Hey I think I see some old rocks?!?!?

Why did they put the stones so close to the road? hehehehe That is what many tourist ask when they visit Stonehenge for the first time. So confused are they to find that the monument is surrounded by roads and appears small compared to the daunting tour buses that are pulling in and out of the carpark by the hundreds! Where is the mystic, the mist, the haunting presence of thousands of years gone by? Standing next to the German teenagers, the Japanese middle aged couple, or the elderly Americans all toting cameras and name badges? You mean you have to pay to get in and you can't touch them for THAT PRICE? grrrrr

Tuesday morning we awoke to the delight in remembering that our German friend we had also meet on MFO was here staying with us for the week. She had flown in the night before and wanted to see Stonehenge while she was with us. Since I had never been either, Fruit Loop decided to be a tour guide and show us one of England's most visited sites. The drive is not long from Bristol so we arrived in less than 2 hours. Guess what? It looks just like you see on TV. Nope, no magic, DARN! I was really hoping to see it surrounded by strangely dressed Druids doing a fairy dance or sacrificing a goat! Don't worry, I know that is not going to happen, but only because the government won't let them! Actually we did see one crazy guy dressed as a Druid trying to protest that they are not allowed to claim the Stones as their own. Nobody seemed to pay any attention to him, so I don't think he will win his cause!

As we approached the stones it was disappointing that we could not run between them, touch them, and climb on them to declare our superiority over the planet! It had been a while since Bluefish had been to see the alter, but he made my friend and I both jealous because when he was a child you COULD play on the stones. However, it is a necessary evil for there preservation and protection. Everywhere you looked you could see tons of tourists who would all have loved to take a piece of Stonehenge home with them, or carve their name it. What I found amusing was that one stone was off by itself. We all laughed and declared it unworthy of being included in the actual design! RATS, they wouldn't let you touch that one either.

In about an hour we had BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, AND BOUGHT THE T-SHIRT! (No actually they don't really sell t-shirts here in the UK at tourist shops, strange huh?) Now I can confidently say I have seen one of the Wonders of the World and yes, it was close to the road!

Link

Stonehenge Official Website