Glastonbury Sights

This has always been a strange town. It's still strange but the main difference is that it's far more commercial and tourist-focussed than in the mid-nineties.

I've yet to find a friendly smile behind a cafe counter here. The staff tend to be sullen, glum and rude which you don't expect in a place like this, where so many people seek spiritual experiences. Let's just say, I'm not feeling the love when I order my lattes.

Upper-middle class locals share the High Street with hippies, witches and other 'alternative' folk though I doubt if they attend the same dinner parties. Tweed and dreadlocks, brogues and bongs.

The High Street sells everything you need to cast that spell, place that hex, learn that myth or legend. Glastonbury must account for the highest consumption of incense, velvet cloaks and statues of the Goddess in the UK.

So, that's the commercial side. The healing arts on offer here are amazing and I have sampled them (see the 9 and 10 October entries for details...).

In cafes (ignoring the rude staff) you can pick up on interesting philosophical conversations about the various belief systems and spiritual paths followed here and that's wonderful. I'm enjoying being back here, even if I am seeing the place through very different eyes.