During the week, I was mostly just working on my project for class, trying to book everything for Spring Break and reading The Hunger Games. I am really appreciating my parents trip planning ability for all those vacations! It's really difficult! Also, I highly recommend reading The Hunger Games. I've really been enjoying reading this gripping series!But the really exciting bit was the weekend once again!
Friday:
We were given an hour to wander around the world famous site.
In class I had a mid-review, where I presented my concept for our project area. I got some useful feedback and directions for how to further investigate the site.
That night, I celebrated one of my classmate's birthdays at the pub and had cake back home. At the pub I saw Mushy Peas for the first time. Apparently, they are only an unusual food in the USA. I'd never heard of them before. It was a weird consistency but tasty besides that! There were plenty of laughs and good conversations that night!
Sunday: Stonehenge and Salsibury
Seeing these great sites in southern England, meant waking up at 5 am, but it was well worth it in the end!
We reached Stonhenge by 10 am by coach. What really struck me is that you are driving along a highway, and then all of a sudden Stonhenge is directly in front of you, and the road splits to swerve around it on either side. However, you approach it dead-on, which is an unusal sensation, especially for such a historic and famous site. You expect it to be totally isolated. It dominates the hillside, on one of the highpoints of the surrounding area, with copses of trees surrounding it. You can just imagine what an impression it might have struck on the ancient people. The approach of the road immediately impresses upon people that the road was built AROUND the site, and that the stones were here first. Everyone knows that, but so rarely do cars seems to take into account specific sites. We can just pass them to the side. By swerving out of the way, we are forced to acknowledge its presence.
We reached Stonhenge by 10 am by coach. What really struck me is that you are driving along a highway, and then all of a sudden Stonhenge is directly in front of you, and the road splits to swerve around it on either side. However, you approach it dead-on, which is an unusal sensation, especially for such a historic and famous site. You expect it to be totally isolated. It dominates the hillside, on one of the highpoints of the surrounding area, with copses of trees surrounding it. You can just imagine what an impression it might have struck on the ancient people. The approach of the road immediately impresses upon people that the road was built AROUND the site, and that the stones were here first. Everyone knows that, but so rarely do cars seems to take into account specific sites. We can just pass them to the side. By swerving out of the way, we are forced to acknowledge its presence.
We were given an hour to wander around the world famous site. One thing people never seem to mention about Stonehenge is that it is surrounded by a ditch. In addition, all around it are huge earthen mounds that remind me of burial ditches. People are only focused on the stones, but there is so much more to the landscape.
I overheard some fun comments:
One mother explained to her 7 year son the importance of the monument. That people from all over the world come to see it. The little kid obviously didn't quite understand what the big deal was ... "it's just a big pile of rocks!" Very true. I have the feeling he was probably from the area too.
The other insight I got was from a local explaining to her guest about the construction of the Neolithic monument. The stones at the center are taller than the ones on the outside, and placed very close together. Therefore, they had to carefully align the massive stones exactly to the summer and winter equinox, AND had to place the inner ones first, and build outward! There was no room for a mistake. It took a lot of pre-planning.
One mother explained to her 7 year son the importance of the monument. That people from all over the world come to see it. The little kid obviously didn't quite understand what the big deal was ... "it's just a big pile of rocks!" Very true. I have the feeling he was probably from the area too.The other insight I got was from a local explaining to her guest about the construction of the Neolithic monument. The stones at the center are taller than the ones on the outside, and placed very close together. Therefore, they had to carefully align the massive stones exactly to the summer and winter equinox, AND had to place the inner ones first, and build outward! There was no room for a mistake. It took a lot of pre-planning.SALSIBURY
We then took a jaunt over to had lunch at a Pasty Shop. We enjoyed watching birds along the way. I noticed the Magnolias are coming into bloom! The cherry trees are in full bloom, now!
In the late afternoon, we all rested in a cute park, with a fun looking playground and a small island in the middle of the stream. We soaked up the sun and wrote post-cards as children's laughter mingled with the songs of various birds.
A group of us wandered around Salsibury Cathedral and the grounds. The inner-courtyard was very impressive. The spire dominates the skyline of the town. The details of the statues is impressive!
Apparently the Salsibury Town Walk is considered one of the most picturesque walks in England. It wanders through a pastoral park landscape, leaving the town behind. It's favorited by dog-walkers and families taking a sunny Sunday stroll. A little stream wanders by at either side.
In the late afternoon, we all rested in a cute park, with a fun looking playground and a small island in the middle of the stream. We soaked up the sun and wrote post-cards as children's laughter mingled with the songs of various birds.The bus delivered us back in Sheffield at 10 pm, exhausted but safe and satisfied from a fun day.
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