the ancient things.

so today has been a day of traveling. we met at 9:45 at the oxford playhouse to meet our bus driver for our visits of salisbury, stonehenge, and avebury. the driver immediately introduced himself as phil, and he was a great british man full of spectacular british humor. the bus ride to salisbury was about two hours long, so i managed to catch up on a little sleep on the ride. when i woke up, i was extremely happy to have worn both my new rain boots and rain jacket, for the dreary british weather we had always heard about was now manifesting itself in front of us. we were let out of the bus in front of the cathedral, and phil told us we had an hour and a half to get lunch or do whatever we pleased to before we had to be back for our tour. we went as a group to a local cafe called caffe nero where i had a mozzarella, basil, and vine tomato panini, fresh fruit salad, and a hot chocolate milanese. the hot chocolate was the one thing i really wanted, and it was unlike anything i've ever had in the hot beverage world. it was extremely thick and creamy, topped with a heaping mound of whipped cream, and had bits of belgian chocolate topping it and mixed inside as the primary ingredient. it was the perfect thing to counteract what i was experiencing outside, and it provided me with the necessary bravery to attempt to venture into the cold and look in a shop or two before i had to meet phil. it was a good thing it happened because i finally found josh's gift. there are a few because they are small and perfect, and when i saw them, i knew that is what i needed to get. after making an extremely exciting purchase, i walked back to the cathedral to start the tour.

allow me to preface by saying the cathedral is absolutely breathtaking. though years of acid rain and weather conditions have continued to wear away the limestone, they are constantly restoring it to the way it was originally. in fact, phil said they had just replaced the rolled lead roof the year before, and they did it in the original, dangerous technique. statues of saints embellish the exterior, and the holy family awaits you over the main entrance. when we stepped inside the cathedral complex, the cloister was directly to our right. the lawns are something they maintain constantly here and also take much pride in, so the greenery was carefully tended to and accented the limestone arches beautifully. we then entered the heart of the cathedral, and at once it was evident of how magnificent of a catholic church this once was. king henry the eighth destroyed most of the relics the church contained during his creation of the anglican church, but many of the characteristics i have known since a young age can still be observed. most of the church's stain glass is from the victorian era because they were broken out by the king, but some pieces are contemporary. the church houses many interesting relics including one of the oldest working clocks in the world, the bodies of many dignitaries, and a beautiful new baptismal font. though the font is crafted in the shape of a cross, contains words of hope and faith carved into its sides, and bears similarities to a fountain in the constantly overflowing water, it was the bodies of those interred that interested me more than anything else. the cathedral houses the bodies of the illegitimate son of king henry the second, lady catherine grey and her husband edward seymour who are both of the tudor lineage and fame, and the bishop of the first salisbury cathedral built in the thirteenth century. the architecture of the cathedral is equally as spectacular. in addition to the classical elements of gothic barrel vaults, there are also scissor vaults and flying buttresses which are present to support the weight of the spire. the added strain which these additions were needed to correct actually caused the four main support columns to begin to bend causing a great support issue for the church. the marble columns are actually not marble but are petrified seashells thus enhancing their beauty and rarity. none of these amazing things compare to what is held in the porch to the side of the cathedral. through the doors, into the cloister, and into a receiving chamber is held an original copy of the magna carta. one of the most influential documents in history. two inches below my hand under a pane of glass. it was indescribable.

after viewing the magna carta we got back on the bus for the drive to stonehenge. on this route we passed the house of sting which phil described as being "very modest with fourteen bedrooms" and we also saw one of the chalk horses carved onto the english hillside. phil said is is maintained, basically just weeded, by the people in the area to preserve its detail and beauty. there is no certain answer as to why the horse was carved, but it was not as mysterious as the next two places we were to visit. the great stone structures of the old.

stonehenge. it is literally in the middle of the salisbury plain surrounded by land. after walking under the street and up to the parcel of fenced land which contains the circle, i was awestruck by its being in front of me. i have studied stonehenge countless times in art history, and to finally be standing in front of it was something i had only dreamed of. we didn't get to stay for long, but in the time we did have i learned two theories as to the reason of its existence that i had never heard, and i finally heard a name associated to the people who are attributed with its erection. the people were called the beaker people for they were found buried with cups shaped like beakers. the english heritage allowed archeologists to once again dig in the circle's center, and upon doing this, they discovered ash from a human cremation. this supports latest theory of the megaliths purpose. it was erected, possibly, as a place of ancestor worship, and acted almost as a ceremonial cite for preparing, interring, and appreciating those who had died before them. i think that this theory is the most plausible one that has been preposed yet, and that over time, more evidence will come to light supporting it. the other theory i had never heard, possibly because it has already been disproven, was that the cite existed because the romans had erected it as a temple. that theory does not even begin to work due to the age of the stone, and the documented evidence supporting the building of the structure ending before the first century ce.

avebury. the largest stone circle in england. it is actually more than one circle, but the main one dwarfs stonehenge ten times over. the bank once stood twenty to twenty-five feet above the thirty foot ditch, but now neither are present. many of the stones are now missing, but some are actually still buried from their fourteenth century ce burial. kieler re-erected many of the stones, and where some were missing me placed concrete markers signifying where some once stood. these sarsen stones were chosen because of their shape, and they were never altered to fit their purpose. the circles are most likely signifying fertility and/or the circle of life, and it was also created by the beaker people. in fact, it is theorized that some of stonehenge's sarsen stones were donations from one tribe to the other for stonehenge comes much later and contains stones also from the quarry in marlborough. what i loved most about avebury was that i was able to touch the stones. because the city has been built with some portions actually residing inside of the circle, people are able to become closer with their environment, and touching the stones is a daily thing for some. i also enjoyed avebury more than stonehenge due to the fact we were surrounded by sheep. they were inches away from us, grazing freely, and it made me thing of the children's movie babe, one of my favorites.

after we got back to oxford, steven, carley, zach, and i went to yo! sushi for their first conveyor belt experience. the sushi was so good, but the edmame was my favorite plate that i pulled. after going back to the dorm and showering, steven and i finally got to know each other. he was the one person from the trip i hadn't gotten to see much of, so the two of us went out tonight, exploring oxford, and the unthinkable happened. we popped into a pub to see what specials they were running, and we ended up at a concert. it turns out the band the ataris were playing in the pub tonight, so we stayed for some of the set, then we left to get a drink, blue lagoon, and talk about what we've thought of the trip, oglethorpe, and what tomorrow may hold.

again, i have pictures.

here's the salisbury cathedral hidden behind gorgeous maple trees. just like the ones that grow at the granby house.


the tomb of the first bishop of the old salisbury cathedral.


the eastern portion of stonehenge.


and lastly, a view of the wonder that is avebury.