Experience 'Henges' on the Mind

Emily's and my adventures weren't limited to Bristol. Over that weekend, we went to Bath, and from there took a bus to Stonehenge and Lacock (more on that in a minute).

In Bath, we went to the Fashion Museum, which had clothes from the 18th - 21st centuries, but specialized in the 19th century. We also had tea and scones with clotted cream and jam at this delicious café in Lilliput Court. So we can now say that we, like Gulliver, have been to Lilliput and dined amongst the Lilliputians.

Book art from Gulliver's Travels; I'm not sure of the artist or edition.

Below are a few of the best photos we took of Stonehenge.

Photo by Emily--Isn't it awesome?

The most common misconception about Stonehenge is that it is related to druidism. Stonehenge was not built by the druids or for the druids; in fact, by the time the druids came along, Stonehenge was ancient. We still aren't really sure what its intended use was. The current popular theory amongst scholars is that it was originally used as a burial ground. The stones are believed to have been erected between 2400-2200 BCE, or possibly as early as 3000 BCE, but archeologists have found Mesolithic postholes dating from around 8000 BCE, pointing to a much earlier wooden version. The earliest druids didn't appear on the British Isles scene until 200 BCE. What's more, Stonehenge wasn't even the largest or most important of the henges constructed in the British Isles. Silly neo-paganists. Avebury is considered the largest and finest of the lot, and the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney is believed to be one of the oldest. So why is Stonehenge so famous? I don't know. But I'd be willing to chalk it up to good location. It's situated close to Salisbury (historically major religious center, home of the cathedral with the highest spire in England) and halfway between the major cities of Bristol and London.

That being said, Stonehenge was anything but a letdown. I have heard people complain that it's "smaller than they expected," "underwhelming," and that they keep the tourists way too far away from it. False. It was huge, especially considering these boulders were hauled across the country by people who had not yet invented the wheel. You were allowed to get quite close. Not, perhaps, as close as tourists a few generations ago, who were given picks and hammers and told to "chip off a piece as a souvenir." And it was far from underwhelming. This is not a tourist site where you go to do something or really even see something--it's a site where you go to imagine something. And I found that experience astounding. If you can't do that, go to Six Flags.