Stonehenge and Salisbury

As usual, I will start with some life updates.

Christmas season is approaching, and the streets of London are ready:

                                                   

The nights are getting longer, and so is the quality time in lab.  At least I have refreshing milk beverages (may be slightly poisonous):

My cooking is getting slightly better, after some trial and error.  I need to get out of doing so many noodle dishes, but it's hard to find a more balanced combination of carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein:

The past weekend I went with a group to Stonehenge and the neighboring town of Salisbury.  It was my first time in the UK spending quality time out of London and was a nice break away from the city.

The stones!

Despite the fact that Stonehenge was built over 4000 years ago, it is surprisingly intact.  What's more impressive is how they managed to lug those huge stones through many miles of rolling fields and farmland.

The iconic shot:

There are stones sticking out from the sides of Stonehenge with mysterious function:

Large birds gather around and eat tourists' food.  They get quite close:

After Stonehenge, we went to the nearby town of Salisbury, known for its old and famous cathedral.  We first stopped for lunch at a local pub.

Very homey:

Salisbury itself is much smaller than London, with a population of about 40,000.  The smallness gives a sense of peace and quiet and enhances the sense of homogeneous "Britishness" to the whole place:

The main attraction is the Salisbury Cathedral, built in 1258 and houses one of the original copies of the Magna Carta.

Why is that guy all alone at the top?

Inside:

There are some very old graves (dating back to 13th century), and you can barely read the carvings in the stone.

The more famous people get statues:

The architecture is quite amazing:

A rotating glass crystal of the cathedral spire:

Some of the burial tombstones are very intricate and huge:

More statues:

There is a reflection pool in the center of the area:

A separate room houses the Magna Carta, along with other relics:

No pictures!  Wait...the real one isn't here today.  A slight disappointment, but I've already seen the other three Magna Cartas at the British Library:

Courtyard:

The medieval layout of the town with the church on the right.  There are two moats going around the town and castle:

Model of the building of the cathedral:

They also have the world's oldest working clock:

Flags from the Revolutionary War!  Notice that the front few flags are just netting now:

Autumn:

Downtown Salisbury is quaint:

The river Avon runs through the town:

Local bakeries ready for Christmas and tourists:

This trip was an eye-opening experience into the diversity of England.  Hopefully, I will travel further out soon.