Really Big Rocks

This morning we put our lives on the line as we climbed into a very large Renault van and let Hyrum drive on the left-hand side of the road.  It was bit harrowing getting out of the parking lot for the flat we had been staying in and again as we neared our new home (for a few days at least) but we made it in one piece.  Narrow English roads are not made for "high" capacity vehicles.

Stonehenge on the hill.

We didn't plan a whole lot for the day except a stop to see Stonehenge.  It was rather exciting to drive down the road, or carriage way as it's called here, and see those iconic stones on the hill.  It took another 10 minutes to get to the parking lot after our first glimpse.  We stopped at the museum exhibit and collected our tickets for the shuttle ride out to the stones.  The exhibit had tools, bones, and information about different theories relating to Stonehenge and the other neolithic relics they have found in the area.  They had several huts set up outside.  Jonathan enjoyed handling the flint-tipped arrow and ax.

Replica of a neolithic hut.

After the museum we hopped aboard the shuttle and went off to see Stonehenge up close.  Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming.  For me I feel like this is a ruin of an awesome thing.  The problem though is there is really no story of why.  I like my whys; I like to know why people do things and for Stonehenge it doesn't really exist.  There are plenty of theories, some of which are generally accepted as truth but there is no overwhelming evidence to support any thing.  It's interesting to see something I've heard of all my life but for me, there was very little to connect to.

There they are.  I find it amazing that the one in the center is still fairly square after thousands of year up there.

The stones are very large and it interesting to see how the Neolithic people engineered the structure.  As one volunteer put it, they go together like Legos.  The upright stone have two nibs on the top that fit into a hole in the bottom of the lintel beam that sits on top.  Visitors cannot walk around inside the stone circle only well outside, both for safety and to preserve possible archaeological artifacts yet to be unearthed.

It is a great sight in that there were a lot of people there but it never felt crowded or claustrophobic.  There was a place for a picnic and room for the kids to burn off some energy.  Ours did just that until Spencer fell on his broken arm pretty good.  That was the end of that and we continued on our journey to Colerne.

Picnic lunch.  These days, this is how we roll.