Stonehenge

Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of medieval standing stones located in England. It is in the middle of a number of very old monuments in England, including many burial mounds (some explored, some not). Why they were built is still a mystery.

Some believe it was an ancient Roman temple, others claim it was built by the Druids. Astronomers across the ages suggest it was built to calculate the dates of eclipses, others suggest it was a center of healing, a burial site, religious significance or perhaps a pilgrimage location. Whatever the truth, it remains a popular site, filled with mystery, wonder, speculation, and a sense of peace.

Note the bump on the middle rock
to the right

Smaller stones inside the
outer circle

Numerous stones have fallen over the years and sadly some have been carted off for buildings elsewhere. They have reset the standing stones to prevent them from falling over and a few of the fallen stones have been put back up. The original people who placed the stones used a locking system to keep the lintels on top – there’s a bump on the tope of the standing stone that fits into a hole in the horizontal piece placed on top! I still marvel that they were able to move and place stones of that size – a humongous job!

There are hundreds of legends about the stones and many have devoted their lives to exploring the stones and everything they could find out about it. If you’re interested, this English Heritage website is filled with information.

The Cathedral of St. Mary
where the Magna Carta rests.

While we were in Salisbury, we did get to see the original Magna Carta, the original document that was established to limit the power of the King and give the common person basic rights. While we couldn’t read it (or take pictures) it was amazing to see that an original copy was still preserved – and supposedly the best preserved.