The trip yesterday got a bit screwed up, but it all worked out fine in the end. Ian and I took the train out to Swindon to see his step-grandma Joyce, who is a very nice lady and a very good cook (regardless of what she says about her own abilities!) She fed us, got us slightly drunk, and gave us even more food to take with us, but even without the food, we'd have had a good time anyway.

We took the bus from Swindon to Salisbury, which turned out to be a bit of a mistake, since what we'd been told would take under an hour ended up being about two and a half. Because we didn't get to Salisbury until about 5 pm, we barely made it into the cathedral before closing time, and we didn't get to Stonehenge at all. Still, the half-hour in the cathedral was well worth it (at least to me, because cathedral architecture in general fascinates me, and Salisbury's in particular), and I got some great photos which I will post when I'm home from my trip. I apologize for the delay, but if any of you would like to donate some money to help us get internet access in our flat, feel free! (I am kidding, by the way.)

Salisbury's cathedral is notable for a few reasons. First of all, it has the tallest spire in England at 404 feet, which is pretty damn amazing for something that was built 700 years ago. Also, it's one of the only cathedrals anywhere that's built in a single architectural style. Because cathedrals are so gigantic, most of them were built in fits and starts, with pieces added on here and there whenever the church could raise some money to build some more. Salisbury's, however, was built within 38 years (an amazingly short period of time), so the architecture is uniform all the way through. I'm not going to bore you with all kinds of cathedral architecture details, but when I post my photos you'll see something really cool. The spire and tower were the last parts of the cathedral to be built, and their entire weight rests on four marble pillars inside the cathedral. Because the architects either mis-estimated the weight and stress of the tower or just plain didn't take it into account (unlikely, given what we know about medieval architects), the four pillars are actually, visibly bent. Cathedrals may look airy and delicate, but seeing something like this reminds you that they're actually made of pretty damn heavy stone. Oh yeah, and one of the only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta is housed here. That was cool, for an aspiring law student.

I have to check off a few more things on the to-do list before leaving tonight, so expect the next post within a couple of days...