So if I'd known how boring this would be in the re-telling, I wouldn't have started. But now I have notes. Therefore, everyone suffers. In case you missed it...here's Part 1.
On Saturday morning, after a look at the cliffs and a couple of wrong turns, we made our way to Stonehenge. Amazing. It was kinda crazy, cause I had my eyes down, following the maps, getting ready for our next turn..wide right, keep left...when Jeff yells out, "It's right there!" And seriously, it was. Right in front of us, on a slight rise of land to the right of the motorway, there was Stonehenge. Out in the open where anyone could steal it. Or something. (Quick side note, when I was telling my 65 year old sister the places we visited, I mentioned Stonehenge, and she said, "I have no idea what that is, I've never heard of it." Huh.)
Apparently, they recently changed the visitor rules at Stonehenge. Starting in February, you have to actually purchase tickets ahead of time and schedule your visit. In any case, they've moved the visitor center farther away and blocked off the area around the stones, so you can no longer go right up to them.
I would have liked to do that, obviously, but the ground around the stones is fragile and they want to protect it. Of course, the thing has been there for thousands of years and it's still standing so maybe they're over-reacting. Just a little.
We walked slowly all the way around, taking pictures of the rocks and the sheep that graze in the pasture on the other side of the fencing. They run in a group, really interesting. Some students...maybe...early 20's...decided to climb over the fence, it's low enough to step over really, but the outer layer is electrified, and mess with the sheep. One of them stepped in a present the sheep left, which was perfect. I mean, wishing they would get electrocuted for harrasing the sheep would be wrong. So very, very wrong.
On Saturday morning, after a look at the cliffs and a couple of wrong turns, we made our way to Stonehenge. Amazing. It was kinda crazy, cause I had my eyes down, following the maps, getting ready for our next turn..wide right, keep left...when Jeff yells out, "It's right there!" And seriously, it was. Right in front of us, on a slight rise of land to the right of the motorway, there was Stonehenge. Out in the open where anyone could steal it. Or something. (Quick side note, when I was telling my 65 year old sister the places we visited, I mentioned Stonehenge, and she said, "I have no idea what that is, I've never heard of it." Huh.)
Apparently, they recently changed the visitor rules at Stonehenge. Starting in February, you have to actually purchase tickets ahead of time and schedule your visit. In any case, they've moved the visitor center farther away and blocked off the area around the stones, so you can no longer go right up to them.
I would have liked to do that, obviously, but the ground around the stones is fragile and they want to protect it. Of course, the thing has been there for thousands of years and it's still standing so maybe they're over-reacting. Just a little.
We walked slowly all the way around, taking pictures of the rocks and the sheep that graze in the pasture on the other side of the fencing. They run in a group, really interesting. Some students...maybe...early 20's...decided to climb over the fence, it's low enough to step over really, but the outer layer is electrified, and mess with the sheep. One of them stepped in a present the sheep left, which was perfect. I mean, wishing they would get electrocuted for harrasing the sheep would be wrong. So very, very wrong.
Then we drove on to
Wales. We did pretty well, although we went a different way than intended. At
least we got there. We did get to travel
through Bath, which I had originally wanted to do, but it wasn't the most
direct route. Bath was lovely, all hills
and valleys with long narrow streets of houses stacked on each other.
Finally made it to Wales. We did get turned around
a couple of times on the even narrower and now dark streets of Tonna, Neath,
while attempting to find Jo and Owen's house. But we found it.
They were awesome. They have a Wall of Fame. Seriously.
We went to dinner with them at The Rock and Fountain, and I had a lovely steak and onion pie. I'd had fish and chips the night before, so that felt like a good choice. Actually, I had one or the other most nights on our trip, cause most of the other food seemed either too American or too weird. You know?
They very graciously allowed us to spend the night. I love my invisible internet friends.
My phone had died by the time we got there, so the only pic I have of us is this one with me and Jo that Jeff took. Not sure how we missed out on taking a group shot, but I blame it on jet lag
They were awesome. They have a Wall of Fame. Seriously.
We went to dinner with them at The Rock and Fountain, and I had a lovely steak and onion pie. I'd had fish and chips the night before, so that felt like a good choice. Actually, I had one or the other most nights on our trip, cause most of the other food seemed either too American or too weird. You know?
They very graciously allowed us to spend the night. I love my invisible internet friends.
My phone had died by the time we got there, so the only pic I have of us is this one with me and Jo that Jeff took. Not sure how we missed out on taking a group shot, but I blame it on jet lag
.
Coming soon...Doctor Who?
2 comments:
I would like to take a shotgun to those idiots harrassing the sheep..grrr...did you know a flock of sheep have a bellweather? That's one sheep who all the others follow, but you can hardly tell which one it is apparently.
I didn't know that, but I haven't had much involvement with sheep, honestly. ;) I have some video of them all moving around, but I can't tell who's the leader.
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