Welcome to Stonehenge
I finally made it to Stonehenge. One site I just had to see! And what a sight. Right there next to the highway, can you imagine driving by Stonehenge on any given day. I always pictured it in some far off field with just a winding road or footpath leading to it. It was amazing to see it in the distance from the bus. You could see the stones of course and a large circle of people standing around them, eerie. It looked like an ancient ceremony was taking place. Mike (a classmate) commented that it looked like Druid priests, spot on Mike!! But reality set in when we approached the car park area. There were masses of people trying to get in and masses of people walking around. It was sort of organized chaos but it worked and we pushed our way in. Once in, we had an excellent view of the stones from a distance of course. People are no longer allowed to touch the stones so the area is encircled by a rope intending to keep the humans out. It was still incredible to view. The weather was a little overcast which made it all that more mysterious. I kept hearing this ominous deep voice in my head saying "welcome to Stonehenge" and of course, the scene from the movie Spinal Tap (dancing around the miniature Stonehenge on stage) kept popping into my head along with the voice. I think sleep deprivation may have entered into this equation. Another remarkable site!
Our next stop for the day was the historic city of Winchester know for of course for the Cathedral (yes the song was going the my head the whole time) and the Great Hall. The Great Hall is the only remaining part of the Winchester Castle (above ground) and contains the famous or infamous round table from King Arthur's Court. The names of all the knights are painted on the table as well as King Arthur on his throne. It is hanging on the wall to the right just as you enter the hall. On the opposite end of the hall are Prince Charles's iron wedding gates.
The Cathedral from what we could see was beautiful. They were having services so we were not allowed to go all the way to the vestibule area. It is one of the largest churches in England and has the longest Nave. The current building dates back to 1079 however the church origins date back to the 7th century and it was part of a monastic settlement in the 900's . Another factoid, Jane Austen is buried in the Nave of the church.
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