Diamond Jubilee Weekend

This weekend, Queen Elizabeth II became the second British monarch to celebrate 60 years on the throne.  Thanks to the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee, all British citizens (and visiting workers) were rewarded with a two-day bank holiday, known in the US as a four-day weekend.  We decided to take this opportunity to see a bit more of the island.  We thought briefly about making a journey up to Scotland, but we hesitated when we saw the price of train and plane tickets from London to Edinburgh.  Good thing, too, since there was an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease in Edinburgh this weekend, which has already killed one and put 15 others in the hospital.

Instead, we packed up the car bright and early Saturday morning and headed for Stonehenge.  We were out the door before 8:00 and hoped to be there not long after the gates opened at 9:00.  Listening to the radio during the drive, we heard a weather reporter describe the weekend forecast as "predictably British," so we crossed our fingers that Stonehenge wouldn't be too fogged in or waterlogged for sightseeing.  We made great time until the last 5 miles, where the four-lane highway was reduced to two lanes, and the road was packed with cars headed to the coast for a long weekend.  Cars were loaded down with bikes, surfboards (brrr!), and picnic baskets.  Those last five miles took nearly an hour of driving, but lucky for us, all the tour buses were stuck in the same traffic.  We arrived before it was too crowded and enjoyed the mystery that is Stonehenge.  There's not much to say other than, "Wow," so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Listening to an audio tour

We enjoyed a snack (elevenses) of pasties and shortbread before hitting the road again, headed for Salisbury.

Mmm... Cornish pasty!

One of Erik's colleagues at work (Owen Wallace for those of you Lilly folk who know him) suggested that we stop in nearby Salisbury on our visit to Stonehenge to see the cathedral.  Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest spire of any cathedral in England, and it can be seen from miles away.  It was built between 1075 and 1092, taking only 38 years, which is much faster than most Medieval cathedrals.  As a result, it has a consistent architectural style, rather than being a hodgepodge of styles from different eras, as many others are.  Walking through Salisbury toward the cathedral, we felt like we were walking back through time, with ancient walls and buildings all around us.  The clouds began to clear, and we actually saw a bit of sun.

Walking past the walls surrounding the cathedral close (cathedral, associated buildings, and grounds)

A detail from the wall

Salisbury Cathedral from the front

Enjoying a little sun 

A view from the side showing the enormity of the building and on-going restoration work

The cathedral was beautiful, with artwork, artifacts, and crypts around every corner.  The kids enjoyed the massive, fountain-like baptismal font.  My favorite parts were the needlepoint seat cushions, each one hand-made and different from the rest, and the gorgeous courtyard.  Erik liked the gargoyles.

Baptismal font/fountain

Needlepoint cushions

The interior courtyard

Aarrgh!

An unexpected bonus was seeing an original copy of the Magna Carta that is housed at the cathedral.  It's pretty breathtaking to see a document written by hand in 1215, though we couldn't read it, as our Latin is rusty and the print is small.

After leaving the cathedral, we made a quick visit to the Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum just across the street, which contains objects uncovered in excavations near Stonehenge, among other things.  The building itself was worth seeing.  It was old-- I have no idea how old-- and some of the walls were made of a composite of bricks and rocks.  

Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum

Museum walls

When the kids maxed out on antiquities, we headed home.  It rained all day Sunday (predictably British, indeed), so we celebrated the Jubilee by watching the Queen's waterlogged flotilla down the Thames from the comfort of our living room.