There are two places in England that it seems everyone is familiar with; inevitably, people ask me about London, and then they turn their attention to questions about Stonehenge. "You've never been?" Their surprise that I have never visited the ancient ruins of Stonehenge can be assured, and always has the effect of making me feel a little unpatriotic. It just always seemed so far away! I never happened to find myself conveniently in Wiltshire. Happily, once we'd ventured all the way to Bath, a drive to Wiltshire didn't seem like too much trouble after all.
I may never have visited Stonehenge before, but it's reputation hadn't escaped me. I'd learned about it's seemingly impossible construction in school; how giants had brought the stones from Africa to Ireland, how Merlin had then employed his magic to transport them to England. I'd learned about the supposed astrological importance of the site when I watched on the news as people flocked to the Henge during solar eclipses. I'd learned about theories of mass burials, and worship of earth deities, and ideas about prehistoric calendars. A national icon surrounded by mystery. The stuff of legends. Imagine my surprise then, as we were driving along the A344 when the place suddenly emerged right there at the side of the road. Car park and ice cream van on one side of the road, ancient ruins on the other.
It turned out that the English Heritage society is now charging those of English Heritage to view the stones, but since I had no idea when I'd have the chance to see the place again I decided it was worth the fee and so, along with my sister Megan and little Charlotte, I moved in for a closer look. The stones weren't as tall as I'd envisioned them to be, and there weren't as many of them as I'd anticipated, but as we listened to our headsets on the walk around we heard how the stones had been taken away by locals over the thousands of years that they had stood there. We were visiting the ruins of Stonehenge, and suddenly I could understand why the fence had become necessary, and why ropes and boardwalks had been introduced. Stones aside it's a lovely part of the country and it was wonderful to be surrounded by rolling fields of green. How I miss that beautiful colour!
I've heard it said that Stonehenge is overrated. I disagree. I think that any engineering that has withstood 5,000 years of weather, and thievery, and watched as empires have risen and fallen deserves high ratings. Living in Las Vegas I really have no idea when I'll next have the opportunity to look upon something truly ancient (I'm pretty sure that the pyramid on the strip doesn't count), and even though Stonehenge wasn't necessarily what I expected it to be I'm glad that I finally got to see the place for myself.
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