&...salisbury.

A couple years ago JR and I were driving around England and we had a few directional issues making it to Salisbury Cathedral. After a few laps of the town, we finally made it to the car park and realized that we could not see both the cathedral and make it to Stonehenge before closing time (wanting to actually go inside the fence). So we chose Stonehenge and were rewarded with a miraculous sunset.

Finally this time I really made it to Salisbury Cathedral, not just the car park. 

Salisbury Cathedral is amazing. Actually breathtaking.

Salisbury houses one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta. I supposed I shouldn't have been, but I was a bit surprised at how completely moved I was by seeing the actual 13th century document. 

The print revolution was fantastic and all. And then Al Gore created the internets. And I know I can google Magna Carta and see a copy almost instantly or find a full translation in milliseconds, but just knowing what it says or seeing a photo is not the same thing. The actual anthropology of the document matters. Even though I couldn't touch it and my medieval Latin skills are a bit lacking, seeing it was a really lovely experience.

  

Worship envy.

Oh the blue. 

I had to just sit for a while and take it all in. 

The same glass makers who maintain the windows at Chartres--oh Chartres. I am coming.

And the sun came out. 

It may seem that I have become a little obsessive about the sun. Growing up in California and living in Utah for a while did not prepare me for England. There were a couple beautiful weeks in March that were full of sun and I thought--I can do this. And then came April. I now understand what living in England is really like. You begin to value every miraculous minute of the sun.

Thank you Salisbury Cathedral.
&...Beautiful.

&....the english countryside.

Our last morning in Wales was fantastically sunny, just in time for us to head back to the English countryside.  

The rapeseed (yes, that is a real thing and they make oil out of it) was in bloom. 

And brilliant. In the sun it was almost blinding.

Ok, the Stonehenge photos are from the last time I was there, the light didn't quite compare this time.

The great light came later.

Avebury.
Older than Stonehenge, much much bigger. Right in the middle of this little town..or rather this little town was built right in the middle of this enormous stone circle surrounded by a huge manmade ridge.

A out of place photo of the small bit of Hadrian's wall that we actually found after a serious detour. Complete with sheep.

And Bath. The Crescent. 

The Circus.

Credit to Wendy.

Bath Abbey.