Stonehenge Salisbury and Such

Hello again!

Sorry for that break. It’s been a busy few days. Stonehenge, Salisbury, clubbing, work, getting a cold and, finally, internet. I’ve got a bit of catching you up to do.

First Friday. Stonehenge was amazing. We couldn’t walk amongst the stones, but we walked pretty close around them. The stones are stunning not just because of their size, age and mystery, but also because of the “normalness” of the land around it. It’s all farms and little roads. Relatively flat, the mundane-ness is interrupted from time to time with a mound that at one point contained a dead person. I’m sure they’re all dust by now. Sheep graze and cars pass. It’s really windy and really cold. Luckily, though, the rain had stopped as soon as we get there. It was replaced by blue sunny skies and big fluffy clouds. We were very lucky.

Because it was so cold, we stayed long enough to slowly walk around it and take everything in, but not much longer. We scurried back onto the bus and headed to the nearby town of Salisbury. There my buddies and I ate at a pub called the Wig and Quill. I got a delicious pub food called steak and ale. There’s a picture of it on the facebook album I just put up with my other pictures from the trip. I’ll post a link soon for those who don’t have access to me via facebook. It was delicious and very filling.

After lunch we met back with our tour guide (who many ladies deemed exceedingly dreamy) and he showed us around the Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral is amazingly beautiful. It’s apparently a rarity because it was built in one go over a relatively short period of time. Most other cathedrals are built piece by piece over the years and therefore show a variety of different time periods’ styles. This one is purely gothic. Amazing.

There are a bunch of fantastic things about the chapel, but I think the one you all would be particularly impressed with is that it is the home of the Magna Carta. Yes, that ancient document that is the predecessor of our fair land’s bill of rights. I got to see it with my own two peepers.

The day had been packed, but I still had one more very exciting thing to look forward to after my trip, a video chat with Joey! In anticipation of this event I took my computer with me to the Faraday house and stored it in a locked room so I could return and use their internet after the trip. I did not anticipate, however, that the Faraday house closes at 5:00 on Fridays. I also did not anticipate that it wasn’t open on Saturdays either. Brianna was a super friend and let me take her computer to posh McDonalds to talk to the boy (YAY!) but this also meant that I didn’t have a computer to do work with on the day I had set out for my work day of the weekend (BOOO!). I had a huge project to get done too. I was very nervous. I spent Saturday trying to get work done without my computer. I did research and brain stormed and sketched, but it wasn’t the same. I would have to wait until 11:00 AM Sunday to get it back.

In the mean time, my flat mates were planning a night on the town. Everyone was going out to a club, and I decided to join them. That’s what study abroad is for, right? We took a wile trying to find an outfit for me, and everyone had a hand in doing me up for a night out. After everyone was fluffed and polished we set off, taking a double decker buss to the correct part of town. The club was packed and very very loud. We stayed there until it closed at 3:30 in the morning. It was the first time I had really been to a club. I really enjoyed taking everything in. It’s kind of bizarre being the age of happening cool people in the world. They’ve always been older than me. Now here I am in the heart of London dancing fo’ real with all these crazy people my age (and avoiding the creepy drunk ones who were much older). Though it was a fantastic experience I don’t know when I’ll repeat it. I was exhausted and achy when we got home. My ears still hurt from the loudness of it, and I have a feeling that these things are a lot more fun if one is single, accompanied by a significant other or has consumed a more alcoholic beverages than I did. I think I prefer a night in a pub with friends.

I did not get enough sleep, because I had an amazing amount of work ahead of me. To make a long story short, I worked straight all Sunday and into Monday. I got about 2.5hours of sleep before class. Everything turned out great. My project went over very well, and that afternoon I napped a lot.

After my nap I had a lovely talk with my housemate Julia and we also have a very fun trip to a grocery store nearby. They have portable price-readers (a.k.a. AWESOME LAZER THINGERS!) and very good sales if you go late in the day. I bit of home work last night and then more sleep. This morning’s CMD class was fine, and then another nap this afternoon. I have to try to keep my cold from getting the best of me. I feel naps might help with that. I also just love sleeping. I sounds lame, but that’s the way it is.

Tonight: Avenue Q for my drama class. Maybe even wireless internet. My life pretty much rocks.

(Here's a link to the facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2255001&l=cb8cd&id=5522913)