This weekend has been one for the books! I spent Saturday at Stonehenge and in Bath with my British Life and Culture class, then spent Sunday at Hampton Court with some friends! I got to see a lot of cool things and took about 200 pictures!
Stonehenge was fairly interesting. We learned all about how it was built in stages over hundreds of years before we arrived, then got about an hour to walk around and take pictures. It was neat, but the cold wind and rain took away from the fun. I was, however, able to warm up a little with some of the café’s “Winter Warmer” (warmed spiced apple juice) which was DELICIOUS! I would definitely recommend trying it if anyone goes in the fall or winter.
After Stonehenge, we traveled to the city of Bath. This place was quite remarkable. Much of the city was either built by the Romans or had Roman influence. There is even a series of buildings built in a circle, supposed to resemble an inverted Colosseum. It is also home to an ancient Roman Bath. The class got a guided walking tour of the city, then we were all able to go on independent tours of the Bath. At the end of the tour, I had a drink of the hot spring water used in the Bath, which, during Roman times, was supposed to cure pretty much everything. I had a lot of fun.
Then, Sunday, a few of my American and Norwegian friends and I went to Hampton Court, near home. Hampton Court is one of the homes of King Henry VIII, whose story I am fascinated by. So, I had a good time wandering around the castle and learning some more history about the reign of King Henry VIII. On top of that, the palace and grounds were beautiful. Outside the palace, there is a hedge maze and many beautiful gardens. Inside the palace, there are beautiful paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and the like all over the place. We ended up staying almost right up until the palace closed for the day.
All in all, I had a very interesting weekend. But, I have to make sure I get a lot done this week so I don’t have to worry about homework next weekend, when I will be traveling to Ireland. Wish me luck!