30 May - Solsbury Hill

Climbing up to Solsbury Hill, I could see the city lights.  Wind was blowing, time stood still.  Eagle flew out of the night.  He was something to observe, and coming close, I heard a voice; standing, stretching, every note-I had to listen, had no choice.

Solsbury Hill!

No, really, it’s one of those secret things.  I might say, “If you ever asked me if there was one place in England I wanted to see, I would say Solsbury Hill.”  Except I wouldn’t say it.  Really, more than anything else, I want to see a bald hill in the middle of the English countryside?

It is a sacred place, this hill.  I can’t say what it means to the Christians, or anyone else, but yes, to me it is a sacred site.

It wasn’t dark enough to see the city lights.  Rather, the view is somewhat breathtaking.    But, yes, the wind was blowing, and time stood still.  I wouldn’t see the eagle, though, until later.

“Son,” He said, “grab your things, I’ve come to take you home.”

30 May - Bath

The backpack, by now, was heavy as hell, and nothing about arriving-seeing everyone, knowing this part of the journey was finished, enjoying the fact that I was in England and could simply relax and enjoy a holiday-quite matched the joy of dropping the damn thing in the back of a Nissan Note.  Exhausted, as such, there was drinking to do, or maybe that’s sights to see, and wandering around Bath on sore legs was more pleasant than I might have imagined.

A curious surprise: I’m sure I probably knew it at one point, but forgot along the way.  After settling in for a pint and chips (with bacon and cheese) at a pub whose name, as you might guess, escapes memory, we toured Bath, and then at some point, Drew asked if I felt up for a short hike to the top of a hill to look over the countryside.  Hesitant, well-played.  I wasn’t going to drag everyone else down just because I was tanked and exhausted.  And, having the pack off me, and knowing I had made it, I was up for almost anything.  A short hike wouldn’t kill me.

We were probably making the last turn before I realized where we were going.

Solsbury Hill.