If you’re like me, you’ve got a list of places you’d like to see sometime in your life — Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Great Wall of China, etc. and possibly also Stonehenge.
Well, I’m so happy I could take Stonehenge off the list because we took a tour to see it during our visit to London. It took about an hour and a half to get there, but it was worth the trip since we got to see the English countryside and then went on to see Bath (more on that in another post).
Some interesting things about Stonehenge. The word “henge” derives from either “hanging” or “hinge” which makes sense considering how the stones hang on each other.
Even before Stonehenge was built, the area was used as a burial place and there are several burial mounds in and around Stonehenge. Eventually, the closer you got to be buried next to the stones, the more important you were. In this shot from the bus (a little blurry), you can see a burial mound off to the right of the photo. The mounds are known as barrows.
It’s believed that construction at this site began around 3100 BC and continued until about 1600 BC. Archaelogists believe the site was constructed as a monument by early civilizations and the connection to Druids apparently comes much later in the history of the monument.
This shot was taken from what is known as the “Heelstone” (which you can see in the album as the one lone stone apart from the monument). The smaller stone laying down in front is the “slaughter stone.”
Sadly, you can no longer touch the stones or get very close to them. It would have been nice to get in the center and see what kind of energy, if any, exists there. Unfortunately, that was not possible and so the only thing we felt was the cold wind blowing along the fields.
Here are some more photos for you! If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can also click on this link for pictures of Stonehenge:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2057499&id=1130005412&l=e7e3468533
For more information on Stonehenge, you can visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge
Unesco Stonehenge World Heritage Site
English Heritage Site
Some time long ago, I think I was attached to that place. Dunno how else to express it. I feel Stonehenge in my blood.
And, yes, I used it in a book….
I love Stonehenge! It gives me chills just thinking about being that close. You have some great shots here. (One of my stories is centered around standing stones.)
I’ve never made it to Stone Henge, but was able to freely wander around stone circles in Scotland (Callenish 1,2,3 and others on Lewis) and there is definitely a sense of wonder you walk away from a stone circle with.
Just from pictures alone, they are something to see…
Well, I for one am grateful for you sharing this experience with us. I am pretty sure my eyes will never get to see this up close and personal… so seeing it through someone else eyes is wonderful! It is sad that you can no longer get close to it… Cuz you are right, to feel the energy that is created in the center of that circle… would be amazing! But just to see these photos… it is still amazing!
Thank you for sharing!
It looks great and sounds like you had fun. Did it inspire any ideas for storys?
hugs,WendyK
I still have a couple of places on my list. I would like to visit Greece, Scotland and Rome. I have been to the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert and Petrified Forest and they were fantastic. Stonehenge wasn’t on my list but the pictures are great. Kinda makes me want to add it to my list. Have a really great day and hugs.