Stonehenge

I took the kids to Stonehenge on a typically English (misty) morning.  As usual, they were comfortable in their dual-layered coats as I shivered away in my lovely, but not windproof jacket.



The audio guides are terrific.  Many places now have kid-specific channels.  Helena typically loses interest after four or five commentaries.  Olivia hangs in there longer, but doesn't make it to the end.  I have stressed their need to let me listen to my commentary before interrupting, so they're pretty used to waiting to ask me questions or pester me to move on.  I'm that nerd who listens to the whole commentary.  I'd even do the optional ones if I didn't have the girls with me.  I particularly love how the audio guide units make everyone at a tourist site look like they're having a cell phone conversation.

This is an unsuccessful attempt to artfully frame a bird that was sitting on one of the bluestones.

I had a keychain in the shape of this set of megaliths and I loved the shape of the broken stone on the left.  There's something tactile about it to me, to this day.  I wanted to buy another one, but the shop was wall-to-wall crammed with tourists knocking things (including my daughters) over, so I decided to skip it.  Maybe next time.

Amazing place.  The kids mostly understood it.  Olivia was impressed when I told her it was older than the pyramids.  Pyramids, thanks to a DVD series on Ancient Egypt that she loves, are something she can relate to easily.

These two are samples of the two types of stones. One is supposed to always be noticeably warmer than the other, but none of us could feel much of a difference.

So, not much to say about Stonehenge other than that it was a lovely visit for us.  The misty, cold weather made it feel very intimate and somehow more immediate.  I felt that link with the past stronger than I would have on a more comfortable day.