Stonehenge

Several weeks before the Voyage of the Viking the Human Resources Officer posted signs advertising a crew tour to Stonehenge. Seeing Stonehenge was on my bucket list and my two friends, Kayleigh and Simone, whom I had hoped to see in Southampton each got contracts and ended up on ships so I was eager to sign up. Imagine my disappointment when I found out I was scheduled for IPM that day.

The great thing about my team is that we are all pretty flexible and willing to share IPM. Jo found out I wanted to go to Stonehenge and I found out that she had IPM on her birthday (the second day in Amsterdam) so we just traded. I was able to adjust my working hours with my manager and I took the last spot on the tour. The tour was incredible. Stonehenge was amazing and it is always fun to spend time with friends away from the ship.

With my friends Krista and Jenny

The monument itself is amazing, but the landscape is incredible. Stonehenge is surrounded by green and yellow fields and pastures as far as the eye can see. Although simple, it was breathtakingly beautiful. In a way it felt holy; I think it was a combination of the beauty and the fact that, although Stonehenge’s original purpose is unknown, it is believed to have been a religious monument. I noticed that many people spoke in whispers and although the place was packed it was not at all noisy. 

I spent the time with my friends Krista and Jacob and we enjoyed circling the monument and taking pictures; Jacob had just changed his facebook page to timeline so he was determined to take a picture he could use as his cover photo. It probably took us half an hour or more to complete the circle because it really does look completely different from various angles. Once we had viewed the entire thing we sat in the grass and enjoyed both the view and each other’s company. They are totally one of those couples who are easy to hang out with without feeling like a third wheel.

Before leaving we walked through the gift shop (every tourist attraction has to have a gift shop, I think it’s a law) and I was thrilled to find a charm for my bracelet. The charm kinda looks like pi, and I’ve had more than one person ask me if I like math because of it, but it was exactly what I was looking for.

The ride back was beautiful as we made our way through quaint villages and towns. It was a perfect way to spend my day in Southampton if I couldn’t spend it with Kayleigh or Simone.