Stonehenge and Bath, 16 February 2015

Monday morning dawned overcast and cold.  We loaded up and were off to Stonehenge with Bob navigating and Dennis doing the driving.  Bob and I saw new countryside and marveled at the wide open spaces.  We do not have that in Newchapel.  It began to rain as we journeyed on our way.

We came upon Stonehenge, two miles west of Amesbury,  and could see it from the road.  We drove on past, turned onto another road that took us to the car park and visitor's centre where we purchased tickets and caught the shuttle to the stones.  Dennis said this was all different from the last time he had come, when Halie was here in May 2013.  Before, you just pulled into a car park closer to the stones, purchased tickets and walked to them.  He said the improvement was for the better.

It not only was raining, but there was a freezing wind blowing.  It blew my umbrella apart.  That is the second one I have gone through.  I left my gloves and scarf in the car - not smart.  It was almost too cold to hold the camera and take photos.

Bluestones

Stonehenge is an ancient temple aligned on the movements of the sun.  The stones were raised 4500 years ago by sophisticated prehistoric people.

Sarsen stones

Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks.

Horseshoe of sarsen trilithons

Aubrey Hole markers

Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.  Skeletal remains have been discovered and some are on display in the Exhibition at the visitors centre, one almost being a complete man.

Heel Stone

1 - The Stonehenge Avenue

2 - Arrow showing solstice alignment

3 - Heel Stone

4- Stone hole marker

5 - Slaughter Stone

6 - Station Stones

7 - Station Stone markers

8 - Sarsen stones

9 - Bluestones

10 - Horseshoe of sarsen trilithons

11 - Aubrey Hole markers

12 - Bank and ditch

The tour bus ran every ten minutes so we were able to go and come as we wanted.  It was amazing to see the stones and think about the people that erected them and how they lived.  The exhibition also had a small village of huts the people could have lived in.  Inside, a guide explained items and did demonstrations.

There was also a fake stone like the ones there, set up to be rolled on logs.  At one end there was a rope you could pull with all your might and a meter would register how many more people of your strength would be needed to move it.  Dennis gave it his best shot and the meter registered 95 more people!  It gives you some idea of how industrious these people were.

From Stonehenge, we headed on to Bath.  We were hungry and Dennis said he knew where in Bath to have lunch.  Off we went still in awe of the countryside and being able to see past the trees and hedges along the road.  There were fields and fields, cows, sheep, and stands of very tall trees here and there.  Even in the cloak of winter, the landscape had a beauty to it.

Dennis knew right where to park and we were off on our way through the streets of Bath.

 The King's and Queen's Bath was on one side. . . . . . . .

. . . . .and a clothing store was on the other side.

We walked straight toward Bath Abbey.  The Abbey was built in the early 16th century.

The romans built baths and a temple in the Valley of the River Avon, thus making Bath a spa town in 60 AD.  It became a popular spa town durning the Georgian era in the early 18th century.  The architecture is definitely Georgian with the buildings made of the golden colored Bath stone.

The Roman Baths are to the right of the Abbey.  We did not go in but Dad and the lizard posed for picture.

We continue to follow Dennis up the street, then down, and then up stairs. . . .

. . . then down again,and we came to this sight.

The river runs through here and the green color is amazing as it turns white as it falls down to continue its course.  At the bottom of the building is a road and we could see cars and people on it.  We caught the bus for the tour later at the left end of the building.

We then reached the Riverside Cafe and Restaurant.  We had to stoop down to go through the door.  Inside we found a quaint, friendly place to eat.

Dad had a hamburger and chips; Dennis had a salad with goat's cheese he really likes, and I had the special of the day.  It was a sweet potato wrap with veggies and avocado and wedges on the side.  I had traditional hot chocolate and Dennis had white hot chocolate.  They were served with chocolate straws.  Dad opted for a coke.  We all enjoyed the meal and then were ready to see the sights.

Can you spot the cafe from where we caught the bus tour?

We enjoyed the tour through the city atop the open bus with rain sprinkling on us every now and then.  Being on top was definitely a better view.

 Georgian architecture and the stunning Bath Stone.  The house are so neatly rowed up and down the streets.

The Royal Crescent is built in the shape of an arch.  Construction was begun at both ends and then met in the middle.  It houses about 30 homes.  Owners pay for a portion of the facade and then they employ their own contractors to build out their home, thus some being small and some being large.

After the bus tour, we walked to 40 Gay Street to the Jane Austen Centre and who was out front to greet us?  None other than the one and only Mr. Darcy!  He kindly posed with me and the lizard.  It was fun to be there and then to take the tour.  We learned about Jane's family, her writing, and her time spent in Bath.  She is one of the famous people of the city.

The day had come to an end as Dennis had a 7:30 p.m. appointment and we had an 8:30 p.m. choir rehearsal, so we headed back to the car and made our way out of the city.  It was rush hour and the traffic was backed up for some distance and our progress was slow.  It began to appear both of us would be late.  we made calls to explain and then continued on our way.  It finally opened up and Dennis knew right where to go and we were off.  He made it in good time and was not too late.  We jumped in our car and headed for Newchapel, arriving at 8:45 p.m.  Dad let me out at accommodations and when I got to the room, they were just gathering, so we made it too.

From Home:

Master Caleb turned 3 today!  We Face Timed with him and wished him a happy birthday.  He held up three fingers to show us how old he is.  When Katie took his picture he didn't want to smile so he gave her his Monster Face!  He wanted monster cupcakes for his birthday.

Side Note:  The other day when Dad and I were preparing the lesson for our primary class, we discussed the need for order as the children are quite rowdy.  I asked Dad what did he want to have happen.  He said he wanted them to fold their arms and act like three year olds.  I reminded him that would be Caleb and Brynlyn.  He seemed to re-think his idea.

Caleb and his gift from us.

Dennis & Oxford,14 - 15 February 2015

Dennis emailed earlier that he was coming and wanted to get together.  We checked calendars, looked at sights to see, made plans, and drove to his hotel in Reading (pronounced redding) after shift on Saturday.  He had points through the hotel he used to cover our room and breakfast, which made it nice to be in the same place, actually just two doors down from his room.  It was exciting to see one another again.

Dennis stays at the Millennium Hotel at the Madejski Football (soccer to Americans) Stadium in Reading, Berkshire.  Our room was in the white part of the building, second floor, third window from the left.  Dennis was in the first window from the left.

It was Valentine's Day and that made it a little difficult in finding a place to eat.  But, at the third attempt we secured reservations at The Moderation.  Dennis had fish, I had cheese stuffed chicken, Dad had a great steak, and we each had a different dessert.  The atmosphere was nice, although other customers were rather noisy in their celebration and we were right next to the bar.  While heading back to the hotel, we planned our strategy for the next day.

Dennis' points also included the breakfast buffet.  He educated me on ordering hot chocolate in place of their customary coffee or tea.  The buffet was lined out with a full hot English breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, toast, & blood pudding) as well as cheeses, smoked salmon, fresh fruits, both cut and whole, cold and hot cereals, yogurts, juices, milk, muffins, and pastries.  There certainly was no need to go hungry.

Sunday, we attended church at the Reading Ward.  We spotted a missionary that had been in the Crawley ward and said hello to him.  The chapel filled up with families, individuals, and missionaries.  A brother efficiently played the organ and the missionaries passed the sacrament.  The speakers fulfilled their assignments and we were enlightened.  The concluding speaker talked about how our actions are formed as thoughts long before we do them.  This is why it is important to govern our thoughts and keep them in a proper path.

We headed on to Oxford and our greatest dilemma was finding a parking place.  After the day was ended, Dennis said he would take the train the next time he came.  We began with seeing a very small part of the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, located on Beaumont Street, attached to the University of Oxford.  It is the first university museum with the first building being built 1678-1683.

We walked through the Egyptain exhibit and was impressed to see a mummy.  I was fascinated with the artifacts and descriptions of their habits and ceremonies.

Adellae's lizard even got into the action with Dennis and Dad holding him with a mummy!

Looking from the museum straight across the street.

 From the museum we took a stroll along the streets and admired the architecture.

 The streets were teeming with people and vehicles.  It certainly had the feel of a college town.

We walked through The Eagle and Child pub.

This town was and is the home to intellects and knowledge seekers.  When we were on the Church History tour last September, Peter Fagg took us to a university in a forested area where Tolkien got his inspiration for The Hobbit, and told us about The Eagle & Child.

 We stopped at the Bodliean Library, one of the oldest libraries in Europe, housing 11 million items.

We entered the exhibit room for Dr. John Radcliffe, the royal physician, born 1650 and died 1714.  He bequeathed the money to build the Radcliffe Camera.

The Radcliffe Camera (Room) is the main reading room of the library and houses 600,000 books in underground rooms.  It was built 1737-1749.

A 13th Century Hebrew Bible.  It is in the John Radcliffe Room.

Other architecture at the library.

The square outside the library.

IT'S HARRY POTTER TIME!

The Divinity School at the library served as Hogwarts infirmary in four of the films and the very room where Professor McGonnagal taught students to dance in the Goblet of Fire.  Does it look familiar to anyone?

Note the intricate and detailed architecture in the ceiling.

I found doors:  above is the one we came through and the below was a side door in the room.

This chair, made from the timbers of St Francis Drake's ship when it was broken up, was given to the library in 1662.  The chair sits in the Divinity School.

Coming out onto the street, we saw a fire juggler.

Halie said I should try this eatery.  I got a chocolate chip cookie and popcorn, both of which were delicious!  I thought of her as I ate them.

We stopped at Oxford Castle, an old Saxon fort positioned over the castle mill stream for a defense against the Danes.  The castle has gone through periods of ruin and repair since the 12th century.  We had hoped to climb the tower but got there too late.  There is a fair sized hill next to it that we climbed and looked out over the city.  It was too dark for a picture of any consequence.

Dennis and I tried the stocks with the lizard.