Pleasant Surprises

For me it was Stonehenge. The first time I went to England I was with my friend Sarah. She desperately wanted to see Stonehenge but I did not. It just seemed so commercial to me. However once we were there it was a surreal experience.

First, we spend a brief amount of time in Salisbury waiting for the bus to Stonehenge and that in itself proved to be a charming place. I remember it was a bright sunny day. As the bus approached Stonehenge I remember thinking how clever it was that the tourist center had been built into the side of the hill so that it was not immediately visible from the landscape.

After we disembarked the bus and began our accent up the hill towards the site the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in. As we reached the top of the hill lightening began flashing and the rain came down. As we boarded the bus to return to Salisbury the sun came back out! As I said, it was very surreal.

I know what you mean about Stonehenge, Diana. The first time I saw it was on a bright summer day in 1970. I remember it looming up in the distance and being very impressed by it's sense of majesty.

Over the past 40 years I have seen Stonehenge 7 times in every season and type of weather, and each time I am a bit more disappointed with it--not the monument, but it's horrible situation, being just yards from the A303, one of the busiest roadways in southern England. The presence of this road so close to Stonehenge ruins any sense of awe and mystery. And I don't like it that you can no longer walk in amongst the megaliths, which was truly awe-inspiring. Ah progress!

Visit Avebury if your near stonehenge!! much nicer i think, HUGE stone circle!

Stonehenge has become a victim of its popularity, VERY tourist driven now, seems to have lost the magic. I understand it has to be protected, but its still as shame.

Even Avebury, the Wiltshire village ringed by standing stones, has it's down moments, as well as nearby Silbury Hill.

I've seen Avebury when it was totally empty of other tourists and I was completely enchanted by it. A couple other times the village was overrun with rowdy school groups, which detracted from the mystery. Not that I'm in favour of banning school groups from visiting sensitive monuments--quite the contrary. I just wish the chaperones for these groups were more mindful of their responsibilities and less interested in slugging down a couple of pints at the Red Lion!

From my recent "escapades" around the UK, I would say that I fell in love with the City of York which was a true enchantment in mid-April with thousands of daffodils in blooms by the City Walls, the majestic and quite unique Minster Cathedral, the beautifully preserved Medieval District which hosts an incredible selection of delightful shops, the Museum Gardens and not to forget the National Museum Railway. I loved every minute I spent in York !

Karim