I first learned about Stonehenge when I was in grade school and I was immediately hooked. When I learned how far away it was, I was a bit disappointed thinking I would never get to see it in person. During my childhood, air travel seemed like an impossible hurdle. Little did I know that one day I'd be flying to and from work assignments. Back in 2000, I made my very first visit to Stonehenge when I took my dad on a trip to London. It was his first trip to Europe.
When I visited London last year, I made a point of going to see Stonehenge again. This time I took a train to Salisbury and then the "Stonehenge Bus" from the train station. It was very easy but, it did confuse me a little bit. I had some pretty distinct memories of how the roadway and parking area looked and nothing on this trip matched up. I remembered a tiny little brick building that was the visitors center and a walkway that went under the highway and over to the monument. On this trip, there was a huge parking area and a huge visitors center and all of it was so far from the monument, it required a shuttle to drop visitors close to the site.
After doing a little research, I learned that back in 2013, the road was actually moved as part of a conservation effort. Regardless of my confusion over roadway changes, the magic of Stonehenge still remains. Visitors can't get up close to the stones but with the help of the telephoto lens, I can take a closer look.
I can even see how neatly those top stones are fixed to the standing stones. It remains a bit of a puzzle as to how those ancient people built such an amazing structure.
I walked the path all the way around the structure contemplating its purpose and imagining what it looked like when it was first built.
As I made my way around the path, I spotted a kite flying in the sky above the stones. I didn't see any of the visitors flying a kite so I'm not sure where it came from but I think it adds another element of mystery to an already mysterious place. Can you see it up there to the left in the photo above? I'm very happy that I made a second trip to Stonehenge. It makes no difference if you take a day trip on a bus or take the train to Salisbury, the magic of Stonehenge is worth every minute of the experience.
7 comments:
I found it was inspiring when I saw it though I remember Peking on the other side before the tunnel. Now it's a money spinner for English Heritage and I remember going right up to the stones and touching them. You need to visit Avebury if you call can
I'd love to see it for myself someday. I would have also been in grade school when I first heard of the place.
Thank you for these shots. I've never been there, but I've seen lots of photos. I don't think I've seen any as good as your first picture! Superb!
Beautiful photos Sharon! I have been there once, three years ago, and I remember them talking about how they had moved the road. It is a fascinating place.
I've never been but must make a point of getting there one day!
I can't believe that despite the number of times I've been to England that I've never seen Stonehenge.. even more unbelievable because the stones have always fascinated me. So good to see your captures here Sharon, it's an amazing endeavour!
It definitely is an awesome sight!
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