My first full day in glastonbury has been interesting! I woke up early and headed out to visit the Abbey Ruins. The Abbey was the first christian church in England and the ruins are nearly 2000 years old. It is also the site of King Aurthur and Guinevere graves. It was lovely and I enjoyed walking about the grounds.
I then walked up to the Chalice Well, about 1 1/2 miles from the center of town. It was a gorgeous walk and I saw a lot of very old English houses. Houses that were built in the 15th and 16th centuries! It's incredible! I arrived at the Chalice Well in good form and I decided to buy a large bottle to take some healing waters with me. In case you are unaware, the Chalice Well has been a sacred site for thousands of years. The Druids and the Celts first used it and there are Yew trees (Sacred to Druids) all about. The Christians came later and there is a lot of Christian legend surrounding the well. So, today, it is still considered a sacred site by all. I saw Druidic High Priestess using her wand to summon the energy of the rocks right along with Christians lighting votives and leaving them at the site of the well. It was fascinating. The gardens are gorgeous and as I wound my way around the waterfall, I found myself at 2 Yew trees that had been there for centuries, if not longer. It was incredible and I placed my hand on the trunk of both. There was a light wind softly rustling the leaves, and i imagined that they were speaking in whispered voices as they most certainly had for the ancient Druids. I continued along the path to the Lion's Head. This is where the healing waters rush out of the earth for the first time. This is where you drink and reflect. There is also a wading pool that you can submerge yourself in. It was a bit nippy, so I simply ran my hands to the cool water. I filled my large bottle and took a sip. It was heavy with iron and minerals, but the taste went away after a couple of drinks. So i sat on a bench and quietly drank my water and thought about this and that. I then refilled my bottle and continued up to the well itself. It was very peaceful and i can understand why people are drawn to it. It has a wonderful energy.
After I found my way back to the gate, I headed over to the footpath that Leads up the Tor and ultimately to the Tower of St. Michael. I had no idea it was so big. It is quite literally a vertical climb to the top. It was a sunny day, so i was determined. It actually was not that bad - perhaps it was the healing waters. I made it to the top of the Tor and the views were astonishing. You can see all of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Dorset counties from the top. Yes, it's that big! I stepped into the Tower and the moment I entered an incredibly strong wind suddenly tore through the Tower. I thought it would dissipate, but it was sustained and continued. In fact, it continued until I had begun the descent. The wind was so strong that I nearly was knocked over. I walked around the top for a bit, then headed back down. With the Tower on my back, the wind suddenly died abruptly. It was very disquieting. The air was completely still. So, I continued back down and walked the 2 miles or so back to town. I opted for a different route which took me through more of the neighborhoods. I loved it!
Once I got back into town, I stopped by the supermarket and picked up a few things for the next couple of days. Oddly enough, Glastonbury seems to be more expensive than London! I suppose because it's a very touristy place. restaurants are ridiculous. Since I forgot to eat lunch, I decided that i could afford dinner out. I had a beef burger and chips for £8. It wasn't that good, but it was organic and fair trade and sprinkled with faery dust.
OK... so Glastonbury is a fascinating place. It's a mix of old hippies, young hippies, schizophrenics, and tourists. The shops are very cool and offer everything from tarot cards and crystals to faery wings and hand made organic beauty creams and such. The town seems to be centered around the avant garde... around Paganism and ancient tradition. It's a fusion of old and new and I think it's great. I certainly would not want to live here... a bit to manic and chaotic for my taste. Odd for such a place place. But it is definitely worth a trip! Although, I really did not need to stay 2 full days. I saw everything today. So, tomorrow will be a relaxation day full of shopping and reading (they have a lot of great books here!!") and such! Then I head out to Durham on Monday.
Well, I'm off to wander. I'll post again after I get to Durham!
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