UK, England, Stonehenge - Trip straight out of the History Books

It was my kind of typical laid-back trip to London, to watch musicals at the West End, dine on delicious food, shop and take in the sights and sights of the bustling capital city of the United Kingdom.

I had just arrived in London from Glasgow and fresh from ticking off a major item in my bucket list which was to visit the famous Loch Ness. Sadly, I did not encounter Nessie during my trip to the famous Loch. Otherwise, that would have been a bigger tick off a huge item in my bucket list! But a tick off an item in my bucket list was still a tick, considering that my bucket list was a long list with very few ticks here and there. 

Moment of Inspiration

While deciding what to do with the 5 days that I had in London, it dawned upon me that I did not have to spend all 5 days wandering the streets of London. I could book short day trips to the surrounding areas. A quick check on the internet followed and Stonehenge surfaced at the top of the search list. A few quick clicks later and I had booked a day tour to Stonehenge and Bath, both inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England, UK (2011)

The Trip

Finding my way to the tourist bus station where my trip to Stonehenge would began was a breeze. This was London after all and everybody spoke English including me. 

After confirming my booking details with the tour clerk, I boarded the bus and waited for the rest of my tour mates to board. Soon, the bus was filled. We had tourists from all over the world, all strangers to each other but with a  common destination for the day, Stonehenge.

The Journey

After a few quick turns here and there, the bus driver deftly navigated his way out of the busy roads of London and we were soon on rural turf, in the direction of Stonehenge. Our good natured and very knowledgeable guide entertained us with bits of history of our destination. He punctuated our informal history lesson with some really hilarious jokes about himself and we all had good laughs.

Arrival

Soon, someone on the bus exclaimed excitedly "Stonehenge"! We swung our heads in unison at the direction he was pointing and there it was, good old Stonehenge. 

Everyone soon had their cameras out and ready to snap those touristy photos of Stonehenge whilst at the same time getting ready to walk in the footsteps of the Neolithic people of long ago.

Stonehenge was and still is one of the wonders of the world and among the most well known prehistoric monuments in Europe.

Alighting from the bus, a quick brief from our guide followed. We were reminded not to touch the stones or to take any physical souvenirs from the site. Any souvenirs had to be only in photographic forms as well as those moments committed to memory.

The Visit

I walked around the site, keeping well clear of the boundaries and admired the site from several metres out. Both my DSLR Camera and mobile phone were working overtime to snap photographs as I documented my visit to Stonehenge in the form of digital photographs.

After the first round of photo taking, I put away my cameras and took a second round of walk around the site. This time, I took my time to enjoy the views of Stonehenge, to lose myself in the moment and used my imaginations to picture what it could have been like thousand of years ago when the Neolithic people built and possibly worshipped at Stonehenge.

Closer look at some of the stones that made up Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England, UK (2011)

Farewell

As we were herded back to the bus to continue on our way to Bath, I turned around and gave Stonehenge one more long look. A farewell and a promise that I will return again some day in the future to marvel at this ancient monument.

And yes, it was another tick off another item on my bucket list.