Day 28= Jan 31

Finally, I got to do some more site seeing today.

I had to be on the bus this morning by 8.  the bus left at about 8:15.  Our bus ride was a little over 2 hours to get to the first place that we went.  On our way there I slept for a lot of the trip.  Before we got to Avebury, we where shown a White horse in the hill side that was close to a monument called Cherhill.  I did not learn much about the monument but it was really tall and sat on top of a hill so you could see it from a long ways away.  The White horse does not sound real interesting but it kinda.  In the area where they are located, there is about 6 inches of top soil but then under that is white chalk.  So what they have done is removed the top soil and made these shapes in many hill sides. 

We then saw this man made hill, nothing exciting to look at but the work required is quite interesting.  It is the largest man made hill in Europe standing about a 100 feet tall and about 550 feet in diameter and was built over 4000 years ago.  It is estimated that it would have taken about 4 million man hours to move the 500,000 tones required to build the mound.  

After that we made it to Avegury.  This is the largest stone cycle in Europe and is said to been built over 4500 years ago.  It is about 1/4 of a mile in diameter.  Around the outside of the big circle there is a trench dug around the whole thing that is about 4 feet across and 25 feet deep.  It is estimated that it would have take about 1.5 million man hours to complete the entire project.  

After that we had about a 45 minute bus ride to got to Stonehenge.  Stonehenge was more impressive to look at in the stones themselves.  The stones at Stonehenge were all shaped into rectangles and all smooth.  Some of them were stood up on end and then others were sat on top of those stood on end.  Many of them were even interlocked with a tongue and groove system.  Many of the stones today are gone from being taken down and used for the building projects but some still remain.  One of the most impressive things about Stonehenge is that they type of stone used to for most of the stones, you cannot find that type of stone for more than 350 miles way.  Many of the stone were over 10 tons.  To think that they did not have cranes or anything to use to work with the stones and stand them up or move them.  

One thing else that I did get to see today was some farms, since we had such a long drive we were able to see some of the country side.  One thing that I learned is that they have really strict animal rights, they do not have the hog and cattle confinements like we do in the US.  Everything is raised in pastures and on "free range."  I also got to see a John Deere dealership.  The country side is pretty.  There are a lot of rolling hills.  

Then after we got back to Swansea, I made some super and talked to Amanda.  Later, Jack and Keith were here from Cardiff for the weekend.  So I went and hung out with them for a while.  Then they went out and I went to bed.  

Rick