A Day in the Country

After a few days of dodging protesters and seeing what there was to see in London, Anne and Mark took a train ride out into the countryside.  They rode for a little over an hour to a stop called Salisbury Station.  From there they took a bus to Stonehenge and then spent the remainder of the afternoon in the town of Salisbury.

Anne and Mark can report that they know one thing about Stonehenge: not much is clearly known about Stonehenge.  The English Heritage Foundation, which runs the site, offers an audio tour with admission, so Anne and Mark listened to portions of it.  It was filled with facts and numbers (4,500 years ago, 3,000 years ago, 250 tons, etc.), but was very thin on "how" or "why" the builders put up Stonehenge.  One theory put forth was that the Druids built the site for some type of summer solstice ritual, but that does not make sense because the site pre-dates the druids in England.  Could they have used it for that purpose later?  Maybe, but the Druids did most of their ceremonies in forest clearings, not temples or buildings.  Another theory argued that the site was used for some sort of burial ceremony, as there were burial mounds throughout the countryside.  Or maybe even as a site for human sacrifice, as some of the stone have red markings (some would point out that the red in the stone is probably just from the iron ore contained in it - but the people who would point that out are fun haters).  After sifting through these and other theories, the audio tour finally got down to brass tacks and admitted that some people believe Stonehenge was built by aliens.  Putting this as the last option is what is referred to as "burying the lead."

Self portrait of Anne and Mark at Stonehenge.  The field between them and the stones is probably where the aliens landed their crafts while working on the project.

 After visiting Stonehenge, Anne and Mark got back on the bus and returned to Salisbury.  Although Anne found Salisbury to be a lovely little town with medieval charms, she was initially inconsolably sad upon our return to that city.

For the record, wine is a terrible souvenir.  It did not even make it back to Bulgaria.

Needless to say, Anne and Mark immediately left the "Salisbury City Center" and went to a more reasonable part of town.

Ah, that's much better.

As you can see, it was quite a roller coaster of emotion.

Salisbury is known for being near Stonehenge, but that is not all for which it is known.  First, it is a ridiculously old city, originally known as Sarum (there is a fort there called "Old Sarum" which dates back thousands of years).  Second, the Church of St. Thomas Becket, which dates back to the 15th century, is located in Salisbury and is famous for its "Doom Mural" - an artist's depiction of the final judgment.

Of note from more recent times, just outside of Salisbury is the U.K. proving grounds for pilots and aircrafts (the British version of "Top Gun"), where it has been since WWII.  Apparently, Salisbury was a key city during WWII for multiple purposes.  During the blitzkrieg by the Luftwaffe, Salisbury was used as a landmark for the German pilots.  Interviews with German pilots after the war yield the information that they were under strict orders not to bomb Salisbury because if it were destroyed, pilots in future bombing raids would not be able to see their landmarks as well and would have a more difficult time locating their targets.

Apparently, the English figured out that Salisbury was not a German target and moved some of their production and training facilities there.  The English Supermarine Spitfire aircraft were manufactured in Salisbury during the war, after their initial production facilities were destroyed by German raids in 1940.

According to local legend, the town of Salisbury may have had even more significance in WWII.  Supposedly, Eisenhower and Churchill met at the 'Haunch of Venison' to plan part of the D-Day invasion.

Added bonus to Haunch of Venison?  It's haunted!!!

So, why, exactly, did the German pilots use this city as a landmark?  What made it so special?  Salisbury is home to the Salisbury Cathedral, a huge, medieval church with one of the largest spires in Europe.  The German pilots were able to easily and definitely identify it, as it was different from all of the other buildings in southern England, and then use it to gain their bearings.

Hey, is that thing leaning at the top?

The Salisbury Cathedral has several unique features.  It has an original copy of the Magna Carta.  (The Magna Carta is like the Constitution except it is from the 13th century, it is for British people and it doesn't bother with the right to bear arms.)  The Salisbury Cathedral also has what it claims is the oldest working clock in the world.

If you think the clock is awkward, you should see the 14th century wristwatches.

This bad boy dates back to 1386 and is still in working order.  It has no face because clocks from that period rang a bell on the hour rather than showing a constant display.  The church had several other unique features, including several tombs.  But its most impressive feature was its immense size - which dwarfs even the largest visitor.