Interesting Piles of Rocks...

Today, James and I dropped Daniel off at school and took off across the country. First stop was Amesbury, a town in Wiltshire with stone circles surrounding it. Stonehenge isn't the only grouping of stones, yet it happens to be the most popular due to it's type of construction.

Amesbury Stone Circle

Back in the early years, probably a few years BC, someone carved a horse into the hill and the trench is filled with crushed white chalk. It is best seen from the air, of course, but the photos from certain locations can provide a very good idea of what the outline is. To see some random horse in the middle of the hillside is just amazing!

From the air (not my photo)

Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic long barrow and chamber tomb located in Oxfordshire. It is said to have been around since approximately 3400 BC (Not sure how much stock I put into such things, but it's definitely OLD).

We visited Oxford for a while and walked through New College, where James' brother attended. It was used as the site of some Harry Potter scenes, and has a beautiful garden area and wonderful architecture. Inside the cathedral, where they do not want you taking photos, there is a memorial on the wall to students who attended the college from other countries, but left and fought for their own country (AGAINST England), in the second World War and perished. Apparently there was quite the controversy over whether they should or should not recognize the deaths of these students, as they were fighting against England, but they ended up putting a very basic plaque up to honor them. I would not have noticed this if it weren't for James, so I was so glad to have him along for the day!

James has been so hospitable, and I was lucky to be able to stay with him. I love knowing that there are such kind people in the world! Him and Daniel have thoroughly questioned me about American ways of life, and we have discovered many differences between Americans and Brits. Different phrases like "Would you like some cheese with that whine?" are not used here, and when I asked Daniel that, they just thought it was hilarious! Trash/Garbage vs Rubbish was a topic, along with what chicken fried steak is. Overall I've had a wonderful time here in England, and have enjoyed living outside of the large city of London. One day, I will return!