Stonehenge and Old Sarum!

Tuesday was an open day, so Megg, Casey, Caitlin, Heather, Jen and I took ourselves to Salisbury. We managed to figure out the train routes from the Oxford railway and took several stops, Reading, Baskingstoke, and Salisbury. From here, we took a narrated Stonehenge tour, which included Old Sarum and admission to the Cathedral. We sat on the top level, front row of the hop on hop off so that when the bus rounded the corners it looked as though we were running over people. Approaching Stonehenge was interesting because I was happy to hear the intercom voice remind us to appreciate the surrounding landscape rather than thinking of Stonehenge as a single entity or monument. It embodies what Stonehenge is and those responsible for erecting it- the multiple parts of Stonehenge also includes many burial mounds that are quite distant from the prehistoric monument, And the Landscape was very beautiful dotted with sheep and shades of green, and the typical English weather. It was pretty crowded, it is set up so that people walk around the stones on a designated pathway and listen to the audio guide or appreciate it in your own way. I would imagine that the experience would have been much more spiritual in the absence of people, but it was awesome in every way that was possible to us. Imagine stumbling up upon that a few centuries ago...

Next the bus dropped us off at Old Sarum, the ruins of a site that initiated the development of Salisbury the town. This site was inhabited over 5000 years ago, and it wasn't until the 10th or 11th century that the fort was constructed, along with a chapel. Much of it was destroyed by a storm, so that much of what is left today is a bit more than the foundation plan in some areas, and great walls in others- such as the latrine pits (quite magnificent)! It was located up on a hill, and we let ourselves in by gate, as to not let the grazing sheep out into the road. The last stop brought us to the center of Salisbury, and we walked a few blocks to the Gothic style Salisbury Cathedral, very beautiful. Inside is crazy with the great halls that lead down to the alter, and several tombs decorated with the sculpture of the person. To our surprise and amazement we discovered discovered in the last few minutes of our stay that the Magna Carta was residing there in the cathedral! It is the Great Charter of 1215 and was designed to limit the power of King John of England, and lead to later changes in the workings of English constitutional law.