Stonehenge Rocks

Yesterday officially ended Orientation week -- hurrahs all around! I think we're all pretty anxious to get into a set schedule instead of just being whisked around to different events and meetings and opportunities to sign up for things. But the program made up for making us take tests while still jet-lagged by making our last Orientation event a trip to Stonehenge!

I blame the wind for that very uncomfortable picture up there. It was the strongest wind I've ever encountered in my life. As in, one small misstep could send you toppling over that little rope fence, something that would have been frowned upon in a big way.

It's kind of hard to know when to stop taking pictures of something like this.

Andrew Butterworth called it "perfect weather for Stonehenge" but he did not have to brush the knots out of his hair later so he seems a little biased to me.

With my three flat mates!

The visitor's center is apparently brand new. There's an interactive experience sort of thing that lets you feel as though you're standing in the middle of the stones while the walls around you show the timeline of their construction. I meant to get a picture of it, but we had to catch one of the trolleys that takes visitors up to the stones.

This is a picture of one of many small hills used as burial mounds. Also behind it is a major road which I didn't realize would be so close to the stones. One of our students helpers casually mentioned that he drives past Stonehenge on his way to work but he'd never actually been to see it before then.

After Stonehenge we headed to the city of Salisbury. The main attraction there was a tour of Salisbury Cathedral conducted by Andrew. We were given the option to go explore the town instead but obviously no one took it.

Saints all lined up and ready to go

 

Andrew imparting some serious wisdom

The Cathedral is, of course, beautiful inside, and Andrew had plenty of amusing stories to share about many different parts of it. My favorite was about this guy:

The tomb of William Longespee

Longespee was the illegitimate son of Henry II and died shortly after being invited to dinner by the man who wanted to marry his wife. Suspicious you ask? Suspicious indeed. When Longespee's body was moved into the Cathedral, a dead rat was found mummified in his skull, having eaten his brain, and inside the rat were traces of arsenic. Most interestingly of all, I think, is that the Cathedral kept the mummified rat on display, proving that sometimes hoarding does pay off.

 We split up to get lunch in Salisbury. My group ate at a cafe type place called Boston Tea Party. It was our last resort because there is one in Bath as well, but to be honest everything in that area was a little chain-y. At least we weren't among those eating at Burger King.

After Salisbury we headed to a village called Lacock, our last stop of the day. Lacock is the kind of place you probably picture when you think of a small English village, and there's a good reason for that. It's illegal (at least in the area we visited) to have anything like power lines showing on the street; those things are hidden behind the houses. Because of this it's often used in films like The Wolfman, Pride and Prejudice, and Harry Potter.

Albus Dumbledore walked here!

 Also, we managed to get some pictures of the house used as James and Lily's in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It was used in the scene where Hagrid tells Harry how his parents were killed. It felt very strange to be clustering in the driveway taking pictures of it though, because someone definitely lives there.

Visiting our good pals the Potters

Unfortunately, Lacock Abbey was closed to us. That building was used to film scenes in Snape's dungeon, Quirrell's classroom, and random corridor scenes. Some people are already planning a trip back when we'll be allowed to go inside.

We ended our day trip with dinner at the George Inn, the oldest pub in Lacock where we were given a delicious roast dinner and a quiz on what we'd learned that day from the ASE staff. My group placed third overall -- not too shabby!

 It was a long day and everyone was excited to get back to Bath. Even though it's only been a week we've already started to feel what the staff told us we would -- that Bath is our home away from home and we'll be glad to come back to it after days like the one we had.

On an unrelated note, I've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments, so keep them coming when you're so inclined!