Ancient Wonders and British snacks

First, I have to discuss a small miracle. It's not really a miracle, but it sort of feels like it. Some of you may know that I get terribly car sick. Especially in tiny cars. Multiplied by 1000 when on winding roads and making quick stops. Well, we have a tiny rental car, and are almost always on winding roads making tons of quick stops... and I have not been least bit sick. It must be because I am sitting on the left side of the car, but it makes being a passenger infinitely more enjoyable.

Now, on to the day.

I will admit, I was afraid that Stonehenge would be just a big tourist destination. Giant rocks are cool, but are they worth the hassle of being pushed around by a million other tourists trying to get the perfect selfie? Yep, they totally are.

You can't get right up to the stones but you can get pretty close. They really are massive- some were around 40 Tons each... and they were moved from an area over 20 miles away. They command your attention and I can only imagine how impressive they would be to ancient people who had never seen a structure like that.

There is something about seeing them that makes you think, why?. Why so big? Why is that area so special (people had been using this site for about a thousand years before Stonehenge was built), Why stone? Why stone from so far away? And on and on.

They have some very well researched and very logical theories about the reasons- but no one will truly know everything about them. Which makes it all the more interesting to think on.

We also went up the road to Woodhenge, far less tourists (as in maybe 3) and just as interesting, though admittedly not as impressive. those little stump looking things are markers of where huge timber poles once stood. They think that this was the starting point of a procession that would then move on to Stonehenge. Again, imagining what it would have been like then, makes you realize how amazing these things are.

After we had had our fill of ancient wonders, we traveled on in search of food and stumbled upon a great little town called Marlborough, so so cute. they had a little market so we went in and got sandwiches and snacks. I realize that the UK is really a very mildly different country from the US, but it is always interesting to me to see the things that they do different. For example, the snack I chose was this...

What is that you ask? Why, its cheese sticks with pickle relish of course! And it is super good! I will be looking for more of this stuff. 

In Malborough we also decided to get a cheap UK mobile (see how I used "mobile" instead of "cell phone"? I'm practically a local, ha ha. ) because our US phones were freaking out. We were helped by a really nice guy who told us all about Stratford-Upon-Avon and how he hadn't been to Scotland in 20 years or so. 

I have noticed something very interesting; To Brynt and I, the ages of the things we are seeing are really impressive- 300 years, 500 years, 1000 years old...wow! The English don't seem impressed at all by the ages of things though. What is impressive to them are distances. Every person we have told that we are going from Cornwall to Northern Scotland has looked at us like "I applaud you, but why would you ever travel that far!". Yes it is a long way, but mileage wise is it actually slightly less than the trip from Idaho to Arizona, which we make a couple of times a year usually. So I guess everything is just a matter of perspective :)

We ended the day in the Cotswold town of Stow-On-The-Wold, perfectly adorable. Brynt said he was waiting for Hagrid to pop out and show us where to buy a wand. 

For dinner we ate a at a place called the Fox and Hounds and fulfilled Brynt's life long dream of eating in a Pub. Another great day!