There are so many great things to do in London, and the city itself is so large, sometimes I forget there is a surrounding country! There are many historical sites to see in England, so I bought a ticket to visit my first one, Stonehenge. There are many accessible and affordable day trips offered to explore England. There are many different variations of each tour, including multi-city, half-day and full-day trips. My tour included transportation by bus, an audio tour and a half-day entrance into Stonehenge.
The bus ride to Stonehenge was about two hours long of the English country side. It was really interesting to see the acres of fields sitting right outside the busy city of London. Our final destination was Wiltshire, England, where Stonehenge is located. Buying a tour online was so worth it, because we were able to skip the massive line of people waiting to buy an entrance ticket. A small shuttle bus escorted us about a mile from the Visitor Center to Stonehenge itself.
Stonehenge is one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval world. It consists of a ring of stones that are set in line with the sun. This doesn’t sound too wondrous, until your learn that each stone stands about 13 feet high, is seven feet wide, and weighs 25 tons. Archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was created anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Tests show that the rocks originated in Wales, almost 140 miles from where they remain now. How did the ancient Britain people move over 50 massive rocks for 140 miles in 3000 BC? This remains a mystery.
Historians believe that Stonehenge was used as an ancient burial ground, after finding evidence of human bones at the site. However, there are many other speculations about Stonehenge, suggesting that it might have been used to study the moon and the sun, or had been a place of healing. Either way, Stonehenge’s exact purpose remains unknown.
It’s hard to understand the complexity Stonehenge until you are standing next to those enormous rocks, knowing there are no concrete answers about their history. I am so glad I took the opportunity to visit one of the most mysterious and historical places in England. There is so much history within this country, and I will be definitely investing in some more day trips to visit other historical site around England. When studying abroad, take the time to venture out into the country that you are in!
