Where in the world is Sharon Daugherty?: Stonehenge

Another beautiful day and we are off to Stonehenge. Train to Bath and then yes we looked for a place to have a leisurely lunch before our tour at two o'clock. We found a quirky little cafe with various quotes painted on the walls.

A possible new boyfriend for Terry

Ok, we are off to Stonehenge now.

We boarded a purple bus which had to have the world's tiniest seats. Not kidding. We barely fit on them. Is it possible we are having too many leisurely lunches????

The countryside going out was beautiful and green

Our guide/driver pointed out various points of interest along the way, such as the Westbury White Horse, which was at first a blob or possibly a white sheep against a hillside. As we got closer you could actually make out that it was a horse. It was a carving in the rock. The current one dates to 1778 but there is evidence of a much earlier design underneath. There are 9 white horses in the area and many believe they are effigies of the dragon slain by Saint George. Directly above the white horse, you can see the remains of an old Celtic hill-fort ocupied around 2500 years ago.

We couldn't stop for pictures and it was too far away, but the driver showed us this picture later.

The Celt's were warring tribes and built their forts on hills for defense. The carvings were a means of marking their territory and a warning to others to stay out.

Stonehenge - What can you say, but that it is old and mysterious. It is located on the Salisbury Plain in a gently rolling landscape. The surrounding area is mostly used for farming and military training. It is possible to see the occasional tank moving acoss the road or of course a big tractor. A new information center opened about 6 months ago

and the English Heritage is in the process of transforming the site to what they believe to be its original dignity. It will be surrounded by grass and reunited with its ancient approach (formerly a visitors center and parking lots) so that it looks more like it did thousands of years ago. You cannot go among the stones any longer (ground too fragile and still contains artifacts that haven't been found) and you are bussed about a mile to a drop off point where there is a walkway all the way around. There are numbered signs that correspond to the audio guides you are given at the start. Punch in the appropriate number and it tells you about a burial mound or the way the rocks are set, etc.

As you walk around you get closer and closer to the site.

An ancient formation aligned with the movements of the sun. The stones were raised 4500 years ago by prehistoric people.

The stones themselves are fascinating. Sarson Stones that weighed over 45 tonnes were moved 20 miles before being shaped and erected. These are the outside large vertical stones and the lintels. 80 smaller Bluestones inside the circle were transported 240 miles from the Presilli Hills in Wales. Remember when we visited the Presilli Hills in Wales and saw the ancient burial tomb made up of the blue stones. When Stonehenge was completed it consisted of 171 stones, and had taken over 1500 years to build.