No Salisbury Steak, but a look at the Magna Carta

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Day 12: Wed, May 9th

First thing this morning we walked over to see the Cathedral. It was raining and gloomy pretty much all today. When we got to the Cathedral we joined a tour that was just starting. It was a really good tour, the guide was very efficient in explaining the building process and history. It ended in the Chapter house where the Magna Carta is located. It was so cool to see, very old, with tiny writing. This Cathedral is a very impressive structure. The whole thing was finished in less than forty years. So, it’s all in one style, very uniform looking. And it has the highest Spire of any Cathedral in Britain.

We then headed back in Market Square. I thought there would be a farmers market, since it was Wednesday, but we never found it. I didn’t like Salisbury as much as I thought I would. It was kinda disappointing, because I had so been looking forward to Salisbury. I pictured it in my head to be like Canterbury, but it wasn’t at all. It’s actually very industrial and crowded. One of my favorite books is “Sarum” by Edward Rutherford. “Sarum” is an
Inside the Cathedral
historical account, from the beginning of civilization, of this area in England. It traces 3 fictional families throughout history, through the building of Stonehenge, and the Cathedral here. So, that is why I wanted to stay here.

We then drove out to “Old Sarum”. Which was the original site of the town, until the town overgrew the space, and they all got up and moved about a mile away. It has been a fort since the Iron Age, and later occupied by the Romans, and the Saxons, and finally the Normans. There are still original Castle foundations left on the site. After this, we drove back to Stonehenge because I wanted to visit the store, which was already closed the night before. Sooooo glad we did the special access. There were busloads of tour groups there, all vying for the best view of the stones, some 30ft. away.

We didn’t feel like going back and hanging out in Salisbury, so we drove out to Avebury. Where there is another prehistoric stone circle, except this one is completely open to the public, and you don’t have to pay to see them. Avebury is such a cute town. It kept
Tomb of a Knight
raining on and off. So, we would dash into a shop when it was raining and then walk back out to the stones when it was clear. There were lots of sheep here, just sleeping against the Stones. They didn’t care about us being around at all, must be use to people. We then had our last pub meal (thank god!) at The Churchill Arms.

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