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Published: January 28th 2012
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No time for rest as we got up early headed to The Waterloo Station for 8AM to get the train to Salisbury and Stonehenge. The train ride was approximately 90 minutes to Salibury. Once we were ther, we were out of the train station and onto a doubledecker bus and headed to Stonehenge.
I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at what I found there. I pictured this small field with big rocks, overlooking a cliff as the mist of the ocean rolled in to add to the mysterious nature of the site.... You know, something out of Wuthering Heights. Instead we came to a field with big rocks in it. But instead of a windswept cliff where the salty sea air lands on you like a soft blanket, we were surrounded by two highways where transport trucks whip by caring souvenier fridge magnets, calendars, mugs, and placemats to the tourist attractions in the area. There were pastures nearby with sheep to remind us we were in the countryside. Even the sheep looked slightly disappointed.
Like yesterday, I took tons of pictures instead of listening to the
audio handset on my self-guided tour. Susan told
me that she would listen and give me the highlights. I guess there weren't many highlights becasue she didn't tell me much.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and I am glad I went. I guess I just wanted something more. Even the gift shop was smaller than I imagined.
It was a chilly day so we had Cornish Pasties at the the restaurant on the way out and we boarded the bus back to the town of Salibury.
Salibury is a medieval town that has a rich history. We walked the streets and took in the sights as we headed to The Salisbury Cathedral. This place is so big, I couldn't get the whole cathedral into a single shot.
On our way into the Cathedral, we stopped to take in the magnificent carvings on the exterior of the building. There had to be at 50 stone carvings of saints and other religious people. I was taking photos as Marty and Susan walked ahead. When I was finished, Marty called me over and told me to look up. That's when I saw it... something wasn't quite right but I couldn't put my finger on it.
High above us, among the saints and important religious icons, was a carving that didn't quite fit in with the theme... Marty said to me, "When did Nipsy Russell become a saint?" Now for those of you who don't know who Nipsy Russell is, he was Hollywood celebrity who made a living by appearing on game shows in the 70's.... Yes, standing above us was Nipsy in all his glory.... Actually, it is some carving that was done by some local guy and it was on display until the end of 2011. Obviously, they were late with taking it down, but I like to think they left it up in honour of my birthday tour... You gotta love my brother's keen sense of observation.
Once inside, we were allowed to take pictures in the Cathedral, and while it seemed sacreligious, I became quite intrigued by the crypts and mausoleums. I took some pictures to share with you. Not only for the "creepy factor", but to also show how money was spent. Today, it seems like such a waste when there are bigger problems and better things to spent our money on. If you are thinking of encasing yourself in
marble and having your likeness sculpted into the lids, so that people can walk by you centuries from now and say, "Who the hell is that?", let's chat before you sign on the dotted line.
Also at the Cathedral, The Magna Carta was on display. It is one of only 4 remaining original copies of the historical document. It was in latin, so I was lost immediately. While that was impressive to see, what was even more intriguing was the lack of security they had to protect the thing. There was one woman in her 60's... Now she knew her stuff, but she wouldn't have been able to take my brother and I down if we made a run for it with the Magna Carta rolled up and under our arms. I'm just sayin'... We are thinking of writing a movie called, "The Magna Carta Caper." If you see it in the theatres in a couple of years, remember you saw the idea here first.
No pictures of the Magna Carta were aloowed. Sorry.
After the Cathedral, we came across "PoundLand". This is the english version of "The Dollar Store". We had to go in to see
if it was like our stores at home. You can buy Back Bacon for a Pound! We can't do that at home You can get almost anything in the world there for one Pound sterling. What is it with these stores? They absolutely fascinate me.... Don't judge me, the options are few in Tanzania.
After the excitement of PoundLand, we went for nachos and pints. Following that, a walk back to the train station for a nap on the way back to London.
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claude Barnes
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Love the Nipsy russell...who knew?
What an awesome trip for you