Stones on a Hill

So, I promised more about Stonehenge. Here goes . . . As I've said, we drove an hour from Bath to get to Stonehenge. At the time we had just left the Jane Austen Centre without getting to tour the museum, so I was not particularly excited about the long drive to see a bunch of giant stones sitting on a hill. The drive was not bad, though. On the way we saw something called the White Horse. Bath and the surrounding countryside sits on top of a layer of chalk and a very distinct form of land art has sprung up because of this. Centuries ago, I believe when Celtic tribes still inhabited the area, the layer of soil was removed from the hills in the shape of different symbols, sometimes dragons, sometimes horses, or even geometric shapes. In the case of the White Horse a huge White Horse was imprinted on the hill which can be seen from miles away because the chalk is so bright against the grass. That was awesome in and of itself. I guide told us that every few years volunteers clean the White Horse so that it will stay bright fro years to come! It's sort of strange to see a huge white horse in the middle of farm country, but awesome at the same time. When we arrived at Stonehenge we picked up our audio guides and walked to stones.
I must say that compared to auido guides in the states, the Brits are much more theatrical. Their auido guides contain sound effects and sappy admonitions to "Turn in a circle. . . Take one last glance at Stonehenge and the surrounding countryside." It made me laugh, at least. It was enjoyable to watch the people actually turning in a circle, trying not to look foolish.
Apart from that I enjoyed Stonehenge a lot. Right now we're off to a briefing at the Treasury Department (also called the Exchequer!) More later.