Day 2, Stonehenge and Salisbury

The plan posted for us the evening before.   Our itinerary reads as follows:

Marvel at the prehistoric circle of vast monoliths of Stonehenge and learn about the primitive builders who managed to create such an enduring monument.  Stop in Salisbury, a charming old city where the cathedral boats the tallest spire in England.  Arrive in Tavistock, a market town on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

Our stop was a quick one.  For one it was raining, not everyone even opted to hope off the coach.  But, my friend Jane and I donned our ball caps and rain coats and walked around the circumference of the circle.  We lucked out in that we were there before other tour groups so it wasn't crowded.  My understanding is it's often quite crowded and hard to get a picture.  You no longer get to walk right up to or among the stones, but it's still quite impressive to see.

If you click the picture to enlarge it, you should be able to see some people on the left hand side of the picture.  This should give you some perspective as to the size.  This is an UNESCO site, one of the first in England.  It's a powerful witness to the people in the Neolithic and Bronze ages.  The building of this site began 5,000 years ago, but why it was built is unknown.  What it was used for is also unknown.  Some of the stones (as they are not all the same type of stone), came from the south of Wales.  How would simple people without modern day tools get stones this large and heavy from one place to another?  It will continue to be studied, and perhaps in years to come more will be learned.

Again, look at the size.  This is stone laying down tethered to a sled of sorts
See the people on the left.

Examples of grass huts can be toured behind the circle.  You get a feel for what a village would have looked like.

A launderette outside a rest stop.  Rest stops in Europe are nothing like rest stops here in the US.  The ones we saw in England had gas, public toilets and a large facility with 2 coffee shops, some fast food options, and grocery items; as well as gift items to purchase.  The launderette is a combined washer and dryer.  We watched a man put his laundry in, add the money and then went inside to eat and shower possibly.  The soap is also already in the machine.  As you can see you select which size load you have.

The Salisbury Cathedral, the tallest spire in England at 123 meters, a little over 400 feet!!  As you can see some work is being done.  No doubt that's a perpetual situation given the age of the cathedral.  The building began in 1220, and took 38 years to build.  It houses The Magna Carte among other artifacts.  Half a million visitors tour the cathedral annually.

A few of the many gorgeous stained windows.

This is an embroidered copy of the Magna Carte.  We did see the original, but you are not permitted to photograph it.  It's kept in a tent to keep light off it and only 3 people are permitted in the tent at one time with a docent controlling the entrance and exit of the tent.

Remember to click to enlarge so you can read the explanation.

A very detailed model of the cathedral.

A hot Cappauccino and shot of whiskey (can't remember what we had), was just what the doctor ordered.  Was a pretty cool, damp day and we needed a pick me up as we were walking around the town a bit.

In the pub where we enjoyed our whiskey and Cappuccino.  Forgot to make a note about the name of the pub, it was quite old.  Might have been named Ye Olde Pub or something like that.

Not a photo I took, but one from their website.  It looked like a castle, and was quite old.  Many older hotels in Europe do not have AC or elevators.  This hotel fell into that category.  We ran into trouble on night one there, as we were without electric.  3 different staff members came up to our 3rd floor room to see if they could fix it.  Something to do with the breakers.  Each plug had their own.  We lucked out in that one light did work, so we weren't in the dark; but were unable to charge our phones.  They didn't have a room they could move us too, as they were full.  They did get it fixed for us the next day.  A rather charming hotel with a warm and very nice staff.

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