Stonehenge in 1978: The First Time I Saw It

I wish I could find my picture of Stonehenge because when I visited for the first time, in August of 1978, you could walk right up to it. There were no fences or borders. We actually touched the rock formations, walked through them, even sat on some of them. My brother and I were kids, but the memory is still so vivid. There it was, out in a field with almost nothing else around it. This monument is one of the most famous, and people come from all over to visit this mysterious site.

My parents wanting to prepare us for the trip, had read to us, from an encyclopedia, about Stonehenge, but to this day, scientists are still not quite sure what the monument is. Since nothing in history has been found about the monument, no one left any written words about it or records, some of the theories are that it was a burial ground, a religious or worship site, rocks that could heal and/or a type of clock or calendar.

When we first arrived, my 110 film camera pinned to my jeans, and the weather warm and cozy, Stonehenge was a sight to see. These monstrous boulders were placed almost delicately in some sort of pattern. To me, it was obvious there was a reason for it because of the circular placement. As a child, my first thought was that it was a theater. A place where meetings might have taken place or plays. Growing up right outside of Washington DC, and being taken downtown to Arena Stage to see theater-in-the-round, it was the first concept that came to my mind. I remember thinking what a great place it was for people to gather. A beautiful, private spot to get a group together to talk or act or have some fun.

As I continued to walk around the site, letting my fingers drag patiently over the rocks, I wondered if it was a possibly just a place to think and be quiet. It seemed to me that the sun beating down on these spectacular boulders that sprouted from the green grass could be a great place to ponder the universe. Encircled by these rocks, looking up at the sky was a spiritual experience, probably just as much in the 12th century as it was in 1978.

Other tourists wandered around, (but I don't remember it being particularly crowded,) taking photos and talking theories and history. I was young and impressionable and soaked up all these ideas while I sat on one of the rocks and looked around. My parents eyed the structure up and down,folding their arms while they tried to have an intellectual conversation about it. My older brother jogged around it, making it a game or a toy, which was also a speculation about the monument. But I was truly touched by it. Touched by the fact that someone, and probably more than one someone, had made this monument, centuries ago, with a purpose. And this monument had lasted through time, with some reconstructive help over the years, and I was touching this, exact same monument. It gave me chills.

To visit Stonehenge in England, you can get there by bus, car or train. There is a fee, however children 5 and under are free.


http://www.visitstonehenge.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge