They were now in a very different place, we couldn’t see much because of the early morning fog. Cuisto was already complaining, “What are we doing here? There is nothing to drink or eat!”. He clearly wanted to go somewhere else. Most of them did, except Earthea, she was expecting to meet someone. Suddenly, we saw a shadow near a very big stone; it was a man, an old man with a long white beard.

She thought the old man was Geoffrey of Monmouth, the man who asked her to come and visit this strange place. Who else would be standing in the middle of nowhere so early in the morning? '' I’m very pleased to see you all'' said the man with a rocky voice. ''I haven’t seen people for a long time, I’m sure you are not going to regret your trip to the mystery stones''. Cuisto and Photon didn't agree, they wanted to move on to a sunny place. ''Where are the stones?'' asked Artea and Quarky, whose curiosity about the place started to grow. ''Don’t be too impatient my young friends, the fog is going to clear up and you will see by yourself something quite remarkable'' said the man.

''In the meantime, I will tell you the story of the stones. The rocks of Stonehenge are rocks which Giants brought from Africa to Ireland for their healing properties. These rocks were called 'The Giant's Dance'. Aurelius Ambrosias (5th century), wishing to erect a memorial to the (3000) nobles who had died in battle with the Saxons and were buried at Salisbury, chose Stonehenge to be their monument. So the King sent him and 15,000 knights to Ireland to retrieve the rocks. They slew 7,000 Irish who lay in their path. As the knights tried to move the rocks with ropes and force, they failed. I had to use my magical powers to dismantle the stones and send them over to Britain, where Stonehenge was dedicated. Shortly afterwards, Aurelius died and was buried within the Stonehenge monument, or 'The Giants' Ring of Stonehenge' ''.

The digital travelers looked at the old man thinking he was loosing it. ''Let’s go'' said Cuisto. ''No'' replied Artea, ''it is a fantastic opportunity to know more about the stones''. ''What are you talking about said Cuisto? This man is completely crazy! Listen; according to my recollection, Stonehenge was produced by a culture with no written language. Many aspects of Stonehenge remain subject to debate. These multiple of theories, some of them very colorful, are often called the "Mystery of Stonehenge." So this is a great opportunity for us to know the truth. But the man is senile''. ''Shut up!'' now said Artea with an authoritavive voice!

''Look, we can see the stones now, they are magnificent''! Quarky, was thinking about the way the stones could have been transported over here. There is little or no direct evidence for the construction techniques used by the Stonehenge builders. Over the years, people have suggested that supernatural or anachronistic methods were used, usually asserting that the stones were impossible to move otherwise. However, conventional techniques using Neolithic technology have been demonstrably effective at moving and placing stones this size. Proposed functions for the site include usage as an astronomical observatory, or as a religious site. Other theories have advanced supernatural or symbolic explanations for the construction.

They spent about half an hour standing peacefully in the middle of the stone ring. It was a very calming and relaxing experience even if the rain had started to fall and they were now wet through. They even forgot about the old man, until they heard a vanishing voice telling them ''I hope you feel better now''! The old man vanished in the wind; he was now gone with all his secrets. They all wanted to stay now, even Cuisto! as they had so many questions.

Could it be possible that the old man was Merlin? or was it a dream?

They were now all very sorry not to have listened to him more carefully and spent the rest of the morning wandering around the stones, but  by midday the place was getting far too busy for them, so they decided to move on.

References :

Your guide to stonehedge http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/

English Heritage http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.876

Unesco World Heritage http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/373

Writer:

Writer of the month (February 2009)

Username: ZeeCottin

Nationality: French

Proofreaders: Iznogood, Auzzi, Iknowsitall

It is midday and the sun still feels very warm in the south west of France. I’m having a picnic with my travelling friends on the summit of Pic Saint Loup. The view from up here is wonderful, especially with all the colourful vineyards down in the valley. It is early autumn and all the leaves are now turning various shades of yellow, red and brown. Our friend CUISTO, probably the best cook in the world is having a go at us because we are refusing to taste the “Apéritifs”. Apéritifs are in France more than something to eat and drink before a meal. They are an entire social custom in the South of France. 

The word “Apéritif” means to open in Latin, and is designed to prepare the palate and appetite for the magnificent meal to come which your hosts may have prepared for you. Cuisto as you will learn is not an easy going person, rather big (especially the tummy), and very stubborn.

So we decided to accept his offer and taste his “appetizers”. It was quite an enjoyable experience. We had a few local drinks and some ‘amuses gueules” another word for snack (UK) or munchies (US), I would rather translate it by “Amuse your mouth”, before having lunch. Even the drinks were quite pleasant, a chorus of ‘Santé’ and ‘Cheers’ echoed around us. I would recommend a rather strong drink called Pastis originating from Marseilles in Provence for those of you who like aniseed drinks. It is something you drink while playing “boules” or “petanque” with the locals until you cannot see the boules any longer. I let you guess why!

It was finally time to get started with our main course, some lovely baguettes (French stick) filled with local sausages, pâtés and the very famous cheese from the region Le Roquefort. ARTEA, the art specialist a very soft and gentle women, took a very nicely designed bottle of champagne from her bag. It was our first outing altogether, so she thought it was something worthwhile celebrating. To be honest with you, the design of the bottle was better than the over rated Champagne.

In the meantime our scientist QUARKY was wondering how the bubbles formed in a glass of champagne while a very frustrated EARTHEA told us more about the department Hérault which is named after the Hérault River. She was frustrated because, what she wanted the most was to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Having a picnic somewhere in the countryside was not a remotely attractive occupation to her. Even a few glasses of red wine would not cheer her up; she is a very strong minded person.

Sulking, she moved away from the rest of us and started to write a few lines on Zee Book, our travel log. She wrote about the places to visit in the Hérault, the lakes, the saltwater lagoons, the gorges, the rivers, the mountains and the sandy beaches lapped by the Mediterranean Sea. The ones she has not seen yet! It was now time to get back to the village; the warmth of the afternoon had gone and was slowly being replaced by the cold and a wonderful sunset. It was time to move on to another destination. But where would it be?

References:

Pic Saint-Loup is a mountain in Languedoc-Roussillon, southern France, located near the communes of Cazevieille and Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers in the Hérault department. 

Are you lost? Do you wonder what this story is all about? Who are the characters? Let's go back to the beginning, you probably need some explanations.

Writer:

 

Writer of the month (January2009)

Username: Iznogood

Nationality: French

Proofreaders: Iknowsitall; Guest

Comments: It was quite easy to become the writer of the month because I had just created Zee Book and nobody else had the the time to send me a story !

It will probably never happen again so let me enyoy this moment of glory.