I've seen the stones

July 2024 -- Stonehenge is one of the most popular tourist attractions in England. About a million people visit per year. Make it 1,000,0001.  I visited this year (2024). Stonehenge has been on my bucket list for many years. I went to London a day early so I could go on a tour. I had wanted to take an "inner circle" tour (to get closer to the stones), but was unable to book one. I had wanted to take a sunrise or sunset tour, but couldn't do that either. I settled for a half day tour. It was a two hour bus trip from London. 

My sister said Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere and it is. Once you get to Stonehenge, you can take a shuttle bus to get to the stones -- or walk. I opted for the shuttle bus, since I didn't have a lot of time. I had to wait for the bus (both ways), but it was still quicker than walking. If I had had time, it would have been an enjoyable walk. There were sheep grazing nearby. Everything looks better with sheep.

You are able to walk completely around the stones. You're close, but not too close. No one is allowed to touch the stones, not anymore. A few weeks prior, some climate protestors had sprayed orange dye on the stones. Idiots! Despite all the people, you can still get unobstructed views and pictures of the stones. Most people take pictures of each other doing strange poses with the stones in the background. They're trying to create optical illusions of being larger than the stones. I was pretty limited with my selfies.

All the stones

Closer up

Stonehenge is a prehistoric circle of stones, probably built for religious reasons. No one knows for sure. The stones are almost 5000 years old, making them one of the oldest manmade structures in the world. Stonehenge is older than the Pyramids, but not as old as the passage tombs I visited last year in Ireland.  While Stonehenge is a circle of stones, it's hard to get that perspective from ground level. You'd need a drone or airplane. Or maybe a hot air balloon. Now that would be cool. 

Archeologists believe Stonehenge was constructed in several phases. The stones that make up Stonehenge are from near and far. There are 83 stones remaining from the original 162, and there are two kinds of stones: sarsens and bluestones. Sarsens are large stones composed of limestone. The biggest ones can weigh up to 50 tons. Bluestones are smaller stones of varied geology. Like the Pyramids, it remains a mystery as to how Stonehenge was built, how such huge stones were moved by prehistoric peoples. 

There are many myths that surround the stones. One is that a giant placed the monument on a mountain in Ireland and that Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, moved the stone circle to England. The unknown is what makes Stonehenge so interesting to visit. I'm sure scientists will continue to uncover more information about these mysterious stones in the years to come.

"Little Stonehenge"