51 days of summer: A trip within a trip...

More things I’ve learned:

It's IMPOSSIBLE to say no to a Ben's cookie. Really. I will be determined to say no, and then I end up with one anyway
It's necessary to add at least 30 minutes to any of Professor Miller's estimated arrival times
The gentle rocking of our bus cruising down the English country lanes will put me instantly to sleep
Thinking about the £ in terms of $ only leads to unhappiness. So I just try not to.

The first notable activity of the week was riding the London Eye! It was one of the more expensive half-hours of my life, but completely worth it. The view was amazing – we could see all of the major sights! And we went at sunset, which I think made it extra beautiful.

On Tuesday morning, the group packed up for our first trip! My best description is that it was a four-day jaunt through the English countryside. We spent a lot of time on the bus, but I didn’t mind because the view out the window was beautiful! (That is, I was able to enjoy the view when I was awake. My level of exhaustion is such that if you put me in a comfortable chair for more than 15 minutes there is a really good chance I’ll be asleep.)

First stop: Stonehenge. It was surreal to drive over the hill and see those famous rocks sitting in the middle of a field! As we walked on the path around it, Professor Miller said, “All you need to know about Stonehenge is that there isn’t anything to know.” And it’s true! Scholars know basically nothing about these standing rocks; all they can do is guess. And still the mystery has intrigued the world for centuries, bringing millions of people to the sight. There is definitely something captivating about these unexplained rocks that have stood there for thousands of years.

Our next stop was a small country town called Avebury, the sight of more awesome standing rocks. Think Stonehenge, but with rocks that are spaced much farther apart, making some of the circles almost a quarter mile in diameter. Avebury has nearly 900 stone circles! I think it’s probably safe to say that you haven’t heard of this place because most people’s interest in standing rocks is maxed out with Stonehenge :). (Except for my History 201 professor. One day he spent a half an hour – eternity – talking about standing rocks.)

After our Day of Rocks, we finally arrived at our youth hostel in Bristol. I’ve been sitting here for five minutes trying to think of interesting things to say about Bristol. There’s a cool bridge. The university there looks like Hogwarts on the inside. We saw some Banksy art. (He was basically a graffiti artist who has interesting works all over Bristol. Look him up!) The hostel was surprisingly quite comfortable, even though the shower kind of looked like a gas chamber. That’s about it for Bristol, folks.

On Wednesday, the group headed to Bath. This is the location of the only hot spring in Britain, so people have been coming to the city for centuries to relax and use the water for its medicinal purposes. The Romans even built a huge bath and temple over one of the hot springs. Much of that original site has been excavated, and we were able to see where the ancient Romans came to relax.

The Khaki 3 at the Roman Baths

After our tour of the Roman Baths, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city. The upper class has been the primary occupants for most of its history, resulting in fancy upper class architecture. We saw one townhouse, a small place by American standards, that was on sale for over $3 million! Our tour guide explained a continuing argument between the residents of a neighborhood about whether the windows should be changed back to their original Georgian style, or if the Victorian style should remain. These are the big issues in Bath.

Jane Austen: Bath's most famous resident

The next morning we drove to Wales (the land of my forefathers!) to see the ruins of the beautiful Tintern Abbey. We got there early enough in the morning so that we had the whole place to ourselves. The pictures really don’t do it justice – it’s located in a quiet valley, completely surrounded by trees and there is just something so peaceful about the ruin, I can’t explain it! The abbey has been the inspiration for Wordsworth and many other poets. It’s one of my favorite places we’ve visited so far.

Later in the day, our Professor took us on a 4-mile walk near the small village of Chipping Camden. I felt like I was in Pride and Prejudice the whole time! The view of the hills was beautiful. We were literally walking through fields with sheep grazing and meadows of flowers. Again – I loved it.

A charming sign in Chipping Camden

Friday we started to make our way back to London, making a slight detour to see the southern coast. We walked along the cliffs by the ocean to see the Durdle Door arch. I feel so repetitive saying this, but it was absolutely beautiful. We sat on the beach, and some people put their feet into the water, even though it was freezing!