Well it's been quite a few days since I last posted and I have some really cool things to update you on!
First of all, we made a pilgrimage to Bath and Stonehenge last weekend. Both places were so beautiful. As we were on the bus on our way to our first stop at Stonehenge I was imagining coming up on a little parking lot and having a good little hike to get to the formations. I looked up from my daydreams as we were barreling down the highway and then I had to double take. There it was, Stonehenge right on the edge of the highway! You can't walk through the stones or anything but it was still really beautiful and mysterious.
We didn't have long there though because we still had to make it to Bath an hour away. The English countryside is gorgeous so I enjoyed the trip. When we arrived in Bath we did a small coach tour and then got out to have a look at the Roman Baths. Those were really cool...there is so much history there and not only can you look at it but you are in such close proximity. Many of the ruins we were allowed to even touch or sit on! However they advise against touching the water...not very sanitary apparently ;) After we made our way through the baths we had a short time to grab lunch and then do a little exploring. A few of us decided to hunt down the flat where Jane Austen used to reside since we didn't have time to go to the museum. So we booked it, got pictures and were back in time to get a good seat on the coach.
Tuesday was also an exciting day this week. In the morning my British Cultures class had the chance to tour the Houses of Parliament. We were given a tour of the Houses of Commons and Lords and also several corridors and rooms including where the members vote and where the Queen goes to prepare for her yearly visit. History is so rich here. There is meaning behind nearly every nick and bump in the wood or marble. Of course the fun didn't stop there because later my roommates and several other people from my floor all went to Madame Tussaud's together. Normally this attraction is staggeringly expensive but as you all know, Tuesday was the day of the inauguration. So, if you brought a form of ID showing you were an American citizen admission was free! So I got to achieve my lifelong dream of standing next to Zac Efron and Justin Timberlake. There are pictures to come of this historic moment but unfortunately my camera died and poor Alyssa had to humor me and take pictures with her camera. Of course one of the main attractions currently at the museum is the new statue of President Barack Obama so it was very exciting to see that as well. Everyone was buzzing! After making our way through the exhibits we traveled back to Metrogate just in time for the inauguration. Of course there was much excitement and everyone was glued to the TV for President Obama's speech. So all in all it was a hugely exciting day.
Finally, I'd like to end this obscenely long post with a little summary of last night. I was reading about some cheap things to do in London and one of the things that caught my eye were some classical music concerts. There was one in particular the was only 10 pounds so I figured that would be a nice little evening. I got a few other people to come along with me and so we set out in search of this little music hall. We walked a for a while after we got our of the tube station and then finally came across a sign pointing towards the hall. We weaved in and out of alleys and looked all over. Then we came to a very old building with a very very old door that looked as if it would fall apart with even the slightest push. As we sat there hesitantly, another concert-goer came up behind us and purposefully opened the door. I think he may have noticed we weren't locals. Anyway, we went in and the building had to be at least 150 years old but that's probably a very modest guess. We made ourselves comfortable because there was a talk and then quite a list of music on the program. As I was reading the little blurb about the violinist it said to my surprise that he was to play a Stradivari violin! I've never seen one in person before but I've read about them and the sound and quality of these particular violins has never been duplicated. So not only did we hear some great music but we were in the presence of a Stradivarius violin...genius! After the concert we went to Covent Garden to have a little snack and some dessert. We went to a Spanish Tapas restaurant and it was very good. We were a little embarrassed though because none of us knew what Tapas meant. We all ordered one thing and the waiter looked at us really weird. When we got our plates we realized that Tapas are like small appetizers. But we redeemed ourselves and ordered some excellent desserts. It was a pretty quiet night for us but still really fun...and now I am bringing this novel to a close.
Until next time,
Kelsey
