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A couple readers got it right...mostly. They guessed London, which is the location of the last clue - the face on the Parliament clock tower, a.k.a. Big Ben. (Yes, I'm one of those snits who insist on reminding everyone that the bell is named Big Ben, not the clock...the tower itself is called St. Stephen's Tower and the clock is simply The Great Clock.) Today I read that the clock was stopped for maintenance. I swear, we didn't touch the thing! We actually spent very little time in uber-expensive London. The previous clues, in order of appearance, were huge busts from the Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford, the Christ Gate at Canterbury Cathedral and a Jacob's Ladder facade at Bath Abby. We also went to Dover and Stratford-upon-Avon, and to Stonehenge. Airfare prices to England were low (due, sadly, to the summer bombings) and Amy and I travelled on the cheap. Still, we were able to go a lot of places, as suggested by the clues. My favourite stop was Salisbury, just as it was on my first trip to England. It may very well be the prettiest place in the world, at least according to my taste. Damp, yes, but I rather like rainy weather. Just north of Salisbury is Old Sarum, an ancient hill fort that has been used by Celtic Britons, Romans, Saxons and Normans. It was abandoned in favour of Salisbury, a.k.a. New Sarum, for a number of reasons. There was only one well for the entire city, there was no room to expand (due to the huge moat and ramparts dug around the place, as well as the fact that it's on top of a ruddy huge hill) and because of the extreme wind. Apparently worshippers in Old Sarum's cathedral complained that the wind howling around the building drowned out everything that was being said. Having stood among the foundations of the old church I can well believe it. Oy was it windy. Old Sarum was within an easy walk of our B&B. Standing on the ancient site one can clearly see Salisbury and its picture-perfect cathedral.  I'll be posting the "best of" photos some time soon. |
