Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath & London

After my placement, I had 1 week off before starting with my new client. I checked into The Oasis, a girl only hostel owned by the St. Christopher Inn chain. I had to go 3 mins down from my accommodation to the main hostel and reception to check in, but I didn't mind. It wasn't that far, and the staff were very friendly, helpful and accommodating. The Oasis was surprisingly quiet considering it was on a main street, a couple blocks from London Bridge Station. It was a great location, well kept, clean and had large storage lockers for all my things. I was happy there.
During the week, I did a bit of exploring. I booked a day tour with Golden Tours to see Salisbury, Stonehenge and Bath. It was a great price to see all three places and my guide was incredible. She had so much knowledge and passion for history. On the bus ride to Salisbury, she gave us a quick history lesson of all the monarchs in Britain. Even had poems and songs memorized that she shared with us. I loved her! Thought she was amazing and if I had her as a teacher when I was in school, I think I'd have been better for it. She had the gift to enthral you with whatever she was saying.
Our first stop was the Salisbury Cathedral. It was built in the 13th century and has the tallest spire (123 m/404 ft) in all of Britain. It's also where an original Magna Carta is displayed. There are only 4 surviving from 1215 and the one in Salisbury is the best preserved.
The Magna Carta , Latin for "Great Charter", is one of the most important documents in history. Think of it as the first document for Human Rights. It protects the rights of an individual.
We all know the children's story of Robin Hood and King John. Well, King John is the one who signed and sealed the Magna Carta back in 1215. The law before then, claimed the king all-powerful, and he was one who abused such privilege. He had heavy war taxes, disputes with the barons and bishops over his poor government and even had arguments with the Pope. Safe to say he wasn't winning many brownie points. After his defeat from the French, he was fearful of loosing the civil war, and that urged him to agree to the terms on the document. Doing so restored the balance between the king and his subjects. The King was no longer above the law.
63 clauses were written on the parchment but only 3 are law in England today. One is regarding the rights of the English Church, another of the liberties and customs of London towns and the last and most famous is quoted:

"No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled. Nor will we proceed with force against him except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice."

The constitutions of Commonwealth and other countries around the world are all based on the Magna Carta's basic principles. Great piece of history here.
There was a translated display as well so I could read all the clauses. The volunteer guide told of a few stories of people coming to visit the document and being struck with deep emotion. He said his most memorable was a girl from Africa, tears running down her cheeks at the sight of it. When he asked if she was alright, she replied "you don't know how much this means... to be free." It was a touching story.
After roaming in the cathedral, I popped into town during our lunch break to check out the shops and market. It was a busy town with a couple festivities.
Our next stop was Stonehenge. Estimated to be constructed around 3000-1600 BC, the ancient stone circle was enclosed out in the countryside in a field. A circular pathway around it allowed visitors to see it at every angle.
The initial earthworks of the bank and ditch was found with cremated human remains, but there's debate about whether it was ever used as a burial site. Also, the monument is aligned with midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. The purpose of it is still a mystery.
The blue stones had been brought from Whales, transported by water. The people would have used rollers and sledges over land to the waters edge and then placed on rafts. Then coasted down the rivers for 240 miles to the current location. A long way considering some of the stones are 4 tonnes. Also, the massive sarsen stones, forming the outer circle and lintels, were up to 50 tonnes, and those would have been dragged on land by 500 people using ropes and sledges. Talk about a labour intensive job!
Our final stop was the Roman Baths in Bath. The town was lovely. Full of terraced houses, a bridge over cascading waters, a large Abbey, many shops along cobbled streets, a square with a giant chess board to play with, street performers (even an opera singer) and of course, the Roman Baths museum. The entrance to the baths was gorgeous. The ceiling was dome shaped, with carved flowers and vines lite by chandeliers. Once on the terrace, Roman statues of leaders lined up along the railing overlooking the Great Bath. And the pool itself, I think the water is as old as the place. The water was green! So gross! At least it didn't smell. It is lined with lead, about 1.6 m deep with steps leading into it. The water is feed into this centrepiece from the Sacred Spring. The spring has a temperature of 46 degrees Celsius and has just over 1,000,000 litres of water coming up from the earth daily. As it has for thousands of years. Amazing how it keeps on going!
There was once a temple of worship, dated back to the late first century that had collapsed. All that remains is the iconic Gorgon's Head, which was the temple's pediment. The head has wings above the ears, snakes in the beard and a thick moustache. Oak leaves surrounded the head. On the bottom right is an owl, and on the left is a helmet with a dolphin on top. In the corners are Tritons (half man half fish whom are servants of Neptune, the water god). Amazing detail on what was there considering how old it was.
Along the halls, there were windows that I could look through to see the other bath areas like the spring, the sauna room and cold plunge pools. Also watched some projections of how the Roman people lived their lives around Bath.
They had displays of all sorts of jewelry, coins, gemstones, statues and curses (messages written on lead or pewter) that had been found on the premises, including in the water. Many of the people made offerings to the goddess by tossing coins into the spring.
The Roman drain and spring overflow still functions as it did back then as well. Talking the extra water all the way to the River Avon.
In the east and west baths, the original foundation is there to see how the underfloor heating worked. Stacks of piled pilae tiles were in rows that would allow the air to circulate through, heating the floor above and the walls. Was interesting to see.
Then, back on the tour bus to head back to London. Listening to poems, stories and history lessons all the while by our guide. It was a full, busy day, but amazing. Alot to take in.
I also did a free walking tour of London. I went to the monument, Wellington Arch, at Hyde Park Corner, for the meeting point. Couldn't believe how busy it was! I guess with the 2012 Olympics starting, many tourists were in town. Luckily, the volunteer guides were prepared and had enough of them to split us all up into 6 groups of  around 20. My guide was an actress. She had just finished her first film, so she was just starting out in her career. She had so much energy! Exuberance was her middle name! I was pleasantly surprised at how well she knew her history. The tour took 3 hours and we went from the Wellington Arch to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards, Parliament buildings, and ended at Westminster Abbey. I loved the story of the drunk who broke into the palace. Running around like crazy, setting so many security alarms off at once, the new guard thought it was a glitch in the system, so ignored it. He found the dog food and ate it, then let himself into the queen's room where he woke her. They had a cup of tea and talked. Of course, he was taken into custody, but the law at the time declared the palace grounds public, so he wasn't convicted. Only minor charges. Great story. My guide was really animated acting out the tale, we were all laughing.
I was impressed with the free tour. I didn't expect much, but I guess the volunteers to their best to make decent tips. I can tell you, she did well with our group!
The rest on my days were spent roaming around London. Was asked out to dinner by a nice bloke on the street. Thought, why not? So had a pleasant dinner with some company followed by a drink at a pub along the Thames.
Also made a friend at the dorm, Hayley from Wales. She took me out window shopping along Oxford street. Just for fun, we popped into Hamley's toy store. A store with 5 floors! It was amazing! As an adult I had a great time, no wonder all the children had squeals of delight! They had everything... and things I hadn't seen before. Like the magic felt pens. I've seen the ones that erase, but they had ones that changed colour over other colours. Really neat! Had Prince William and Kate dolls, her Majesty in lego and a milkshake stand. Couldn't resist!
We walked around Piccadilly Circus, (known for all the neon signs, video displays, shopping and entertainment areas) had a pizza slice for dinner then caught a movie. Another full day!
I watched the changing of the guard at the palace, watched the end of the olympic cyclers since they finished there and walked through Hyde Park. Had another day, meeting up with Ashley and Cass, my two friends I made from work training. All in all, I had a pretty good week off. Tomorrow, I leave for Petersfield in Hampshire, for my second client.