Stonehenge wasn't until 12:30, so we had a good 3-4 hours to kill! What a perfect time for a walk in the park...off to Hyde Park we go, the host of Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain (third picture).
On the way there, we ran into Wellington Arch, and lucky for us, at the same time we were there, the Queens Guards came riding by on their horses. Just a little de ja vu of changing of the guards! The Park was great, so much green... a giant lake was plopped right down in the middle. We were thinking about renting some paddle boats, but by the time we made it to the lake, it would have been too close a call. And I was not trying to miss Stonehenge...
STONEHENGE! It was about a two hour bus ride there, but damn was it worth it. I loved Stonehenge, the bus driver gave some good info on the trip up about the city of London and various sights, and then popped in a DVD on Stonehenge, which I gladly enjoyed. Supposedly it was constructed around 2500BC, it is aligned with midsummer's sunrise and midwinter's sunset... it looks as though it is a horseshoe of stones, within a circle, within a circle, within a circle. There were giant raised mounds about 20 feet apart that go back a few miles, this was the path in which ceremonies would come from. All of it was so intriguing, the video proposed possible ways in which they were able to raise the stones to the top, and even how they got them there - from the Preseli Hills, a good 240+ miles away. The contractors carved holes out of the top of the outer stones, in which the top stones (who had bumps), nicely fit into place. It was also said that stonehenge provided great acoustic privacy, in that the structure of it muffled any noises that were said inside of the circle. Even people standing directly outside of it would be unable to hear what was going on inside of it. Quite the mystery... along stonehenge there are "burial mounds", in which one person was placed in the fetal position (as they were in the womb) and given a cup (to receive water in the afterlife). These were huge mounds and all over the plains, you can see one in the last picture. All in all, stonehenge was a great experience. If only I could time travel...
We got back around 6PM, and our bus left at 11:15PM that night. So, we wanted to do a few more things before we had to go. First things first, we headed into a grocery store to get some grub! After that, Marc Sogol Taryn and I wanted to go check out the Science and National History Museums. Unfortunately, they closed at 5:30 and 6... bummer. But I took a picture of it anyway. We walked back from there, which you can see from the sky in the next two pictures, was a long way! We ended up just relaxing and unwinding in the hostel, a few soccer games were on, we watched those and chatted until it was once again time to catch the bus from hell.
Well, I made it back. It was a great trip. As any is. Traveling has a great way of opening your mind to the ways of life in different time periods, Stonehenge is still one of my favorite things I have seen thus far... It is amazing on quite a few different levels... Well, Ireland in two days, a week of rest, then the Scottish Highlands and my Spring Break adventure. I can't wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment