Excursion to Stonehenge

As you can see, I'm still here. In London, when I should be back in Japan already. I have a very good reason though. My friends had an extra ticket to the U2 concert in Dublin later this month. I've never been to a U2 concert before (in fact, it would be my first ever concert!). I've never been to Dublin before. With no commitments or plans for the foreseeable future, it was a no brainer - I'm changing my flight to Tokyo!

I was slightly annoyed at having to pay a large fee to change my travel dates on my free Virgin Atlantic mileage ticket, but I'm now scheduled to be back in Tokyo in early August.

With some free time in London, I took the opportunity to visit Stonehenge today.
I'm a huge fan of archeological sites and anything UNESCO Heritage, but Stonehenge never really appealed to me. I'm sure that there's significant history to it (although much of it remains a mystery), and I'm certainly interested in its usage and purpose and all that. But as an eye pleaser, it wasn't part of my "must-see" sights. To some degree, I felt that seeing photos was enough. That's why I've never made it out there, even though I've been in London and its surrounding areas many many times.

But the time has finally arrived for Waru to step into the world of Stonehenge.

When I make excursions and day trips, I usually like to take public transport when possible. It's cheaper, more adventurous, and funner that way. Unfortunately, I didn't see much fun or adventure associated with local public transport in London. Plus, after some research, I realized that train + bus + entrance fee ends up costing more than an all-inclusive (even audio tour) bus tour direct from London. So, I made my way to Victoria Station, hopped on the tourist bus, and went to Stonehenge.

As expected, I wasn't impressed. Somewhat glad that I went there with low expectations.
With audio guide in hand, I circled around the stone complex (the only path) for about 30 minutes, stopping at each highlighted point to listen to the recorded explanations. This proved to be quite interesting - learning about the theories of the site and how the stones got there. I definitely spent more time listening than seeing. Just because there's really isn't much to see, considering that the structure is rather small, and the path doesn't let you get close. Certainly no touching, no climbing. And for some reason, Stonehenge's close proximity to the highway made the experience even more disappointing…

Not to mention the rain that started to fall, prompting me to rush along the last parts of the path. I doubt I missed much in terms of sights though. Just different angles?!

(Apologies for my negativity…)
I spent the rest of the 30 minutes or so remaining until the bus left for London in the gift shop. Packed with fellow tourists waiting out the rain or killing time until the buses left. It was a great gift shop nonetheless. Lots of cool, unnecessary trinkets. Fun to look at, but never will purchase!