To be completely honest, I was not looking forward to our day trip out to stone henge, Stourhead, and Salisbury. I was just tried and was not looking forward to sitting in a bus all day. I am glad to say though that at the the end of the day, the day trip was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. Even though some say that stone henge is just a pile of rocks and is doesn’t do much, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. It’s the only clear figural object for miles and it is so independently stunning. The clear difference between the green grass and the blue sky was amazing. I’m so happy we were blessed with a sunny day.
Our next stop was to Stourhead and I have never been so taken aback by a landscape in my entire life. It is truly the most natural looking man made space I have ever seen. The recreation of the Pantheon is stunning and is so much lager hat what I had previously thought. The overall ambiance and over the top nature of the pace as a whole was truly unique and incredible in its own right. The space was created and designed to be over the top and beautiful just to be enjoyed and experienced. I love that it’s purpose is simple.
The last stop of the day was to Salisbury cathedral and it was the first gothic cathedral I had ever been in. The space was magnificently huge and visually stimulating. I didn’t know where to look because everything in the space was so sculptural and vibrant. I loved the piers and flying buttresses in the space, as well as the ribbed vaults and pointed arches. The space differed from a Roman cathedral in many ways. For one, the verticality in this space was much more prevalent. I also thought that the space was more ornamental. Although I still prefer a Roman cathedral, I’m glad I got to see a place of worship that is so vastly different, but represents the culture of the English religion while serving the same purpose as the classic cathedral.
