Today was our last day in England. We travelled to Salisbury, about 1 1/2 hr by train from Oxford, to see the cathedral and to catch the bus to Stonehenge. This mysterious ancient site has been on my bucket list for many years. Some say it’s no big deal, but after our visit, I disagree – it’s worth the trip.

A bonus from a visit to this cathedral is that it houses one of the 4 surviving original Magna Cartas in the world. Written in 1215 on vellum, the Magna Carta is written in abbreviated Latin.

You can get pretty close to the document itself but, of course, no pix allowed.

Salisbury Cathedral, one of the finest medieval cathedrals, was built in only 40 years. You can see that we had a sparkling clear day. In fact, the weather on our trip has been splendid and it was a pleasure to leave all that heat and humidity in NY behind.

Salisbury was spared Nazi bombing because the Luftwaffe used Britain’s tallest spire (at 123 meters / 404 feet) as a navigational guidepost as they targeted other English cities.

They say the Cathedral rests on a four foot foundation – making me more comfortable outside than inside.

The Cathedral also has the largest medieval cloisters.

We figured we would catch one of the last busses to Stonehenge and avoid the crowds at the site.

not happening. although it must have been even more crowded earlier.

Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks. The first stones were probably erected in 2400–2200 BC.

Stonehenge, about 8 miles north of Salisbury, is one of the most famous sites in the world, with about 800,000 visitors a year, including this pilgrim.

Even though you are sharing the stones with many others, the experience is still special.

countryside around Salisbury.

Oxford / Wellington Square: lodging for our last night in England.

Today’s PremierPub: O’Neill’s. not exactly an old traditional pub, but a nice selection of draft, and it seemed to have fewer students, and was quieter than other pubs. On our last night quiet was important.

Today’s Pint: Oxford Gold, a nice lager and the last pint to add to the collection. After this it’s just bottled water.

Conclusion:

We want to thank everyone who helped us in our travels, esp Sarah and Adam in London.

Thanks also to those we shared a pint with now and then, and just generally, to the people of southern England, who we found to be unfailingly pleasant company.

Postscript:

To top off what had been a wonderful trip, we found ourselves flying home in business class on the upper deck of a 747-400, thanks to the kindness of the BA gate agent. She has our eternal gratitude.