Kow Tails

vontraps in action

What do Wilton House, Salisbury Cathedral, and Stonehenge have in common? Well you may be surprised to know lots of things. A. They are all located within Salisbury, England. B. All are green and lush and beautiful. C. I visited all three today and loved each one!

First Wilton House which is the home of the Earl of Pembroke, and has been since the time of Henry the 8th. The current Earl is the 18th of the family and is unmarried... oh and did I mention he's extremely dishy and an designer. That's what our guide said anyway. She was a prime example of a theater historian gone wacky, with huge flowers, a bright jacket, and poof hair. Anyway the house is famous for the single cube room which is exactly 30' x 30' x 30'. It also house the double cube room which is 60' x 30' x 30'. Both are lavishly decorated and used for movies such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Young Victoria. The house was relatively small compared to other palatial homes we've been to, which was nice. The land was pretty barren landscape with only a small garden and adorable Palladian bridge (also famous). My favorite aspect of the land was that it looked like a golf course with a river, huge trees, and lush grasses. Dad would be so happy. We met for lemonade and pastries which was so adorable of them to do. Not to mention, delicious! Best part of the day, they had this giant playground Swiss Family Robinson style. You better believe that I ran right out there, literally, and climbed ropes, jumped on the tramp, rode the slide, and teeter tottered it up. Totally felt like a child again.

We arrived back in Salisbury to go to the Cathedral. We got there early and had the great opportunity to sit on the grass and admire the building. The cloister, or monk's inner courtyard, was simple and gorgeous. This is where we waited for our tour guide. He took us up to the tower immediately, luckily there were nice breaks and chats before we got to about 300 feet. We got to cross the nave, long central part, over the ribbed vaulting which was so exciting to see the actual structure of the building. We saw the bells, the x beams that hold the tower up, and the balcony way atop the structure. I loved being able to witness how the building was made, although it's about 800 years old, it's nice to think I was there experiencing it being built. The original wheel that they used to haul stone up was still there and very much usable. The tower is the largest hollow original tower left. Pretty incredible times.

After this we headed to Stonehenge in taxis. When we arrived I felt like we were just in the middle of fields. I guess I expected to be able to see the stones in all their glory. You had to walk through a tunnel and voila there they were. Not as large as I would have imagined, yet still incredible to think how long they'd been there. The mystery of the purpose and who built them is a complete mystery in my book as well. I'd like to think that it was the people who lived there at the earliest times who built it as a sacrificial temple or gathering place for events, a precursor to the Coliseum if you will. Altogether an incredible set of structure that would have taken immense brain and physical power to make it happen. Enjoy the pictures, and be jealous of my life. thanks.

oh. and my pictures are uploading horrendously slow. hopefully tomorrow I can load the rest. Also i have three hello kitty bandaids on my body. I sliced my finger, one, i had a super bad hangnail, two, and this morning as i bent to pick up my clothes off the floor (mom you'd be proud) i hit it on the tiel wall, three. Also i got a sliver from the cathedral, four. Good day for me.