Blogs from Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 6

Hi Everyone, I have recovered from my jet lag and preparations for the world championships are in full swing. Yesterday we went to watch Jock have his final lesson. His horse, Promise looks amazing and Jock feels he has peaked and should be good for Friday when he does his dressage test. Jock, his groom,Anka and Promise headed off for the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen in Normandy this evening. We will follow in the morning. It is a 6-7 hour ferry trip and the horses say standing in the truck. The Canadian team were due to go this morning but had to find alternatives. No livestock was allowed on because the channel crossing was too rough. Horses can become sick but are unable to vomit and seasickness would make them very unwell. The seas have ... read more

So here we are in England with Pam and Warwick and we have filled our days up well so far. Di and I left Norway with some regret but it is also nice to be on the move again. The last few days in Bergen filled with a few walks and trips into town. One day we went into town to meet up with Dave Ellison, a friend that I dealt with through work for over 35 years, and his wife, for lunch. Dave's wife Judith has relations who live in Bergen due to her father having been born there and coming to NZ as an adult. I always find it amazing whenever I meet people I know on the other side of the world. Unfortunately it was a wet day but we enjoyed a walk ... read more

I woke up around 8 this morning to catch my 8:30 tour with Madmax. Once I saw the bus and met our tour guide Tim, I got on. We drove for about an hour until we reached Stonehenge. It ended up costing me 12.50 pounds to get in as a student. They have a visitors center which is included in the ticket. They have a little safari looking trolley that takes you out to the henge, about a mile away. Once I got there, I got to roam around, but wasn’t able to touch the stones. Pictures make Stonehenge look a lot bigger than it actually is. When you look out at the scenery around Stonehenge, you see a lot of mounds in the distance. They are all burial mounds. In them remains of a human ... read more

Quick yearly visit to Stonehenge today just before the summer solstice starts!... read more

Stonehenge is a fantastic place that I love to visit each year by coach (see here Newmarket Holidays Wikipedia page) I want to share with you just what I feel this stalwart of UK heritage has to offer. The author of Historia Regum Britanniae, Geoffrey of Monmouth, wrote a story attributing the construction of Stonehenge to the great wizard Merlin. According to the story, the huge rocks called Giant’s dance have healing properties and were brought by Giants from Africa and taken to Ireland. During the fifth century, the king sent Uther Pendragon and 15,000 knights to get it from Ireland so he could erect a memorial for 3,000 noble... read more