Medieval England

Today was thrilling. It took four hours to get there by bus and rail, but at last I arrived in the beautiful and magical city of Glastonbury! Glastonbury is a medieval town, a pilgrimage site, and the likely location of King Arthur's Camelot. I have been to Stonehenge, which some people call magical- it's a dead pile of rocks. Glastonbury felt alive to me. Driving through Somerset (middle of nowhere- just sheep) you suddenly see the tor rise up in the distance- my heart skipped a beat. After lunch in Glastonbury, I went on a two mile hike through fields of cows, sheep, and horses (they are literally right there with you) to the summit of Glastonbury Tor. It's a hard climb up- and the weather suddenly got sunny, colder, and incredibly windy. There was heart carved into the hill next to it. The view is amazing, and you stand at the ruins of St George's Tower. I walked down the Tor, and went to the Chalice Spring. This is the supposed spot where Joseph of Aramathea buried the Holy Grail, causing an iron-rich spring to magically sprout. It was beautiful, and very peaceful. I did drink from the spring. Then I went to Glastonbury Abbey and the tomb of King Arthur and Guenevere. The ruins of the Abbey are magnificent- you walk through them and can touch them (nothing like the cold distance of Stonehenge), and the grass and orchards and sun all have a living feel to them- it's really hard to put in words. The entire town is a bit hippie-ish, with pagan and magical stuff everywhere in the shops- but the real sites do feel different somehow... If nothing else, they feel real, beautiful, and accessible . I left Glastonbury far too soon, trying to get back to Wells, which I wanted to also see. I got to Wells at 5:15, so the bishop palace was closed, as was much of the cathedral. I did go in the cathedral and heard the beginning of the evensong service, but did not attend. Picture taking is actually not allowed inside the Cathedral, so don't tell anyone if you look at this blog... Dinner on the fast-moving bumpy train made me sick going home, but it was still a wonderful, medieval-feeling day.