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October 31, 2009- Stonehenge and Avebury, UK- Pete and Em's Road Trip
Emily and Pete back on the road together again, it certainly felt like old times: singing loudly in the car, mercilessly swatting and poking at each other and exchanging "Anchorman" quotes amongst our playful banter. Even the half hour or so delay in literal stand still traffic was fun because we had thumb wars and of course I couldn't resist running around the car (for which I was quite justly locked out). Basically anything child-like and sporadic is bound to happen when we are left to our own devices- away from the city it seemed we both easily slid into our Em and Pete norm- and that made the day all the better.
In the mid-afternoon, we reach our destination, the grand, mystical, Stonehenge- which oddly enough is so close to the highway that it looks more so like a road side pit stop than a famed monument. Yet despite the tour buses, the masses and the roped of area that keeps you from getting too near, there is definitely something magical about the way that the stones interrelate to form the whole. They are by no means as large in size as I thought they would be, but they are grand in their nature. I would imagine it is all the more incredible when you see it during the summer solstice and realize exactly how precise the structure truly is what a marvel it was to be able to achieve such exact measurement without the use of modern tools. I suppose that is where the aliens come in.
I took way too many photos at every angle, of course including the one where I am attempting to topple the pillars like dominos from afar- but we had such a great time! There is definitely something to be said about finally seeing something you have always known as a natural wonder- it was almost surreal and we were certainly giddy!
But naturally there is only so much to see once you have walked around the parameter, feeling not out of adventure and not ready to say goodbye, we headed off down the road to Avebury about a half hour away! The drive was gorgeous- traversing winding roads, dipping into tree tunnels and gazing at the painted fall trees- we couldn't have asked for much more really!
Avebury is a village surrounded by stones with the same sort of make up of the famous Stonehenge edifice but actually older and larger in formation. Also interesting about this is the fact that you can still go up and touch the stones, these gems of natural, ancient history. The village is absolutely charming and I get my first up close encounter with a sheep- not to worry there were no casualties! And should we have forgotten that it was, in fact, Halloween, we were reminded by fellow visitors dressed in full on warlock garb. We were not certain if there was to be some sort of ritual performed but all the more reason to not wait for the darkness to completely set in- so we headed on down the road to drop me off at my next stop- Bath, UK.
It was hard to leave my dear Pete, we didn't get enough time and were just settling back into being comfortable peas and carrots again, I am so grateful to have a friendship that withstands the test of distance and invokes a sense of playfulness which often gets lost in the day to day. How fortunate I am for our friendship, and for the opportunity to meet more friends like him along the way.
Cheers,
Emily
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