Stonehenge and Bath

Well, since we still don't have any real idea of when or where we are moving we decided to make the most of our weekend and go to yet another place on our checklist, Stonehenge and Bath. We seemed to spend more time in the car than we did site-seeing, but it was still an awesome day out.

We stopped in Stonehenge first and it was awesome. It really is awe-inspiring to see such massive stonework and to wonder how in the world they did it. And to see how it is all laid out, the math and science that went into the structure is mind-blowing. To imagine that with such rudimentary tools--compared to what we have today--they were able to build (and on such a large magnitude) a structure that is 1) a perfectly geometric: a perfect circle and a perfect rectangle, perfectly overlaid, and 2) perfectly aligned with the sunrise and sunset during the summer and winter solstice. It really is amazing. We are so grateful we had the time and the means to get to see it before our time here was truly up.

Setting out on the path that goes around Stonehenge. Got our maps and our audio tour guides already to go :) Won't lie, we were disappointed that we couldn't walk among the stones.

But still, it was awesome.

Brody, Emeryss, Daeglan, Mac

Some of my favorite shots from the day.

Brody, Mac, Jere-Miah, Geoff and Emeryss.

Daeglan is there too, but he didn't want to be in the picture, so he's hidden behind Geoff.

Jere-Miah and Brody snapped a ton of their own pictures with their DSi's.

Geoff, Mac and Emeryss.

Geoff had just run his hands thru Mac's hair and made it a little fro...

Mac, as you can see, is not too happy about it.

Emeryss is studiously listening to her audio guide.

Another of my favorite shots of the day.

It was really difficult to get any without people in them.

Emeryss and her new favorite thing: the audio tour guide.

The flat stone laying on the ground is referred to as the Slaughter Stone. In medieval times, people thought that it was cursed because it turns red when it gets wet. They deduced that it must have been a sacrificial alter and that the blood of the victims sacrificed there was what made it turn red. Actually, it is full of iron just like the standing stones you can see behind it. Those stones would also turn red when it rains if they were laid down like this one.

This is the heel stone and it points the way for travelers coming from a distance. It can be seen from across the field, where there is a hill top that visitors would come up over anciently.

The travelers could then follow the heel stone until they could see Stonehenge.

One last shot with no people... well, mostly. I think there is one or two,

but you have to search for them, they don't just stand out.

We had a few people tell us not to waste our time and money going to Stonehenge. Can you believe it? That people would say this mysterious and ancient wonder of the world is for the birds?

Well, I guess they do have a point here. There were birds everywhere! Apparently, the stones are covered in over 90 different varieties of lichen and the birds just love it. Here are a few shots I got of the birds that love Stonehenge as much as we do.

After departing from Stonehenge, we took another gorgeous drive a little further Northwest to Bath. The drive made me long for Wales. It was the same sort of hill and valley landscape that we love so well. The windy roads weren't as scary as in Wales though, we weren't as high up. But it was the same sort of breath-taking experience, coming around a bend and into a new and completely different world. We knew that Bath had a strong Roman history, but we weren't expecting what we found there. It's like driving into Italy. The entire layout of the town is totally Roman. Unfortunately, my camera died shortly after arriving in Bath, so I only got two pictures of our time there :( Guess I'll have to go back again sometime!

The Roman Bath Museum. One of the few natural hot springs in the UK, this was once a large spa/resort in Roman times with several baths, an exercise area and a temple for the Goddess of the Sacred Spring, Minerva. My kids love learning about the Romans, and they were very into this, though they were put out when they discovered they couldn't actually get in the water.

The view down the street from the balcony at the Roman Bath Museum. All of Bath looks like this. The archways and columns and that fabulous white stone carved with such intricate details. It's no wonder it's been a major tourist spot for the last two thousand years.

I'm so in the mood to read some Jane Austen now! We even got to see the Pump Room. The Pump Room that was the social hot spot for many years during Austen's time and plays such a role in a few of her novels.

We love the UK and feel very blessed to have had this opportunity to live here. Wish it would never end.

p.s. I'm really going to miss the green and gray of England. I think it's beautiful.