Random thoughts on the weekend… Stonehenge is incredible; despite the throngs of people, there is a peace to the place that is eerie. At one point, I looked off to the road leading in and it was filled with cars; it reminded me of the scene in “Field of Dreams where all the people are coming to the ballpark, and the words, “If you build it, they will come” never seemed so a propos. Thursday was American Independence Day; on Saturday, I got to see the original Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral – there is a symmetry there that was overwhelming to me, given that our Declaration of Independence and Constitution take so much from this extraordinary document (and mea culpa, Mr. DeCurtis – my Latin was not good enough to make anything of the original; I had to read the English version ). There was an older gentleman standing next to the case containing the Magna Carta, and he spoke about it, then we were just chatting, and he said, “It is quite an honor to be able to go home and modestly tell people that for 4 hours on Saturday, I am the sole protector of what is the single most important document in the history of democratic society.” Yeah, that sure looks good on a résumé… Hampton Court Palace – home of Henry VIII and subsequent monarchs – is incredible for its opulence, and its sheer size (even more remarkable to know that a third of it was taken down to make room for over 60 acres of gardens!). The gardens are magnificent, and yesterday was a true summer day, making them all the more enjoyable. Queen Mary’s Private Garden is the genesis of the nursery rhyme “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” I first saw the Rolling Stones in a movie theatre for $3.50. I “saw” them Saturday night for free in Hyde Park; probably 400 yards from the stage, in a crowd of a couple hundred thousand, and I heard them better than I did in that packed little theatre – ah technology! 49 years later, they sounded just as good, and it was an over two-hour show of nothing but hits – great night! After horror stories of soccer hooligans, etc. there was some trepidation about a large crowd in a park. No worries; in fact, the crowd was incredibly congenial, with beer and wine allowed, dogs in attendance, carnival rides, and just an incredible air of a festival in progress. It helped that it was a beautiful night, but it was an amazing experience…
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 08:24:46 +0000
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