A day at Stonehenge and the English countryside
“How long could we possibly spend looking at a bunch of rocks?”
I’m ashamed to admit this was a direct quote from yours truly. But, I’m happy to report that after a few hours at Stonehenge, I completely changed my tune.
One weekend, with guests in town, we decided to rent a car and check out Stonehenge to see what all the fuss was about. I think a lot of my “meh” mentality came from ignorance, as I really didn’t know very much about it, prior to our visit. I was both intrigued and indifferent at the same time, which I know makes no sense.
We rented a car from Hammersmith, and despite the poor weather conditions, still managed to arrive within 1.5 hours. Stonehenge is located in Salisbury Plain, about eight miles north of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. The surrounding landscape adds to the beauty and mystery as there’s nothing but green fields for as far as the eye can see. Coming from the city and seeing these rolling fields, I began getting much more excited. Approaching Stonehenge is quite interesting as two major roads run right alongside it (A344 and A303), so if you’re looking closely, you can actually catch a glimpse without having to pay for a ticket, but beware, as traffic on these roads naturally was backed up by tourists and onlookers trying to capture a quick selfie out a car window (i.e. my husband).
Purchasing tickets for Stonehenge gains you access to not only to the stone circle, but also the Stonehenge exhibition and Neolithic houses, all onsite. The exhibition is where you’ll learn all about the history of the circle and what pre-historic life was like back in 2500 B.C. The most fascinating part for me is that there is still so much historians do not know about Stonehenge. When you think about life nearly 4,500 years ago, it’s mind-blowing how something like this could have even been constructed. And by how many people? With what tools? And for what purpose? All of these questions are still unanswered, although various theories are shared amongst different communities. It truly is a wonder of the world, and a place I am glad to have visited…even if it is just a bunch of rocks.
Pictures can never make this spiritual landscape look as enchanting as it feels in person, because to me, part of their beauty lies in the mystery. Standing in front of this engineering masterpiece made me feel a sense of inspiration and awe. Unfortunately, our trip was a very quick one as the UK was experiencing a massive storm at the time, so our photos were snapped in between being pelted with hail and 30 mph winds.
Alas, it will always be a well-worth-it memory for me.
