Even with all this time doing Shine, I had never actually visited the United Kingdom — until now. In fact, I’m spending a whole month here. And I’ve already gathered enough material to keep this series going well after I get home…

We visited Canterbury Cathedral early on. As far as Christianity is concerned, it’s the holiest site in the UK. Why? Because an archbishop (now a saint) was murdered there. And this was before the Protestant Reformation. This is a religion with a violent streak.

[This cross is six feet tall. That’s a high ceiling.]

Other tourist sites the family stopped at included Stonehenge. Now, here’s the thing about Stonehenge: If you look at photos, it just looks like a big pile of rocks. But if you actually visit it, pay the money to stand in its shadow, it becomes clear that it is, in fact, exactly what it looks like: a big pile of rocks.

[Me in front of the big rocks. How exciting!]

Still, I have to give Stonehenge credit: at least the rocks are still there. This is in contrast to nearby Woodhenge, which is — I kid you not — a bunch of posts marking where the wood used to be.

[Me standing on one of the posts, trying to make it seem more dramatic.]

We did go to some other tourist sites, but I suspect there’s one that you care about more than most, so we’ll get to that next…

Next Week: Cheddar Village!