Webster's B & B in Salisbury (pronounced Salz bree) is very convenient to the cathedral that we visited yesterday and had nice accommodations. We awoke to a typical English breakfast served in a very colorful breakfast room and John, the owner, took our picture even though I wasn't quite awake. We needed to get going for all the sites we had planned for today.
English Breakfast-an egg, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
You can have bacon and toast if you like.
Stonehenge
After our stay at Webster House, we departed for Stonehenge around 9 AM. The temperature was a perfect 70 degrees and skies were blue and sunny. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument of large standing stones erected possibly 2500 BC. Having several theories and folklore as to its purpose, most experts now believe it was an ancient calendar as well as burial ground. I probably liked it more than Dan as he had visited it before on a previous trip. Looking at something constructed over 5,000 years ago by prehistoric people is pretty amazing. One can only imagine what it must have been like to live back in those times.
Big rocks they are.
Stourhead
After an audio tour of Stonehenge, we proceeded to Stourhead, which is probably my favorite place we have been thus far. This 2650 acre estate near Mere in Wilshire, was created during the 18th century. The walk around the garden was over two miles of absolutely gorgeous parkland, flowers, and a lake.
Mother Swan and her cygnets
Along the path in Stourhead
The Manor House itself is an exquisite mansion complete with hundreds of paintings and some of the most unique furnishings in all of Europe. One of the coolest pieces is the "Pope's Cabinet", a truly singular piece purchased by the owner and costing so much money that he refused to tell anyone how much he paid. No photos of anything inside the house were allowed so click on the link to see a tiny photo and more info.
One of the most impressive rooms in the manor house is the library. I have never seen anything like it with its huge leather bound books from the 17th to 19th centuries. The dimensions of some of them are probably 24 inches by 18. I was sad that no one is allowed to touch or open any of the books. Some of the titles were Darwin's "Voyages of the Beagle" and "The Book of Scoundrels". I think they should at least have one on display.
Leaving Stourhead, we again took tiny country roads to Dorchester where we needed to take a bathroom break at the local McDonald's.
The Golden Arches of Dorchester
Lyme Regis
This evening we're staying at the Coombe House in Lyme Regis. This B & B is located on the English Channel and on one of the original roads built about 800 years ago, give or take. There's so much history here in England and I've learned much since we arrived just five days ago including not to put chocolate in my pocket, even if it's wrapped.
Lyme Regis Cobb-This is where Meryl Streep had that famous scene in "The French Lieutenant's Woman".
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