Stonehenge

Stonehenge

  Posted by Griffin. Yesterday we went to Stonehenge. We had kind of been dreading this visit because we have had very bad experiences with large tourist destinations, for example the Vatican. However we decided to go mainly because it is so famous, and we felt like we had to go. But as soon as we got there we realized that it was amazing. First, for some reason there was nobody there. Solstice is tomorrow, so the Wiccans arrive at sunset tonight, and there are going to be 40,000 of them! Yes, 40,000 Wiccans and druids come to Stonehenge every year. I can see why they do, Stonehenge is so old,it is 5,000 years old by recent estimates, and it really invokes a sense of peace. Stonehenge has been one of my favorite destinations and I would make it a must for anyone in England.

A crow descends 

Papal Audience

The view from our seats 

Posted by Griffin. On Wednesday we awoke before the sun, and set out to have an audience with the Pope. We took the subway to Vatican City, only about 15 minutes away, and then prepared to wait. We got in line outside of St. Peter's Square at 6:45 and waited until 8 to be let in. In this line we met a very aggressive Portugese father who was determined not to be behind anyone. He pushed and shoved his way to the front in order to see the Pope. At 8 the gates opened and peopled flooded past guards who were completely complacent. In the struggle that ensued everyone ran for seats, fortunately we had planned ahead and cut right to the best seats in the entire square, front row. 

Finally after about 2 hours of waiting the Pope emerged. He came surrounded by his entourage, who handed babies to him so that he could kiss them. After that it wasn't as exciting, however he blessed us, which was cool. As soon as the Pope finished speaking the whole section around us burst into cheers. Turns out we sat right in the middle of the Papal Cheer Squad. They screamed their hearts out for "Papa Francisco", imagine the Sounders cheering squad but more religious. Overall it was an amazing experience, definitely worth waking up at 5 for.

The pope and his entourage on the move