A day-trip from London in December 1998 took us to Salisbury en-route to a Stonehenge visit. The cathedral there was built between 1220 & 1258 and is the town’s most famous building. The picture at right was taken inside the cathedral on what was a rather overcast rainy day. Quite a difference inside! The interior is finely decorated and the vaulted arches magnificent. Within its walls, on display, is one of the 4 surviving texts of the Magna Carta. Around the walls, a 13th century stone frieze portrays stories from the Old Testament.

The town center is also famous for its twice weekly markets that have been held in the town center continuously since 1631 (only on Tuesday).

As previously mentioned, it is a good base for a visit to Stonehenge. The town itself has become a mix-mash of styles of architecture with examples from almost each style since that time in evidence.

In 2004 we visited Salisbury again, this time in July with much better weather. If nothing else, we were determined to get a picture of the cathedral exterior (see photo, left). It is still undergoing renovation (as it was in 1998 when we first visited). Perhaps when you are this old, renovation and cleaning is an ongoing event! It is a magnificent piece of architecture and well worth a visit. The spire is the highest in England (404 feet/123 meters) and was added a generation later. However, its 6,500 tons caused the supporting marble pillars to bend. For a slight additional fee you can climb the 332 steps to the top of the tower.

W e en de d u p sp ending 2 days in Salisbury, which gave us some time to walk around the town a bit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a Tuesday, so we missed the market, but we still found the town an interesting visit. Several waterways wend their way through the town, making for pleasant strolls. There is a large park, ideal for sunning or just relaxing, lots of shops of every description, plus restaurants and cafes galore. The central area is pedestrianized which makes for easy walking and window shopping.

As we were walking through one shoppin g area, we happened upon this fellow, who we thought was cute. He is Gilbert the dragon and is made of over 4,600 plants, all of which appear to be sedums. He weighs in at 1.5 tons which is why his base is capable of being lifted by a fork-lift, as they move him around town. He is enclosed in a cage, but we think it is more to keep him safe than to keep the pedestrians safe from him!

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