“As in nature, as in art, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster. Thomas Guthrie”
Mar 30, 2017
We had an early flight and I told David that we had to be at the airport at least 2 hours before our flight. Early flight, so early to the airport with Grumpy. Lisbon airport is modern, bright, great shops and eating places, but getting processed through ticketing, security(where my catch of canned sardines was confiscated), and passport control is strictly in Portuguese time, if you are late arriving, you will miss your flight.
Landed through customs, and picked up our car, David went to the driver’s side and me to the passenger’s, only to quickly realize he is definitely not driving on the right side of the road…..a blessing the car is an automatic. David held his breath a few times during the drive, but I’m going with the flow……….
We quickly joined the motorway on this beautiful sunny day on our way to Stonehenge … although this will be my 4th visit to the site every visit has been one big WOW!
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge’s ring of standing stones is set within earthworks in the middle of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.
Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the first bluestones were raised between 2400 and 2200 BC, although they may have been at the site as early as 3000 BC.
One of the most famous landmarks in the UK, Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon. It has been a legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument since 1882 when legislation to protect historic monuments was first successfully introduced in Britain. The site and its surroundings were added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986. Stonehenge is owned and managed by the Crown.
Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. Deposits containing human bone date from as early as 3000 BC, when the ditch and bank were first dug, and continued for at least another five hundred years.
I asked David if we wanted to make one more stop, so we headed off to….Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, and one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body of the cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258.
The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom – 404 ft. Visitors can take the “Tower Tour” where the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wood scaffolding, can be viewed. The cathedral also has the largest cloister and is the largest cathedral in Britain. It contains the world’s oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has the best surviving of the four original copies of the Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England) In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration.
Salisbury Cathedral is unusual for its tall and narrow nave and has visual accentuation due to the use of light grey Chilmark stone for the walls and dark polished Purbeck marble for the columns. It has three levels: a tall pointed arcade, an open gallery, and a small clerestory. Lined up between the pillars are notable tombs such as that of William Longespée, half brother of King John and the illegitimate son of Henry II, who was the first person to be buried in the cathedral.
The chapter house is notable for its octagonal shape, slender central pillar, and decorative medieval frieze. The frieze circles the interior above the stalls and depicts scenes and stories from the books of Genesis and Exodus, including Adam and Eve, Noah, the Tower of Babel, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The chapter house also displays the best-preserved of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta. This copy came to Salisbury because Elias of Dereham, who was present at Runnymede in 1215, was given the task of distributing some of the original copies. Elias later became a canon of Salisbury and supervised the construction of the cathedral.
Magna Carta Libertatum (Medieval Latin for “the Great Charter of the Liberties”), commonly called Magna Carta is a charter agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.
The charter became part of English political life and was typically renewed by each monarch in turn, although as time went by and the fledgling English Parliament passed new laws, it lost some of its practical significance.
Magna Carta still forms an important symbol of liberty today, often cited by politicians and campaigners, and is held in great respect by the British and American legal communities. It has been described as the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot.
Having added a bit more to our historical knowledge we headed into Bristol for the night courtesy of Uncle Marriott but not before a drive through the lush and idyllic British country roads.
The Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel located right next to Bristol Cathedral and the Avon River Harbourside. Originally opened in 1863, the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel was fully restored to its former splendor in 1991. From the moment you arrive, this Victorian-style hotel will captivate your imagination with its polished marble, warm mahogany, and gleaming brass interior, a Dowtown Abbey moment.
We have been traveling for over 15 hours so its a shower and room service……….a nice luxury, but tonight is a necessity.
Tomorrow we head out to Bath and then Jim and Christopher at their country cottage.
