Almost two hours west of London sits the historical stone circle of rocks that dates back thousands of years. Situated along England’s Salisbury Plain, near Amesbury, Stonehenge is a world heritage site that furrylittlegnome was drawn to.
As one might expect, Stonehenge is in the middle of no where. You can see the stone formation from a distance, and surrounding it are lots of sheep.
Mystery surrounds Stonehenge. Completed around 2,600 BC, sandstone and bluestone from Wales make up this three-ring structure. The outer “wall” of the formation consists of large sarsen (dense sandstone) stones that stand approximately sixteen feet tall. The inner ring consists of taller sandstone structures (twenty-three feet high). The inner-most ring contains smaller bluestone, from Wales, in horse-shoe patterns. Each stone weighs between four and thirty tons.
To this day, no one, including archeologists and astronomers, knows the purpose of Stonehenge. The site is a burial ground – that much is certain. Was it used for religious purposes? Another thought is that the stones were used as a calendar. The stone shading from the sun would indicate when the summer solstice was.
Gnome went to visit Stonehenge as part of a group tour. She has to admit, it was kind of a let down. Once paying the admission fee, you’re literally herded, like those sheep on the plain, around the one hundred foot wide site. Stonehenge is actually roped-off. One cannot get close to the stones. On the plus side, there is a nifty gift shop selling typical trinkets.
Impressive? Yes, indeed it was, but it wasn’t what furrylittlegnome was expecting…
