I really liked visiting the city of Glastonbury because it’s the most magical city that I have ever seen. It wasn’t even just a feeling in your bones; it was everywhere.
The first site we went to was Glastonbury Abbey. Since the Abbey was destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries during Henry the 8th’s reign, there were only ruins. But you could tell that it once was a beautiful church, and still sends off an aura of majesticness. I found it quite interesting to find out that in the 14 century, the only church more powerful was Westminster Abbey. I can only imagine how Glastonbury Abbey would have looked during its peak.
Next we headed for the place called the Chalice Garden. Here one can find the White and Red springs. The Red spring is red from the iron in the earth and the White spring is white from calcite. The water supposedly has healing powers because it is said that Joseph of Arimathea buried the Holy Grail under the hills from where the springs flow. We all filled our water bottles from both springs, and I thought the water tasted really good. It’s obvious that other people think it heals, because there was one lady in front of us who had two big bags of glass bottles and two jugs full of the water!
There was quite a long line to get the water, but it was well worth the wait.
Near the Chalice Wells was the entrance to the Glastonbury Tor, which is on a very steep hill way above the city – you could see it everywhere. We climbed to the top and it was incredible. The wind was strong and made you feel powerful. The view was also amazing; I felt like I could see everything! We spent quite a bit of time up there because it was so peaceful and quiet. Some people we saw were even meditating! There are also legends about fairies that live in the Tor and occasionally play tricks on people! Towards the end of our visit, as we were walking down, we saw a beautiful rainbow. Talk about timing!
We took a walk down a few of the streets to take a look around, when we came upon High Street. This was a very cool street, as it had stores selling spells, spell books, potion ingredients, and many other magical items. There was also another store that sold statues of unicorns, fairies, dragons, and other mythical creatures. Unfortunately, none of these shops were open, so we just looked through the windows at the displays. I would have loved to go inside the shops, so we’re just going to have to come back some other time!
The last place we visited was the Holy Thorn. It’s said to have been planted by Joseph of Arimathea when he came to Britain and brought Christianity. He was tired and fell asleep on a hill. When he woke up, he saw that his staff had grown into a thorn bush. Today, people tie ribbons to the thorn bush and the fence around it for good luck. Unfortunately, we didn’t know about this, so we used a purple hair tie instead!
A fact I found interesting was that the Queen gets a cutting from this bush every year at Christmas time.
I loved this city and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys mystical and magical places.
Comments
13 responses to “The Magical City of Glastonbury”
Well MIk, I think you have found your dream city! Full of magic and rich in history. I really enjoyed reading your post today!
Hi Teta Colleen!
If I didn’t love Toronto so much, I would be tempted to move to Glastonbury! You’re right, it has a lot of beautiful history that is really interesting, which I would like to learn more about. Thank you for your comment!
That sounds like a really cool place. Thanks for sharing all the historical details – some of your pictures remind me of the castle remains in St. Andrews, Scotland. Too bad the shops weren’t open.
Harriet (Kat’s friend)
Hello Harriet!
Glastonbury is a really cool place and I hope I can go back again one day when the stores are open. The magical history of this city is really amazing and I love it. Maybe one day you’ll visit Glastonbury, and feel the magic! We will be trying to go to St. Andrew’s castle while in Scotland.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Glastonbury, Mikhaila. It is a very special place. Maybe its just as well that the shops were closed – you would have blown your budget for sure!
Hello Chris!
I have a feeling that you’re right, I would have blown the budget! The stores had such incredibly magical things! Thank you for recommending this city to our family, we loved it so much and had a wonderful time there!
Hi Mikhaila
I didn’t realize the history of Glastonbury, I just knew about it from the musical festival.
Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and wonderful photos.
Have a bonnie time in Scotland!
Love Teta Doreen
Hello Teta Doreen!
I loved learning about Glastonbury, especially its magical history! I didn’t realize that there was a music festival. Do you know when it is? I am really excited to see Scotland, because so many people say how beautiful it is!
Hi Mik,
This blog was most informative and the pictures outstanding! I bet you would have purchased all the unicorns if the shops had been open! XOXO
Hi Baba!
You know me very well! Those unicorns would have been gone in a minute! I do not take credit for all of the pictures, because my Dad takes the beautiful pictures that you see. Thank you for commenting!
Hi Mikhaila, Opa and I very much enjoyed this post, we loved the photos. Opa enjoyed all the flowers and plants. To see the view from Glastonbury Tor is amazing. I would have loved to see all the shops in High Street too and have Tea at the Tea room, love the tree house, one could spend a long time just looking at the details. This is a lovely mixture of stories, history and pictures. Thank you
Hi Oma!
I’m glad you and Opa liked the pictures! The view from the Tor was even better in person. I’m not sure what the inside of the shops look like because they were all closed, so I can’t recommend any! The wooden house has inspired us to build a castle our backyard when we come back.
Hi there
The festival is in June, you can plan your next trip around it!
Love Teta Doreen