Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge

Hello all!

Today was a very exciting day! All of us embarked on a pilgrimage to Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, and Stonehenge. Salisbury Cathedral is 750 years old and has the tallest spire in England and is astonishingly beautiful. But more amazing than its beauty is the genius of its construction. It absolutely blew my mind that people in the Middle Ages were capable of constructing this massive and complicated structure. Over the years, things have been repaired and adjusted, but the Grey Lady remains the same--majestic and awesome. Also, as a point of interest, we stopped by the Chapter House, which has one of the four copies of the Magna Carta, a document that Simon Schama described as the death certificate of despotism. Basically, the barons under the rule of King John were so appalled by his actions that they demanded that he should also be subject to the law, not outside of it.

After this, we headed over to Old Sarum. Old Sarum is an Iron Age hillfort that basically has three levels stacked up like a cake, but between each level is a very deep and steep-sided valley. When the Romans came, they renamed Old Sarum Sorviodunum and used it for military purposes. During Henry II's reign, he used the castle at Old Sarum as a place to stow his queen and keep her safe. Later, the castle, cathedral, and walls were dismantled and the stone was used to build the cathedral and walls of the town of Salisbury. So, today Old Sarum is mostly ruins, but still an awesome testament to the Iron Age fortifications. It also provides a splendid very of Salisbury and the surrounding countryside.

Next we were off to STONEHENGE. Seeing Stonehenge and being only several feet away from it was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Here I was confronted with this almost mythical structure, something so ancient that no one really knows anything about it or those people who built it. It was intimidating and difficult to realize. I kept thinking, "Okay, so what is the big deal? What is this really all about?" Stonehenge represents that almost universal appeal of works of art such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" or da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"--there is something in these works that is haunting and irresistible.

But my reveries didn't last for long. I was soon swept up in a picture taking extravaganza. Everyone was taking pictures of everyone. Having a large group of American college students at an ancient monument suddenly makes such things extremely exciting and almost silly. Be sure to check out the pictures and tell me what you think.

*Historical information from British Landscape lecture by Simon Lancaster*