Tag Archives: England

STONEHENGE

Stonehenge, a circle of enormous stones brought to that spot by people working with stone and wood tools.  Two different types of stone, one for the posts and one for the lintels.  Knobs carved into the uprights and holes carved into the cross stones to hold them in place.

 

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Not much is known about the people who built it but we can surmise that they were well organized and had the time and desire to build a place that was concerned with the passage of the sun.  Early peoples were much more acquainted with the changes of the moon and sun cycles and the effects on their everyday lives.

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the following is an excerpt from wikipedia, there is a lot more info there

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“Stonehenge evolved in several construction phases spanning at least 1,500 years. There is evidence of large-scale construction on and around the monument that perhaps extends the landscape’s time frame to 6,500 years.  It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.[1]

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The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

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Evidence of the second phase is no longer visible. The number of postholes dating to the early 3rd millennium BC suggest that some form of timber structure was built within the enclosure during this period.

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Archaeological excavation has indicated that around 2600 BC, the builders abandoned timber in favor of stone and dug two concentric arrays of holes  in the centre of the site. These stone sockets are only partly known (hence on present evidence are sometimes described as forming ‘crescents’); however, they could be the remains of a double ring.

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The north-eastern entrance was widened at this time, with the result that it precisely matched the direction of the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset of the period. This phase of the monument was abandoned unfinished, however; the small standing stones were apparently removed and the holes purposefully backfilled. Even so, the monument appears to have eclipsed the site at Avebury in importance towards the end of this phase.

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During the next major phase of activity, 30 enormous OligoceneMiocene sarsen stones (shown grey on the plan) were brought to the site. They may have come from a quarry, around 25 miles (40 km) north of Stonehenge on the Marlborough Downs, or they may have been collected from a “litter” of sarsens on thechalk downs, closer to hand. The stones were dressed and fashioned with mortise and tenon joints before 30 were erected as a 33 metres (108 ft) diameter circle of standing stones, with a ring of 30 lintel stones resting on top. The lintels were fitted to one another using another woodworking method, the tongue and groove joint”

the guides were very well informed and they worked for peanuts!!!

 

 

 

 

Pubs Pubs Pubs

The first six days in England we stayed at a pub, The Fox and Goose, there was a beautiful garden spot between the hotel and the pub.  This made life super simple at the beginning and the end of each day.

the garden at the Fox & Goose

the garden at the Fox & Goose

 

 

 

 

 

I already covered day one so let’s get on with day two, three, four, I lost count…

look a PUB

look a PUB

 

 

This one was near the Tower of London

 

The Sherlock Holmes Pub where I had Bangers and Mash!!! and BEER

The Sherlock Holmes Pub where I had Bangers and Mash!!! and BEER

 

The Sherlock Holmes was down an alley.

mmmmmm.....beer we did our best totry one of each

mmmmmm…..beer
we did our best to try one of each

 

 

 

 

 

We spent three days in Salisbury, a very picturesque place with lots of PUBS!!!

The Mill with a lovely river in front/back

The Mill with a lovely river in front/back

The Kings Head Inn, I think we'll head inn for a BEER

The Kings Head Inn, I think we’ll head inn for a BEER

the Lazy Cow, known for it's burgers and BEER!

the Lazy Cow, known for it’s burgers and BEER!

the Ox Row Inn, didn't know oxen could row!!

the Ox Row Inn, didn’t know oxen could row!!

Bill's a Pub with BEER!

Bill’s a Pub with BEER!

the New Inn looks pretty olde

the New Inn looks pretty olde

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the big city of London which is like New York in that is is a collection of boroughs in a mega city.

A Friend at Hand

A Friend at Hand

"Friend at Hand Pub"

“Friend at Hand Pub”

 

Another Pub down an alley

A Friend at Hand indeed!

 

 

 

There was a dog on the sign,

We couldn’t resist.

The mysterious woman in blue is my traveling companion, Wendy.  She’s in charge of finding our way but she became a believer in my  ability to find a pub.

 

 

 

Merry olde England the pubs and pagans tour

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the Fox & Goose Pub/hotel

 

Just returned from Merry Olde England on the pubs and pagans tour.  We stayed at the Fox and Goose in Wembly , London for the first 6 days, we tried to get the most from our London passes,  I’m sure the travel card was worth it.  TRAVEL TIP  the tube has many flights of steps at every stop.  Get at least three maps of your destination(one could be wrong)  Better yet book a ride from the airport and just look for the guy with a sign of your name. Or hump your luggage in a brain dead state and ask every one along the way for a place they’ve never heard of.

the breakfast place

the breakfast place

the guys at the breakfast placeThe coffee shop up the hill

Full of good intel on what to see and when the soccer games were happening nearby.

 

We did the London Bridge Experience and built up a powerful thirst, this pub was under the bridge and a great place to ride out the ten minute storm.  The “Shard” was struck by lightning while we sipped in cozy comfort.

under the London Brodge

under the London Bridge

cozy seats

cozy seats

the bar

the bar

 

 

 

 

 

I went up top to discover that the London Bridge is NOT the Tower Bridge.

London Bridge with Brit

London Bridge with Brit

one view from London Bridge, a PUB!

one view from London Bridge, a PUB!

Tower Bridge from London Bridge somewhat down the Thames

Tower Bridge from London Bridge somewhat down river

 

 

 

 

 

So we had a long list of sights to see and ended up meandering through a market, sipping beverages and nibbling tapas.

 

entering the market

entering the market

 

so many things to see so little time

colorful booth

colorful booth

Stay tuned for day two!!