Artpoints-Travel

Travel

New York, Ireland and the UK:
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Stonehenge

Pillar with a "bump" for securing a lintel stone.

Sally Lunn Restaurant

The 2007 Artpoints Tour of the United Kingdom continued

First Day in England, Stonehenge and Bath Spa

stonehenge

Our way to Bath took us through Salisbury, as we decided to take a short detour to Stonehenge. Stonehenge sits on the Salisbury plains, surrounded by wide vistas and meadows. Stonehenge is clearly visible from the main road. We later learned that there are plans to put the road underground and move the parking two miles away to return the site to its ancient beauty.

We were both deeply impressed with the mysterious beauty of the giant shaped stones embedded in the earth. The day was cloudy and threatening rain, the wind-swept clouds cast a mystical and dramatic mood over the landscape.

There were ravens cawing and flying among the stones as we walked slowly around the circle with our fellow pilgrims.

I had always wondered how the top "lintel" stones stayed in place, and the question was answered by the recorded tour provided to all visitors. The ancient craftsmen used woodworking techniques--carving a bump at the top of the standing stone to fit in a corresponding hollow on the horizontal lintel as seen on this tall standing stone.

With so much traveling, I have fallen behind on my travel writing. To catch up, I will summarize our three days in Bath.

Bath is a Georgian resort city built on the site of a large Roman bath complex. I had been to Bath in the past and remembered a historic town full of used bookshops and English charm. Alas, it is much changed and not for the better. The historic architecture is still there, but the shops have mostly been taken over by businesses catering to the thousands of party minded youths who flock there from all over Britain and Europe.

The traffic is beyond belief. Much of central Bath is closed off to traffic, construction is everywhere, and the rest of the streets are one-way. After driving in frustration for 3/4 of an hour, we had given up hope of finding our hotel when a kind driver actually led us there, as he said we had not a chance of finding it otherwise. We had great difficulty finding parking as the "car-park" recommended by the hotel was overflowing. When we eventually parked our car several blocks away at the train station and wearily dragged our baggage to our hotel: The Parade Park Hotel. Our room was up four flights of stairs. Our room was small, but clean with a beautiful view of a park and Bath. We found some kebabs from a take-away shop and collapsed into bed.

The view of Bath from our hotel room

One highlight in Bath was dinner at the oldest restaurant in Bath; Sally Lunns, home of the famous Sally Lunn Bun. The building was constructed in the 1460s and it has been a restaurant since the 1500s. Jim had a "trencherman style" pork-chop dinner, and I, the lamb-chop. The legendary buns were yeasty and delicious. I must dig out a recipe for Sally Lunn buns when I return to see if I can do as well.

A note here about mid-range British hotels. If you are accustomed to American business hotels such as Marriott Courtyard, you will have a few surprises in store. Parade Park is fairly typical in that the room contains no amenities such as ice, a box of tissues, shampoo, a hair drier, or a telephone. The "en suite" bathroom is tiny, with a miniature sink and shower. The room however is clean with nice bed linens and a very comfortable bed. The staff is helpful and friendly. Most hotels include the cost of breakfast. At Parade Park, we had a "full English" breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes and beans.