In an effort to just keep my records straight on this stint in England, I need to back track and cover this past weekend.
We had every intention of waking up early and heading out for some distant destination on Saturday but the reality is that we stayed up late, slept until 9:30, took a walk/run around town and didn't end up getting out of here until noon!
A quick look at the map told us that Stonehenge was not too far away and we couldn't live here and not visit that landmark, could we? Along the way we stopped to take a quick peak at the Saturday market in Marlborough. Well, I actually ended up poking in the shops and Mike, of course, headed to the nearest bicycle shop!
Stonehenge was actually quite crowded but we parked, paid and funneled through the site with our audio headset on. It was interesting but ultimately left you wondering why these rocks were laboriously transported to this location seemingly in the middle of nowhere. So many theories, no concrete answers! We enjoyed a nice snack and decided to continue on to Salisbury for the rest of the afternoon.
Salisbury has a beautiful Cathedral , which we toured, and on the way out we noticed that they were setting up stages on the Cathedral grounds. Later, as we were having dinner at a restaurant on the high street we watched as hundreds of people began lining up in the street outside the Cathedral gates with blankets, picnic baskets and chairs. It reminded me of Ravinia in the Chicago area so of course we had to check it out!
It turns out that Salisbury was celebrating the final night of the Salisbury International Arts Festival with a Party in the Close. They had three bands, food, drinks, activities for the kids and we decided we couldn't pass it up. The only issue is, we were not prepared for a picnic. Not to worry - we had a set of new car mats in the back of our vehicle and money in our pocket to purchase a bottle of wine while we relaxed and enjoyed the music and people watching. What an unexpected surprise! For all of you Ahwatukee folks, it reminded me of movie night at Kiwanis park or, even more recently, a fun day at the Scottsdale Festival of the Arts with good friends. We miss you all!Again this morning we had good intentions of an early start but it was not to be. I actually slept until 10:30 - what is wrong with me?!! Again we took a walk/run in town and were delighted to be asked to "tea" by one of Mike's new colleagues, Susan. She was an amazing hostess and I was so happy to have a social event - you know me! We visited in her beautiful home in Wootton Basset, ate a fabulous meal al fresco, took a walk through the town and even came home with an old desk to use during our stay here. Susan, cheers and thank you!
OK. I am caught up now. It's off to bed so I can begin to enjoy the mornings again!
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