Hiking the moors and highlands

Glastonbury has been interesting enough to extend our stay. At breakfast the two other B&B guests told us about running into a local yesterday, who told them the details of his pond's carp. Apparently they were beamed into a spaceship, and he thought he had lost them; however, the aliens did return them, eventually ejecting them into the pond from whence they came. He was quite animated about the splash made by their return.

We started the day at the White Spring, across the street from the previously mentioned Chalice (aka red spring) Well. The red spring carries the female energy and the white spring exudes male energy. The spring is located in a dark, damp brick building that is built into a hill, so it feels like you are way underground. As we walked in, a middle-aged man pointed at our feet and said, "You're going to want your wellingtons for in there." Translation...you need your wellies (knee high rubber boots-all the rage in England) because the water is a little too deep for your current footwear. Amy and Kim talked me into stripping my pasty feet and entering the lair of darkness. The water was several inches deep in some spots and super cold. My little toes were shivering! It takes a bit for your eyes to adjust but there were four or so altars near the corners of the rectangular brick vault. The ceiling was about 15-20 feet high and in the center of the place was a large pool, wherein the spring runs, then drains out on the other side. Our B&B friends mentioned that men were swimming naked in it yesterday when they visited. Luckily we were spared that uncomfortable social encounter!

We did some shopping at places like The Psychic Pig, and Man-Magic-Myth, while glancing at the windows of Faeries, The Wonky Broom (actual hand carved witches brooms), and The Witch's Cat. For personal care, we noticed you could pop into the Inner Beauty Salon or the Holistic Hairdressing and Healing shop. All this shopping was a little much for me, so I left Amy and Kim to do the fiscal damage, and I went down to the Glastonbury Abbey.

The Abbey, like all other churchy things around this part of the world, was built on a pagan site. A capped spring can be seen in what is left of the cathedral's crypt. The spring was used for pagan rituals long before the church arrived. This church site is special though. Jesus's uncle Joseph is said to have come here and built a small church, the first Christian church in Europe, which stood for about 1000 years. A monastery was later placed on the grounds, which is about 36 acres of the town. Models of the original structure are amazing, and the enormity of the building was not imaginable to me. As I stood at the south end of the cathedral, I looked at the remains at the north end and could not get my mind around the size of this structure. Some of the walls that remain only stand about one-quarter the original height of the building. Incredible. Unfortunately, a king, who's name escapes me, dissolved the monastery, hung the abbot, and raided the church's treasury. The monks ran off to France, and the Abbey has been sitting here, watching over Glastonbury ever since.

We rested at the B&B for a bit before dinner at the “Who'd a Thought It” pub and inn. I've finally had my official fish and chips, so I am a very happy girl!Read more