I woke up early to try and get out to get to Salisbury early and also to not get in the way of the cleaning lady that would be coming. Unfortunately, I was about 10 minutes late for that. Also, I knew the forecast was for about 80% rain chance, but I figured it would be worth i
t. Rain prevented me from this trip several weeks ago, and I would not let it again. So I set off with my eyes to the sky to get the train to Salisbury.I got all the way there and it was still relatively bright with the sun glowing through the overcast skies, which I took as a good sign. My first goal was to get out to Stonehenge, and to try to do so before it rained (I knew it was inevitable). I got on the tour bus, which I at one time both hated doing and found very interesting. It told us lots of cool interesting things about the town and Stonehenge as we made our way out there. Without a car, it was really one of the only ways to get out there though. We made a few stops in town and made it about halfway out before the rain started to pour down. Oh well, I was expecting a wet day anyway.
By the time we actually unloaded the bus, it was not bad. We walked in and one good thing about the bus thing was that entry to the site was included, so we didn’t have to wait in the ticket line, but went straight to get our audio headsets and walk on in. I was impressed with t
he headset purely because of the numbering system. It actually made some sense as opposed to any other museum I have been to that has had them. It used the numbers 1-7 with two extra information options that just doubled the previous number. Proof that it can be done in a simple, logical way.
We walked under the road and out to the site. It was pretty cool, and I could have spent even longer out there if it had not been for the rain. But I got plenty of face time with the big stones. I also realized that the wetness was no deterrent for hundreds of people pilgrimaging out to empty their purses to see the big rocks. To be honest, it was not really what I had in my head. It is hard to explain what is different. There were definitely more stones than I thought there were, and it took up less space than I thought. But we could get up fairly close and there was lots of interesting information and it was nonetheless impressive.
he headset purely because of the numbering system. It actually made some sense as opposed to any other museum I have been to that has had them. It used the numbers 1-7 with two extra information options that just doubled the previous number. Proof that it can be done in a simple, logical way.We walked under the road and out to the site. It was pretty cool, and I could have spent even longer out there if it had not been for the rain. But I got plenty of face time with the big stones. I also realized that the wetness was no deterrent for hundreds of people pilgrimaging out to empty their purses to see the big rocks. To be honest, it was not really what I had in my head. It is hard to explain what is different. There were definitely more stones than I thought there were, and it took up less space than I thought. But we could get up fairly close and there was lots of interesting information and it was nonetheless impressive.
By the time my jeans were 
soaked, I took a last look and headed for the tunnel under the road to finish listening to the audio guide. After a while the rain let up a lot and I went to wait out for the bus to come back. It got there and we saw some more of the countryside and some burial stuff around the site. The tour includes a stop at a place called Old Sarum, which is where the original town at Salisbury was built. If you ever opt for this method of exploring this area, definitely take the stop here. Not many people did, which I don’t understand (although it was all in English and I know that many of the people in the bus were not talking English to each other whether they could understand it or not). I got out, and it was a little bit of a guess to find where to go, but it is on a big hill, so I just walked towards that. There was a nice path to the top and admission to the site was included in the ticket I had. So I walked around. It is basically some ruins of an old castle and next to that a cathedral on a big hill. What made this really cool, though, was that you could walk all around it. It was the most accessible site (especially compared to Stonehenge with its roped off paths).
soaked, I took a last look and headed for the tunnel under the road to finish listening to the audio guide. After a while the rain let up a lot and I went to wait out for the bus to come back. It got there and we saw some more of the countryside and some burial stuff around the site. The tour includes a stop at a place called Old Sarum, which is where the original town at Salisbury was built. If you ever opt for this method of exploring this area, definitely take the stop here. Not many people did, which I don’t understand (although it was all in English and I know that many of the people in the bus were not talking English to each other whether they could understand it or not). I got out, and it was a little bit of a guess to find where to go, but it is on a big hill, so I just walked towards that. There was a nice path to the top and admission to the site was included in the ticket I had. So I walked around. It is basically some ruins of an old castle and next to that a cathedral on a big hill. What made this really cool, though, was that you could walk all around it. It was the most accessible site (especially compared to Stonehenge with its roped off paths).So I explored and climbed around ruins. It also had a great view all around including Salisbury. It started to rain a little again, and it was time for me to go catch the bus again. Right when I had started to dry out, I again got soaked waiting for the bus. But I was soon back in the city center of Salisbury with what looked like the promise of not much more rain, and if there was then plenty of shelter. I walked around some finding first the shopping center, but bree
zing through it to check out Salisbury Cathedral. It was pretty cool and I looked around some and sat and listened to a choir practice which was definitely one of the highlights of the day – they were really good. I walked around some more and saw an original version of the Magna Carta (supposedly the most well preserved).
After a while, I headed back out to the rest of the city and found St. Thomas’s church which has a nice big fresco-like wall painting that looked cool. It was a very barren church though and I did not even see anyone that worked there. It was dark and very few visitors. I walked around some more all along the Avon river and through the city until dinner. After eating a little, I headed back to the train station to complete my last journey out.
zing through it to check out Salisbury Cathedral. It was pretty cool and I looked around some and sat and listened to a choir practice which was definitely one of the highlights of the day – they were really good. I walked around some more and saw an original version of the Magna Carta (supposedly the most well preserved).After a while, I headed back out to the rest of the city and found St. Thomas’s church which has a nice big fresco-like wall painting that looked cool. It was a very barren church though and I did not even see anyone that worked there. It was dark and very few visitors. I walked around some more all along the Avon river and through the city until dinner. After eating a little, I headed back to the train station to complete my last journey out.
I got back into Fleet and noticed that the overcast clouds had cleared to make way for a breath-taking sunset. That really m
ade my day. The sky was full of colors that would not even be matched in an 8,000,000 count assortment of Crayola Crayons. (Although it would be kind of cool if it was an electric lime sky, just in a very different way). I finally made it back to relax and dry out after a cold and wet day.
ade my day. The sky was full of colors that would not even be matched in an 8,000,000 count assortment of Crayola Crayons. (Although it would be kind of cool if it was an electric lime sky, just in a very different way). I finally made it back to relax and dry out after a cold and wet day.What I learned:
The mystery of what Stonehenge was built for. Wouldn’t you like to know?
The spire of the Cathedral is slightly cooked to the south west (I think). But it is not enough to be worried about, yet.
I could be botching all of this, but this is what I vaguely remember hearing from a mixture of things related to the Stonehenge tour stuff: Three rivers converge in Salisbury. There was an elaborate system of canals built around the city until they became carriers of sewage and disease. The cathedral was built very quickly as far as cathedrals go, and only has about a 4 foot deep foundation, but under it some other materials.
There is a snack food here (maybe in America too) called Twiglets made by Jacob’s. In my humble opinion they taste terrible. I was trying to think of something to relate them too as I ate, but I could not. I am sure they appeal to some people’s taste buds, but I’d prefer to go hungry.
The mystery of what Stonehenge was built for. Wouldn’t you like to know?
The spire of the Cathedral is slightly cooked to the south west (I think). But it is not enough to be worried about, yet.
I could be botching all of this, but this is what I vaguely remember hearing from a mixture of things related to the Stonehenge tour stuff: Three rivers converge in Salisbury. There was an elaborate system of canals built around the city until they became carriers of sewage and disease. The cathedral was built very quickly as far as cathedrals go, and only has about a 4 foot deep foundation, but under it some other materials.
There is a snack food here (maybe in America too) called Twiglets made by Jacob’s. In my humble opinion they taste terrible. I was trying to think of something to relate them too as I ate, but I could not. I am sure they appeal to some people’s taste buds, but I’d prefer to go hungry.
I have a real soft spot for sunsets.
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