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Day One:
On Saturday, March 10th, we (David, my housemate from England,
Katie, a good friend from California, and Jeremy, a friend of David's
from California) left at 4 am for Salisbury and Stonehenge. It was
about a 6 hour drive that I really was not looking forward to. Behind
us in car number 2 were Verena, my German housemate, two of her
friends, and an American from Maryland. We set out, our car picking
and jeering at Verena's saying that we would get there first because we
had a guy driving. Murphy (of Murphy's Law) heard this and just fell
on the floor laughing about how easy we were making things for him.
Things were gong well as we started out. We made it 2 hours
without any trouble. After a stop for a stretch we started out again.
We had a great time in my car getting to know each other. Lots of
laughs, various movie discussions, and one circular story later, we
lost Verena. she was there one minute and the next time we looked she
wasn't, but she had directions so we didn't worry too much. Then the
fun started. Because of a mix up of roads and a distinct lack of signs
we ended up lost. We were on the west coast, and we were supposed to
be about 100- 200 miles southwest of where we were. Eventually, after a
lot of turning around and the three of us passengers falling asleep,
David got us back on track. When we woke up we had stopped for more
petrol. We were close to Salisbury, bur we discovered another problem -
namely a hole in the gas tank. Not a big one. Not even a serious
one, but a hole none the less. As it was not a major hindrance (we
weren't losing it by the gallons), we continued. We actually arrived
at Stonehenge 5 minutes ahead of schedule, and Verena is there waiting
for us. So much for getting there first.
Stonehenge was almost beyond description, but I will give it a
shot. When we first saw it from the road we almost wrecked because
Katie went ballistic with joy. Stonehenge itself was simply
awe-inspiring. We couldn't walk among the stones, but just being in
their presence was enough to make everyone stare in dumbfounded wonder.
There was a mediocre audio tour, but that was the only flaw. Even that
wasn't really a flaw - there was some useful information. The fact
that these stones were put into place around 2100 B.C. is simply
amazing. The fact that some were moved about 360 miles only adds to
it. Around Stonehenge are several barrows - large mounds where people
(probably important ones) were buried. After seeing Stonehenge we
visited some of the more famous or outstanding barrows in the
surrounding countryside. The countryside itself was of the kind that
poets write of. Rolling hills, stone fences, distant forests... it was
all there in all its beauty.
Upon returning from the barrows we found that David's car had
leaked quite a bit of petrol due to the fact that he had parked on an
incline. Over the next few hours we drove around trying to find a
garage that could repair it. During our "Quest for the Holy Garage" we
passed a quaint little church. After giving up on the garages, the
group of us (both cars) returned to the church. It was just a little
countryside church, but it had more character and was more
picturesque than most I have seen in the States. We spent some time
there, and established from the gravestones that the church dated to at
least the mid 1700's.
From the church we went to check into the youth hostel. From
there we proceeded through the market of Salisbury to Salisbury
Cathedral. Only one word entered my mind when I saw the cathedral...
wow. The inside was not as grand and majestic as you might think... it
was more so. This is truly a sight that must be seen to be believed.
The inside is, of course, cavernous. Behind, but still connected to
the cathedral is a small courtyard. The courtyard is simply beautiful.
It is something out of Arthurian legend. Another wonder of this
cathedral is the Glass Triangle. This triangle of glass is shaped like
a prism. On the corners of this prism, which stands upright, are
carvings of pictures. These carvings are as detailed and intricate as
a photograph. The depict different scenes, such as the exterior of the
cathedral, the interior of the cathedral, and a confusing kind of
starburst of light. The thing that makes the Glass Triangle
interesting is that you can only see the full picture of a particular
corner by looking through its opposite flat side. The effect is
stunning. We were amazed that part of the group had decided not to go
in because of the measly 2 quid (pound) admission fee.
We basked in the glory of Salisbury Cathedral for a good hour,
but that really wasn't enough. The fact that they were closing was the
only thing that made us leave. We then slowly made our way back to the
hostel, stopping for tea on the way. The rest of the night was spent
peacefully. We ate dinner, then shared 2 bottles of wine (amongst 8
people, mind) while playing chess and Clue. Well, David and I played
chess (I won after a hard fought game) and the rest played Clue after
giving up on Genius 3 Trivial Pursuit. So ended day one of the journey
to Salisbury.
Day Two:
Today was a little less hectic than yesterday... a little. We
started the day with a big group breakfast. That is we sat together
while eating what food we had each bought or brought.
After breakfast we packed up and loaded into the cars to come
home. Our first stop on the way was Old Sarum Castle. This is the
first real castle I have been to. Clifford's Tower doesn't count. It
was like everything you hear about in stories you hear concerning
medieval times... except ruined and falling apart with age. It had an
area where the town would have been surrounded by a 30-20 foot outer
wall. It had a moat (now dry) surrounding the actual castle with a
drawbridge across it... or what was once a drawbridge. The absence of
complete walls makes the 'draw' part of that kind of difficult. I had
where the King's chapel and chambers used to stand. It was just
amazing. Old Sarum Castle also commanded an almost breathtaking view
of the countryside from the back. The city walls had crumbled there,
so the view was accessible. In the front the city walls tended to
block the view even though they were a good 200 yards away. The castle
is set on a hill that is higher than the wall, but the view is still
blocked somewhat. The castle also overlooks the site of the old
cathedral - the Old Sarum Cathedral. 5 days after the cathedral was
built it was badly damaged in a storm. What did they do? Fix it?
Leave it? Of course not. They tore it down and spent 29 years
building Salisbury Cathedral. You gotta love that way of thinking.
After Old Sarum Castle we went to Averbury for lunch. this is
a restored medieval town that is also the site of another henge, a
circle of large stones. It was mildly interesting - kind of a let down
after Old Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral.
When we were done at Averbury we piled in our respective cars
for the rest of the trip home. On the way we managed to lose the other
car completely. We waited as long as possible at our rendezvous point
(Katie and I had to be back by 8:30) and then pressed on. On the way
through Nottingham we stopped and had the pleasure of meeting David's
girlfriend, Becky. From then on it was a straight shot home. It was
a very enjoyable trip. It was definitely one of the many things that made my trip to England worthwhile and memorable.
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