Josh and I spent a week in Great Britain on vacation (or as they say there, holiday) before he went to work at the Olympics. We spent our vacation week exploring the countryside away from London, since we would be in London for so long during the Games. Our first day trip was a jolly jaunt to Stonehenge, Woodhenge, and Salisbury.

Stonehenge

We faced a threatening sky as we drove up to Stonehenge, leading to a deluge as soon as we parked. We sat in the car until it calmed down a little bit, then braved the sky with our umbrella in hand. Before long the sun peaked out, and we wandered around the ancient stone circle. They were planning to do a night-time fire circle, so there were torches and other equipment as well as workers inside the circle while we were there, but I think I still managed to get some iconic photographs that mask the construction area.

Before we left, the downpour began again. The weather is very changeable in Great Britain and I am very thankful that I bought a travel umbrella before I left. I used it almost everyday of our vacation. I enjoyed the weather despite the wetness; it was always exciting to see the sunshine peak out from behind the clouds.

Woodhenge

Just down the road from Stonehenge is another ancient area, the circular rings of Woodhenge. This circular structure had been built out of timber posts which have been marked with concrete posts now. It’s not as impressive as it could have been, you need an imagination to picture what it might have looked like in its day. It is a lovely area though, green pastureland, sheep grazing in the countryside.

Salisbury

Moving away from the countryside, we headed into the city of Salisbury, home of the Salisbury Cathedral. We visited the cathedral and it was very enjoyable. We went on one of the free tours and the gentleman who told us the history and present day of the cathedral was very kind and entertaining. We heard tales of how difficult it is to change the lightbulb on the top of the highest spire in England (someone has to finish the climb on the outside). The cathedral survived WWII bombings because its spire was tall enough to reach through the clouds, serving as a landmark. It must have been a negative at the time, but it is nice that such a beautiful church survived the bombings.

We also enjoyed the city of Salisbury, although we didn’t have time to do it justice, we liked the quaint historical buildings and the afternoon tea we enjoyed at BostonTeaParty.