Okay all, bear with me on this post as this was a busy weekend! First though, let me begin with Thursday. I had the day free so I went and explored on my own since Dan and Sarah had to go to Morley College to register for classes (I'm only taking Central classes and having my internship). I spent my afternoon strolling through the nearby parks--Green Park, Hyde Park, and St. James' Park. They were larger than I was expecting; 4 miles total! I walked for 2 miles then when I turned around to come back, I rented one of the Barclay's bikes for a pound and rode that back to the Vandon House area. I thoroughly enjoyed the parks; Hyde Park has a lake with many ducks and paddle boats. I will definitely go back when the trees are all in their autumn colours. :)
Friday morning our program left for Stratford-upon-Avon for the weekend. On the way, we stopped at Blenheim Palace, which was amazing! It was a huge castle that is home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and is also the birthplace of Winston Churchill. We took a tour inside and then had lunch and explored the grounds. It was huge! We arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon later on in the day and had a walking tour of the town, which is the birthplace of Shakespeare. We saw the house in which the writer was born, his other homes as well as those of his children, the church he was baptized, married, and buried in, as well as the three theatres in the town. We stayed in Bed & Breakfasts for the two nights. We then had the night free, so many of us got fish & chips for supper and then a drink at a nearby pub.
Saturday, after a full English breakfast, we took our bus and went to a town called Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds area. It was a pretty small town with lots of shops. I found a few gifts for people back home there. We went back to Stratford in the afternoon and many of us spent the time exploring the many shops there as well as walked along the river. I have found that the countryside in England is fairly similar to Iowa's; what's unique here is the architecture, which is all stone and brick and historic-looking. We attended MacBeth that was put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Since I had never read the play before, it was very hard for me to follow. But, it was still enjoyable. Afterwards, many of us went to the pub across the street for drinks. Such a good time hanging out with everyone!
Today, we got up and departed Stratford-upon-Avon and landed in Oxford, the university town, for exploring on our own. We did a little touring of a university and were shown the church that was used for the dining hall of Hogwart's in the Harry Potter movies. We were unable to go in and see however, as they didn't open until about the time we were to leave. A small group of us did some shopping at the many bookstores and then had cream tea and coffee at a cafe. Again, lots of good time spent with the other students! I did buy a cool book I thought would be nice to have on hand: "50 Ideas of Psychology You Really Need to Know." We arrived back in London around 4:30 this afternoon, and 10 of us decided to attend the Westminster Chapel across the street for their evening service. I really enjoyed it as it was a small congregation with an informal, contemporary feel like I am used to and the people there were so friendly and welcoming. I will likely go back again.
I am still waiting to hear about my internship; hopefully I will hear something this week. Otherwise, all I have is 3 classes on Thursday! I will have to find things to do/see on my own again. I did get placed for a Host weekend. I get to stay with a retired couple living on the edge of Leeds, a town in northern England, on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Another girl from our program will also be there with me that weekend. I think it will be a great weekend on the English countryside. They said they will invite their family and friends over and cook us a Thanksgiving meal!
Well, I think that is all I have been up to over here on this side of the pond. Tuesday we get to take an evening ride on the London Eye! Have a great week!
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