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After another early start I along with Carolyn, Tiana and about 20 others departed Earl's Court headed for some of the most important and famous historical sites in England.
About 90 minutes later we reached the Salisbury Plains and Stonehenge. Believed t have begun as a ring of wooden posts about 5000 years ago Stonehenge has been fascinating people for thousands of years owing to it's unkown use and mysterious construction. The first stone were erected in approximately 2500BC, and are blue stone brought to the site almost 200 miles from mountains in Wales. These now form the inner circle. The larger, more famous, stones were added about a thousand years later and weigh up to 50 tons each.
The purpose of Stonehenge is still unknown although many theories abound...a druid temple...a sight of human sacrifice...a burial ground for the ashes of the tribal kings. What is known is that different stones line up with the sun on the winter and summer solstices and so it acts like a giant calendar.
Today even the sheep are kept away from Stonehenge, by electric fences. The human visitors are kept away by low ropes, signs and bored looking staff. This is to protect the site, as thousands of years worth of vistors have damaged the now world heritage site. None more so than the Victorians who used to provide a small pick axes to allow visitors to take home their own piece of the stones.
After a windy hour spent on a hill near a motorway we reboarded the coach and headed for Bath.
Bath is a small cty renowned for it's healing spring water. The supposed curative properties of the water were discovered when an exiled prince, who happened to be a leper, discovered that his pig's skin condition cleared up after drinking and bathing in the spring water. He then tried it himself and was cured of his leprosy. he returned to his tribe and became king and later returned to the springs. The pigs importance in the history of Bath are comemorated in a series of decorated fibreglass pigs, similar to the cow seen invarious parts of Australia.
The Romans then arrived and built the large Bath house over the spring. The complex was lost but rediscovered in the 1880s and is now considered some of the best preserved Roman ruins anywhere in Europe. A visit to the Baths includes artefacts from a temple dedicated to th godess of war and wisdom, Minerva, whose emblem is an owl. We then had a glass of spring water to experience the healing for ourselves, warm and 'minerally' tasting it wasn't the most pleasant beverage.
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering throughout some of the famous sites, including the Royal Circus, designed and built for the gentry to rent when the king made visiting Bath to 'take the waters' a popular health treatment. The majority of buildings in Bath are built in the Georgian style and it is now a requirement that all new buildings are built in this style. Apartments in the Royal Circus are now owned by Johnny Depp and Nicolas Cage.
We walked across the Pulteney Bridge, which is based on the bridges in Florence with shops on either side. And a visit to the magnificent medieval Bath Abbey which dates to the 15th century.
Sally Lunn Buns are (allegedly) world famous sweet buns, and considered a bath trademark. They are sweet buns served with a variety of toppings. We purchased ours to go and as soon as I eat mine I'll know whether they are worth the hype.
An uneventful return to London rounded out a great day.
- comments
Kate very historical
Leanne Like our own personal tour guide! :)