Salisbury... Stonehenge and Sarum hill

Stonehenge

Salisbury, a quick train ride from London is a charming little city. Easy to get around and very friendly. We checked into our hotel The Citilodge just outside of the old town square. The two days we spent here we had great weather and were able to get some relaxing time in, after our hectic days with Lu and Delaine!

The first day, after the train from London we spent just getting used to the town, and wandering around. The town has a really great mix of accessible stores and old narrow streets, all blended with friendly people and fresh flowers everywhere.

The second day we were up early for our Stonehenge and Sarum hill tour. We hopped on a tour bus, that provided direct transportation from Salisbury to Amesbury site of the huge Avebury ruins, where we decided not to get off. From Amesbury, we headed down the hiway, past Sarum, to Stonehenge. The ruins are really amazing, imagining all of the thousands of years of civilization who added to the site and wondering at the uses. Stonehenge is a novel in itself, I encourage everyone to look it up, the mystery around this site is really out of this world. We stopped to have a picnic around the burial mounds north of Stonehenge.

After that we went to see Sarum hill, which is another amazing site. A mound of dirt, piled up over centuries, or at the very least the HUGE ditches that surround the castle in concentric circles (a model of the real site that can be found in the Salisbury Cathedral in the town center at the bottom of this entry). The fortress would have been nearly impregnable in the midevil era.

The next day was a day of panic, as we tried in vain to find internet in this small town, and phone services to complete the mortgage for the sale of our house. We ran into so many issues with the mortgage company and the lawfirm. A day and a half of panic later everything was sorted out. We up early the next day to visit the Salisbury Cathedral. This Cathedral was built as the one on top of old Sarum hill was torn down. It survived the WWII bombing because the bombers used it as a landmark on their run into London. It is medevil Europe's tallest spire.

Model of medival Salisbury

written by  ECRadventure on June 25, 2009 from Salisbury, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: ECRadventure's Travel Blog
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