We were scheduled to meet our tour driver at 7:45 in the morning. While Mari was finishing breakfast, Bruce went outside to check and saw a big bus there. Then he heard a gentleman call his name and much to his delight he found out not only going to be in a mini van, but we were the only guests. We had the tour guide to ourselves. We felt like celebrities getting a private tour. Our driver, Jude, was a wealth of information, anecdotes and jokes. He was a great deal of fun, and tailored the trip to our desires.
When he found out I was a Doctor Who fan, he detoured to show me the only blue police box left in London and where the Doctor Who Experience would be.
Our first stop was Avebury (pronounced ave(long a silent e) bury. Jude told us about the local history of how the town was built in the middle of the stones whose origin has long since been forgotten. The huge stones were in two separate rings, made from stones from about 2-3 miles away. They mostly were at least 6-15 feet tall. The stones had been broken and removed as much as possible by the local vicar in remote times, but a local man made a map of the stones so that in later years when they decided to resurrect the site, they knew which stones went where.
The setting was pastoral and serene. The stones are able to be touched and we sat on the Devil's seat. Jude, when he realized we had lost our camera, graciously took many pictures of us throughout the tour, including the one on Devil's seat. We wandered around a bit and came to the "Wishing Tree", which looks like one tree with an extra large trunk. When you come close you realize that the tree is 4 trees with roots intertwined. I took a piece of sheep's wool I found near the stones and tied it to a branch that was laden with ribbons and made a wish.
On the way to Glastenbury (an hour away) We saw a white chalkstone horse, about 50 feet high and probably just as wide emblazoned on a hillside. These use to be common as a sign of allegiance to ruling king at the time. There had been a crop circle here, but it had been mowed over.
As we were nearing Glastenbury we saw a tall hill with a white tower on it. This is thought to be the site of Camelot and the entrance to the isle of Faery. We had no idea about the history of either Avebury or Glastenbury so everything we saw and heard were all bonus.
Jude told us that in about the 11th or 12th century that someone dug around the walls of the abbey looking for evidence of Camelot. He found a large tree trunk, it is there he found the skeletons of King Arthur and Queen Guineviere, with a sign that said here lies King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in with the bodies. There was a third body, unidentified. The monks buried the King and Queen in a marble tomb inside the Abbey
In the 16th Century Richard Whiting, Abbot of Glastenbury, refused to convert to the Church of England. (This was one of the most powerful and rich abbies of England. King Henry VIII had the whole abbey destroyed knocked down stone by stone. He also emptied all the crypts and tombs in the Abbey. Richard Whiting and 2 monks died horrible deaths, executed at the orders of Henry VIII. Only a portion of the Abbey survives, but enough to demonstrate how grand it was. There are artists renditions of the Abbey in its height of glory. It is now surrounded by 30 of the original acreage that includes gardens, manicured lawns, park benches, etc.
Stepping into downtown Glastenbury was like going into Woodstock 1969 with new age and hippies and head shops all co-existing. We had a tasty lunch at a historical old pub.
When we left Glastenbury we took a short side trip to the healing waters where Joseph of Arimethea was supposed to have visited and hidden the Holy Grail and nails used for crucifixion. After drinking the cold metallic tasting water, Mary and I were magically transformed overnight into teenagers. Imagine Brent and April's surprise when they find out they are older than we are when we arrive home. Mary also waded in the water and can now dance like a pro.
Everyone has seen pictures of Stonehenge, so there is no need to describe it. But when you visit the site, it is very mystical. It's fun to theorize about it's origins. There was a village of about 4,000 people nearby. It's possible they built it in a similar manner to how the Egyptians built the pyramids, but it's perfectly geometrical and acts as a sundial/calendar/holidaymarker of sorts. It is exactly fifteen miles from Avebury to Stonehenge in a direct line. The line is marked with similar configurations of stones. Mari chipped off a piece of Stonehenge for Bill, whereupon Druids immediately emerged from behind the stones and dragged her off kicking and screaming to the cheers of bystanders to God knows what fate. Sadly, Jude and I continued our journey back to the hotel.
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