A SPIRITUAL STONEHENGE! REGAL PRINCESS AT MAYFLOWER TERMINAL!

Regal Princess/Southampton to At Sea
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Sprinkles, then clear/62F

TK at Stonehenge

International Friends picked us and all our luggage up this morning for a tour of Stonehenge and then delivery to the Regal Princess.  The two hour drive to Stonehenge was peaceful, yet cold. When it was 60F out, it was time to turn on the air-conditioning on the bus.  I feel like the only person on the planet who is cold. Our tour guide Valentina did a great job of preparing us for Stonehenge with another history lesson. I do like this review of English history, the Anglo Saxons, the Jutes, the Picts, Celts, Normans, all after the Romans.

Valentina compared the history of the area of Stonehenge (Wessex) to the Game of Thrones.  There was King Alfred, or Alfred the Great, who brought the languages together into what is now called Old English.  All these things interest me, but before I lose my readers, I will move on.

The stone circle, Stonehenge, predates all of that—estimated to be about 5000 years old, and no one knows how some of the stones were moved from Wales, 150 miles away, to this location to Wiltshire, England. Another fact is that the stones were moved several times over hundreds of years to new configurations.  Scientists think that the stones were a  way to keep track of seasons.

A view of Stonehenge-the Sarsen Circle

Visitors are not allowed inside the circle

Janie at Stonehenge

Another view

Visitors can walk the circumference of the circle

The vertical stone and lintil are locked together 

with a joint like a mortise and tenon

One cannot help but feel the spirituality when looking at such a marvel.   It is a technological wonder that seems to create energy from of the people who built it.  The exhibit hall was very well done, with some artifacts from the archeological sites, including human bones, tools, even pottery.  I am so glad that we visited this site.

The Heel (or Hele or Heal) Stone, outside

the circle

This stone marks the place on the horizon where the summer solstice sunrise appears when viewed from the center of the stone circle.  This one weighs 30 tons.

The Beaker people, so called because of the pottery beakers

found at the site, lived in such huts

Reconstructed

Another type of hut (Beaker people)

Reconstructed

I read reviews online written by people who were unimpressed by the site. I asked TK if he thought he and I could move 30 ton stones over 150 miles—I am impressed just thinking about that.  I can say for sure that I would not know where to start.  The creators of this site did not just move the stones, they shaped them and put notches into them so they would fit with each other (the standing stones and the lintels). [Note: it is estimated that over 400 men moved each stone using wood rails—and boats were used to carry the stones from Wales.] 

TK and I will start this task by walking to Wales from Wessex to find the stones to bring back to Wessex. Tomorrow!

We spent two hours at Stonehenge, then boarded the bus for the Port of Southampton. About an hour later the Regal Princess showed us her profile at Mayflower Marina Terminal.  Ironically, my ancestors sailed out of Southampton on the Mayflower to travel to the new land.

I have been in Southampton twice before, in 1967 and 1968, as I traveled to France for school/1967.  It was the first port we reached from NYC before we left the ship at LeHavre.  When we left LeHavre in 1968, we stopped at Southampton on the way back to NYC. 

By the way, from the middle of the 1800's, Southampton has been famous for being a liner port. In 1912, the world's most famous liner, The Titanic, embarked from here on its fateful maiden voyage, carrying seven hundred Southampton residents in her crew, over five hundred of whom would never return.

This is the 5^th time we have been on the Regal, so we basically know the routine.  Dinner was tasty, steak for me, pot roast for TK, and the most delicious berry cobbler for dessert.  Off to a good start. We are unpacked, ready for a restful sea day tomorrow!

Stateroom Aloha 212 or 12212

A212

Our favorite configuration--a curtain

divides the sleeping space from the

couch, chair, and desk

TK’s Takes:  He saw a raven at Stonehenge and ring-necked pheasants is the field while riding the bus. Stonehenge was a sight to behold.