take you over the roofs of sturdy merchants’ homes that formed the defensive barricade after a 14th-century French raid. It not only pulls visitors through history, it also offers them alluring panoramic views of the waterfront and draws them to the weekly market erected around the Bargate.

Before leaving Old Town, we stopped at the Duke of Wellington, an Elizabethan-looking pub just inside the Westgate on the old walls, to sample ﬁsh and chips. A few years earlier, a guide at the Buckingham Palace stables in London advised us to sample this British staple in seaside towns because the ﬁsh is fresher. Her advice was sound.

Make last-minute checklist

After you’ve crammed all your needs into your luggage, but before you rush off to the airport, there’s a vital last-minute checklist you must perform.

Make sure you have enough of all your prescription medications to last for the trip. You should have a copy of your prescription to carry with you in case your luggage gets lost or your return is delayed.

Double check your itinerary and boarding passes. Tuck your passport in a handy but safe place after you’ve made copies of it and your driver’s license, credit cards and other travel documents. Leave a packet of these copies with someone back home, place a packet in a safety deposit box, carry a package with you and put one in each piece of luggage.