Yes, today was the day of Stonehenge, the henge made of Stone. Apparently the term "henge" has something to do with hanging...hence the name. I was actually a little shocked at how accessible the monument was as I had heard varying reviews of the site itself as being super crowded and touristy. Which, of course it was, but today Nicole and I boarded the bus with Fiona the tour guide and had ourselves a nice time there anyhow. The sun even came out for a few moments which made for a lovely setting and we learned a bit about how difficult and massive the effort must have been to construct this huge circle of stone. Also how magical it is that the stones are perfectly aligned with the sun's cycles and can even be used as a type of calendar to tell which month you are in by where the sun falls on the circle. Somebody was on to something way back when, that's for sure...
Although Stonehenge is a bit of a tick-box sight to see (you see it so you can tick it off your list), it was an enjoyable time nonetheless. We combined our tour with a visit to the city of Bath, formerly known as Aquae Sulis (waters of the goddess Sulis) and took a tour of the 2000 year old Roman baths that are still there today.
You wouldn't exactly want to take a dip or even touch the water as it stands in the baths today, but the hot springs that supply it are still flowing with water that could have fallen as rain thousands of years ago and is only now rising to the surface of the earth. Yet again I am struck by how OLD things are here! The fact that structures and cities that were built thousands of years ago by ancient peoples still stand today is pretty amazing to witness.
Nic and I also tried some Cornish pasties during our afternoon which was a success, I have to say. A pasty is basically a bit of pastry folded over pretty much any topping you like - sort of like a perogy but with pastry instead of dough. An English classic, I figured it was about time I tried one of the suckers. Flaky golden deliciousness is the verdict.
It's been nice to have someone to do touristy things with and good to have a visit with my sis, although I think we will both need a rest after this weekend of adventure is over - we have been packing in the sightseeing, that's for sure. Favorites include wandering through Portobello Road, eating some delicious cupcakes and taking the train out to the Harry Potter Warner Bros. studio tour in Leavesden.
Tomorrow is another big one: Canada Day in London - which I'm sure will result in some more shenanigans to report back on. For now let's just say that two weary siblings need a little break from coaches and tubes and tickets and tour guides and are hoping to get a bit of rest in between all this excitement.
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