Was invited by one of the student helpers in the program to what he called an "open mic night" at a wine vault/pub across town. My roommate and I decided to go, figuring it would be a suitable context for meeting some brits (as opposed to yelling illegible conversations in loud, dark, clubs). The guy who invited us is pretty cool, so off we went. Change in tense. We get there, lots of nice people, but it turns out it is actually someone's birthday and the event was organized to embrace everyone's creativity in various forms. Sounds cool. So, some people perform poetry, music, raps, and they are all really good, but my roommate and I can't help but notice the large number of heavy references to Christianity. We then discover that most of the amazingly talented people there are creative writing/theology majors at Bath Spa Uni. So these kids are mostly our age, but apparently they are, like, ALL engaged to one another. weird, but anyway, the night progresses, and we slowly begin to realize that the whole shindig isn't dedicated to the birthday boy so much as it is to Jesus. I'm not the biggest fan of worship, but whatever, I figure there is a lot of great energy and everyone is so happy and the vibes are good so why not. It really was the most talented group of friends I've ever heard musically. However, I found it weird that me and my Jewish roommate had somehow ended up with the most religious kids in Bath, and it was hard to find common ground, since everyone wanted to talk about God. I like to keep my pints and my theology separate if at all possible.
So, the night progresses, and, honestly, I get tired of talking about Christianity. I politely tried to change the subject with people, and everyone was nice. Just not my cup of tea.
And then...
This guy and his girlfriend keep looking back at me, and I'm thinking, oh crap is this guy going to give me shit for some reason or another. Comes up and talks to me. Go through the motions of explaining I'm American, trying to explain I'm studying abroad. The brits don't really understand studying abroad in the American sense. Everyone there kept thinking it was some Christian program. Well, anyway, long story short, this guy explains to me that God talks to him, and that God just told him that I wasn't doing too well. What? Financially, that is. Well, I'm in college, I explain to him, but, um, I think I'm ok. Thanks. more weird stares. Am I sure, he asks. I have no problem with all the good aspects of organized religion (the bad aspects, well, they're really bad). I was having a great time, and I admired the communal bond, but it irks me when people begin to impose, pushing it. I never once even thought for a second to express my secular opinions on spirituality. Not the right place. But lots of people, it seemed, were trying to push Jesus on me. I liked the enthusiasm, but, if anything, I feel only more alienated from such a community. I 'm trying to do good stuff for others for the sake of goodness, and I'm listening to a voice in my head too; my own.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
not much to write home about
Well, school is in full swing. First set of papers due soon. Reading Women in Love and rereading Mrs. Dalloway for this week. After Ulysses, everything is pretty lucid reading. Went to Cheddar last week, looked at some caves, walked around the biggest gorge in England, went on a walk that was probably remarkably scenic, but, oh yeah, it's England; meaning foggy and rainy. Zero visibility. Bought some authentic Cheddar cheese. Made lots of grilled cheeses.
So, my roommates and I have been buying food at this place called "Iceland," which is all about ridiculously cheap frozen food. Like, one pound for a chicken nuggets and stuff. Tastes ok, but starting to wonder how much mystery meat we've been consuming. I buy a pound of mushrooms at the mushroom stand at the market every weekend. I never used to really like them, but saute with some garlic and lots of butter and they are insanely delicious.
Hardly sunny here, but the temp has been in the high forties. Some flowers are already starting to come out. I can tell Bath will be beautiful in the Spring. Lots of birds chirping, ladybugs invading my room. I don't know if I'm going to do "mustache March" here in England. In America, it is an absolute necessity to participate (basically, as the name suggests, you grow a mustache and keep it for the month of March), at least among my group of friends, but I'm not sure how well that would fly here.
Booked my flights for Spring break in the beginning of April. Doing something different than the typical France, Spain, Italy type of thing. Starting off in the small, coastal city of Bergen (Norway). Then, taking what has been dubbed one of the most beautiful trainrides in the world across Norway to Oslo. Then, flying from Oslo to Prague. Prague looks awesome, and they aren't on the Euro so everything is CHEAP. It will be a fun ten days. Not sure what to do with my time at the end of May, but I'm thinking I'll take a train up to Scotland for a week and explore before heading home. Need to check out London soon. Going to Bristol this weekend I think. Bristol's pretty big (500,000ish). It supposedly has an amazing zoo, and it is the home of many Banksy pieces. Banksy, to my relatives who don't know, is a premier street artist, and he is partially responsible for elevating forms of graffiti into the realm of legitimate, marketable, art. For better or worse. Hope to snag some pics of it.
Sounds like it's nice and cold and icy at home. Can't say I miss the freezing temps.
So, my roommates and I have been buying food at this place called "Iceland," which is all about ridiculously cheap frozen food. Like, one pound for a chicken nuggets and stuff. Tastes ok, but starting to wonder how much mystery meat we've been consuming. I buy a pound of mushrooms at the mushroom stand at the market every weekend. I never used to really like them, but saute with some garlic and lots of butter and they are insanely delicious.
Hardly sunny here, but the temp has been in the high forties. Some flowers are already starting to come out. I can tell Bath will be beautiful in the Spring. Lots of birds chirping, ladybugs invading my room. I don't know if I'm going to do "mustache March" here in England. In America, it is an absolute necessity to participate (basically, as the name suggests, you grow a mustache and keep it for the month of March), at least among my group of friends, but I'm not sure how well that would fly here.
Booked my flights for Spring break in the beginning of April. Doing something different than the typical France, Spain, Italy type of thing. Starting off in the small, coastal city of Bergen (Norway). Then, taking what has been dubbed one of the most beautiful trainrides in the world across Norway to Oslo. Then, flying from Oslo to Prague. Prague looks awesome, and they aren't on the Euro so everything is CHEAP. It will be a fun ten days. Not sure what to do with my time at the end of May, but I'm thinking I'll take a train up to Scotland for a week and explore before heading home. Need to check out London soon. Going to Bristol this weekend I think. Bristol's pretty big (500,000ish). It supposedly has an amazing zoo, and it is the home of many Banksy pieces. Banksy, to my relatives who don't know, is a premier street artist, and he is partially responsible for elevating forms of graffiti into the realm of legitimate, marketable, art. For better or worse. Hope to snag some pics of it.
Sounds like it's nice and cold and icy at home. Can't say I miss the freezing temps.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Roman Baths
So, Bath being called "Bath" definitely has a lot to do with the fact that there are natural hotsprings here. The site has been used for a long long time for various health related, religious, or other social purposes. Then, around 1900ish years ago, when the Roman empire had extended through much of Britain, the Romans made a big bath complex here. Today, there are all these health spas around that use water from the hot springs, but the big attraction is the Roman baths. So, the baths were rebuilt by the Brits during the Georgian period in the style of the Romans (Bath was a major hotspot for stylish Englishfolk during the time. Bath has a very interesting social history; it used to be gross with poop in the streets and gross dirty people in the baths, then it got super popular, then Jane Austen complained about how boring it was, etc). Little did the Georgians know, much of the remains of the original Roman baths were buried beneath. Bath is very elevated; lots of streets and storefronts are pretty high up from the actual ground. Now it's a museum, and you can walk around parts of the original complex, which was really big. Cool stuff. America just doesn't have that kind of old old remains. Even the Native American burial mounds are really new compared to a lot of the stuff you'll find around here. So, I'm sure you can find lots of cool pics of the remains on the internet. I forgot my camera, but I borrowed a few pictures courtesy of Katie Erdelyi.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
white ace, snakebites, prelude to legitimate blog posts
First, before anyone judges me for posting about cheap alcohol, I woul like everyone to know that my program is really hard. It's not like takestupidclassespartylotsandgetpassing grades. Nope. Lots of reading, intense curriculum, and high expectations. I've never been one for time management, but it's absolutely imperative here, since I learned the hard way (not much sleep) that you need more than two days to read half of Ulysses and write an essay on it. Not sure how I feel about the UK modernists compared to the American ones. There's a lot of European culture that I simply haven't learned about that is extremely relevant to such readings. I need me some AMERICANA. Anyways
Not sure what it is called, but after a hard day of classes yesterday we went to a local, relaxed pub (though some were a little excited by the Arsenal Barcelona game) called "The Ram." Asked the bartender what she recommended, and she gave me this brilliant concoction I never would have thought of myself. All it is is "extra cold" draft Guinness with port poured delicately on the top. Amazing. You drink the Guinness through the port, which floats on the top, for an inspired, sweet combination of flavors.
White Ace: for £2.50 you can enjoy two litres of this delicious cider. It is like the malt liquor of England. I say this because it seems to be the beverage of choice for the Bath homeless.
One thing I like about the homeless scene here is that homeless people can sell this magazine, I forget the name at the moment (weekly issue?), but the magazine is actually quite good. The deal is that the homeless people buy it for a relatively cheap price, and then resell it for whatever its set price is. So, instead of just panhandling, the homeless can legitimately work towards some kind of profit, thanks to the community.
Snakebites: So, all the girls in the program were getting these drinks called "snakebites," which consist of the delicious combination of cider, beer, and blackcurrant stuff (which makes it look like a snakebite on the foamy head of the beer). However, when I asked for one at a local pub, I received the response that they "don't do that stuff." Apparently, similar in some respects to four-loko in the states, the combination of beer, cider, and sweet blackcurrant is so delicious that brits consume far too many. They really are DELICIOUS.
Going to Cheddar tomorrow, will post about it. Also need to post about my class's visit to the Roman Baths as soon as I get some pics up on the computer.
Cheers
Not sure what it is called, but after a hard day of classes yesterday we went to a local, relaxed pub (though some were a little excited by the Arsenal Barcelona game) called "The Ram." Asked the bartender what she recommended, and she gave me this brilliant concoction I never would have thought of myself. All it is is "extra cold" draft Guinness with port poured delicately on the top. Amazing. You drink the Guinness through the port, which floats on the top, for an inspired, sweet combination of flavors.
White Ace: for £2.50 you can enjoy two litres of this delicious cider. It is like the malt liquor of England. I say this because it seems to be the beverage of choice for the Bath homeless.
One thing I like about the homeless scene here is that homeless people can sell this magazine, I forget the name at the moment (weekly issue?), but the magazine is actually quite good. The deal is that the homeless people buy it for a relatively cheap price, and then resell it for whatever its set price is. So, instead of just panhandling, the homeless can legitimately work towards some kind of profit, thanks to the community.
Snakebites: So, all the girls in the program were getting these drinks called "snakebites," which consist of the delicious combination of cider, beer, and blackcurrant stuff (which makes it look like a snakebite on the foamy head of the beer). However, when I asked for one at a local pub, I received the response that they "don't do that stuff." Apparently, similar in some respects to four-loko in the states, the combination of beer, cider, and sweet blackcurrant is so delicious that brits consume far too many. They really are DELICIOUS.
Going to Cheddar tomorrow, will post about it. Also need to post about my class's visit to the Roman Baths as soon as I get some pics up on the computer.
Cheers
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Cheese and Alcohol
Beautiful day in Bath. Lots of tourists around, though. Stayed up entirely too late last night. Some spun out Eurotrash dudes were giving me an my friend a hard time last night because, obviously, they were Eurotrash. Some cool British kids diffused the situation and made some funny Eurotrash related jokes throughout. The English, it seems, don't think too highly of many of their European neighbors. At least ten different British people have gone into detail explaining to me why they hate the French.
Bought a lot of cheese today, and I am eating it currently. I ate way too much cheese.
The building our classes are in is called Nelson House, named after the famous Admiral Nelson, who apparently lived there at various points of his career. It is, I believe, the same Admiral Nelson who graces those plastic bottles of spiced rum that we are so fond of back in the states. Speaking of alcohol, there is a cider festival tonight, but the tickets are sold out. Bummer. Cider (sweet, carbonated, highly alcoholic) is kind of a big deal here, and there is a ridiculous and overwhelming selection. There isn't a lot of cheap alcohol to buy here, but beer is reasonable. I think it has to do with the distance to import. So, beers like Becks and Stella here are cheaper than Budweiser. And, if you're feeling really cheap, you can buy a big two liter plastic bottle of Strongbow or White Ace cider for less than 3 pounds. Not good, but blows malt liquor out of the water. Oh, and, I made the rather frightening realization last night that, similar to American drunks, British people flock to McDonalds (pronounced "Mackdonalds") for a light night meal. I refuse to go to the Mcdonalds, Burger King, KFC, etc here, but you can buy beer at said establishments.
I need to read half of Ulysses for a class this week, so I think I'll be spending a considerable amount of time with that and all the other stuff I have to read. Planning a trip to Cheddar. As in Cheddar Cheese Cheddar. Pretty easy to get there by bus, and it looks like there is some interesting stuff going on. Peace.
Bought a lot of cheese today, and I am eating it currently. I ate way too much cheese.
The building our classes are in is called Nelson House, named after the famous Admiral Nelson, who apparently lived there at various points of his career. It is, I believe, the same Admiral Nelson who graces those plastic bottles of spiced rum that we are so fond of back in the states. Speaking of alcohol, there is a cider festival tonight, but the tickets are sold out. Bummer. Cider (sweet, carbonated, highly alcoholic) is kind of a big deal here, and there is a ridiculous and overwhelming selection. There isn't a lot of cheap alcohol to buy here, but beer is reasonable. I think it has to do with the distance to import. So, beers like Becks and Stella here are cheaper than Budweiser. And, if you're feeling really cheap, you can buy a big two liter plastic bottle of Strongbow or White Ace cider for less than 3 pounds. Not good, but blows malt liquor out of the water. Oh, and, I made the rather frightening realization last night that, similar to American drunks, British people flock to McDonalds (pronounced "Mackdonalds") for a light night meal. I refuse to go to the Mcdonalds, Burger King, KFC, etc here, but you can buy beer at said establishments.
I need to read half of Ulysses for a class this week, so I think I'll be spending a considerable amount of time with that and all the other stuff I have to read. Planning a trip to Cheddar. As in Cheddar Cheese Cheddar. Pretty easy to get there by bus, and it looks like there is some interesting stuff going on. Peace.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
An American Vampire in Bath
Went to the supermarket with my roommates. When the guy at the checkout heard us talking he asked if we were from across the pond. Yes. Whereabouts? Pennsylvania, my roommate replied. The guy's response: "wot! like Dracula?" It seems only in America that we are so obsessed with such a numerous amount of absolute geographic boundaries, though everywhere you can find regional stereotypes. In an American-centric sort of way I was surprised at how little some Brits knew about America, though, generally speaking, they probably knew much more about us than we about them. The TV show, Friends, is on all the time over here, and I have heard my explanations of various American things worked through the lens of Friends into comprehension. I have literally never watched an episode of Friends, so I have no idea what people are talking about.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
NO FATTIES
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this already, but there are seriously no fat people here. At all. Which, in turn, means there are a lot more attractive people walking around, which, in turn, makes people watching more enjoyable and less of a repulsive experience. They do have a KFC and Burger King close to my place, but, despite this, people somehow manage to not be fatasses.
Went for a walk this morning. It's the first real clear, sunny day. Of course, as I am beginning to learn, it could end up raining in an hour. Checked out Walcot Street. The pub I went to last night ("The Bell") to watch some free music is on the street, and I noticed a lot of cool shops, so I decided to return this morning to check them out. Apparently, the city was planning on tearing down all the buildings to build some big tunnel project, but some economic problems arose and the buildings went on sale for very cheap. So, similar to certain neighborhoods in American cities, Walcot has become the bohemian (they don't really have hippies here, or even pseudohippies) focus of bath. Lots of second hand shops, refurbished furniture galleries, and small cafes. Pretty cool.
Went for a walk this morning. It's the first real clear, sunny day. Of course, as I am beginning to learn, it could end up raining in an hour. Checked out Walcot Street. The pub I went to last night ("The Bell") to watch some free music is on the street, and I noticed a lot of cool shops, so I decided to return this morning to check them out. Apparently, the city was planning on tearing down all the buildings to build some big tunnel project, but some economic problems arose and the buildings went on sale for very cheap. So, similar to certain neighborhoods in American cities, Walcot has become the bohemian (they don't really have hippies here, or even pseudohippies) focus of bath. Lots of second hand shops, refurbished furniture galleries, and small cafes. Pretty cool.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Superbowl in England, Impressions after Week 1
We went to a sports pub nearby with a lot of kids from the program to catch the Superbowl. The pub was really crowded at first, but then I think everyone realized it was American Football night and the place emptied out pretty quickly. We were able to catch the whole game, and I got the opportunity to meet a few other Americans spending some time in Bath for one reason or another. Ok, Steelers lost, it was an ok game, and it was fun explaining the more subtle aspects of the sport to some Brits over a few pints.
But...
This is not the American Superbowl experience I grew up loving, with nationwide enthusiasm, great commercials, and delicious food. Nope. The commentators consisted of two British guys and two African Americans who apparently played football in the NFL, though I have never heard of them, and though it was quite obvious they knew nothing about being on television. So, the commentary was HORRIBLE. The pregame part of the show in the states that is usually pretty interesting and inspiring (though often over the top) was absent. Instead, there was a little montage of images from D-Day, Hurricane Katrina, some stock footage of football games, and some poorly edited transitions into American flags waving majestically in the wind. THERE WERE LITERALLY ONLY FOUR DIFFERENT COMMERCIALS ALL GAME. Most of the time there weren't even commercials, timeouts usually meant a segue into the commentary booth, which meant listening to the most stupid Americans I have ever heard talk about football. More annoying that LOU HOLTZ! But, of course, it's all understandable, because it was quite doubtful anyone other than us was staying up until three in the morning to watch the game.
Impressions After Week 1
I probably won't post as much now that I'm settled in and have coursework to complete. I'll probably post weekly, but it all depends on my experiences and when they happen. I've explored most of the central city, and I think I know my way around respectably enough. Here are some things I've figured out:
-You probably won't get mugged in Bath. There are no "bad neighborhoods," and as long as you play it safe during "letting out time" when everyone leaves the pubs and clubs, it will be all good.
-Bath is extremely upper-class. There are something like 3,000 millionaires living in the city. Lots of nice cars, and some AMAZING houses.
-If I want to see some more multicultural, grungy parts of England, Bristol (the home of the "grime" music genre) is only 15 miles away, and a train tickets are only a few pounds.
-I need to find a way to hold onto my 1 and 2 pound coins.
-Don't swim in the river, because "there is rat syphilis in it"
-England isn't that expensive really; I definitely wasted some money the first week on restaurants and overpriced pints, but the grocery stores are quite reasonable, and there are some really cheap takeaway places. BEST falafel I've ever had for 2 pounds.
-One of the best-rated curry restaurants in all of England is in Bath, and I will definitely eat there.
-It rains a lot, but not heavily, so getting wet is not too much of a problem really.
-English people are, for the most part, very nice, though more quiet that your typical American.
Basically, I'm having an awesome time. All the kids in the program are really smart (though not all are friend material), the classes are really small, and for the first time in a while I'm actually feeling invigorated and excited to learn. Being here makes all the stupid bullshit that happens at Denison so insignificant. I've already met some great people, and all the clique crap that happens at home (which, I'll admit, I reinforce in some ways myself) seems nonexistent here. Just a really great time. And, while it was nice to hear Denison got two days off because of ice/snow, I really don't mind the temps staying in the forties over here.
Here are some random pics from Bath:
But...
This is not the American Superbowl experience I grew up loving, with nationwide enthusiasm, great commercials, and delicious food. Nope. The commentators consisted of two British guys and two African Americans who apparently played football in the NFL, though I have never heard of them, and though it was quite obvious they knew nothing about being on television. So, the commentary was HORRIBLE. The pregame part of the show in the states that is usually pretty interesting and inspiring (though often over the top) was absent. Instead, there was a little montage of images from D-Day, Hurricane Katrina, some stock footage of football games, and some poorly edited transitions into American flags waving majestically in the wind. THERE WERE LITERALLY ONLY FOUR DIFFERENT COMMERCIALS ALL GAME. Most of the time there weren't even commercials, timeouts usually meant a segue into the commentary booth, which meant listening to the most stupid Americans I have ever heard talk about football. More annoying that LOU HOLTZ! But, of course, it's all understandable, because it was quite doubtful anyone other than us was staying up until three in the morning to watch the game.
Impressions After Week 1
I probably won't post as much now that I'm settled in and have coursework to complete. I'll probably post weekly, but it all depends on my experiences and when they happen. I've explored most of the central city, and I think I know my way around respectably enough. Here are some things I've figured out:
-You probably won't get mugged in Bath. There are no "bad neighborhoods," and as long as you play it safe during "letting out time" when everyone leaves the pubs and clubs, it will be all good.
-Bath is extremely upper-class. There are something like 3,000 millionaires living in the city. Lots of nice cars, and some AMAZING houses.
-If I want to see some more multicultural, grungy parts of England, Bristol (the home of the "grime" music genre) is only 15 miles away, and a train tickets are only a few pounds.
-I need to find a way to hold onto my 1 and 2 pound coins.
-Don't swim in the river, because "there is rat syphilis in it"
-England isn't that expensive really; I definitely wasted some money the first week on restaurants and overpriced pints, but the grocery stores are quite reasonable, and there are some really cheap takeaway places. BEST falafel I've ever had for 2 pounds.
-One of the best-rated curry restaurants in all of England is in Bath, and I will definitely eat there.
-It rains a lot, but not heavily, so getting wet is not too much of a problem really.
-English people are, for the most part, very nice, though more quiet that your typical American.
Basically, I'm having an awesome time. All the kids in the program are really smart (though not all are friend material), the classes are really small, and for the first time in a while I'm actually feeling invigorated and excited to learn. Being here makes all the stupid bullshit that happens at Denison so insignificant. I've already met some great people, and all the clique crap that happens at home (which, I'll admit, I reinforce in some ways myself) seems nonexistent here. Just a really great time. And, while it was nice to hear Denison got two days off because of ice/snow, I really don't mind the temps staying in the forties over here.
Here are some random pics from Bath:
 |
| royal crescent |
 |
| entrance to botanical gardens, which are awesome |
 |
| park by my place |
 |
| my building |
 |
| my building |
Saturday Market, Hangovers
Why having a hangover on Saturday morning in Bath sucks:
Bath has a pretty legit farmer's market kind of thing in this big, covered space that was presumably once a train station. There are tons of fresh and delicious things to buy, and there are so many free samples that you could easily make a breakfast out of it. Unless, like I was, you are hungover and can only look at the food with both envy and contempt. There are veggies, LOTS of cheese, LOTS of sausage, fish, LOTS of candy "sweets," antipasta, tea, crafts, etc. These pastry type things called "pasties" are pretty huge over here. Basically, they take this flaky sort of dough and cook it filled with anything imaginable. My roommate got a really good with brie and eggplant or something. I don't think I'm really that big of a fan of the meat-filled pastries that are big over here, but I am absolutely fine with CHEESE.
Bath has a pretty legit farmer's market kind of thing in this big, covered space that was presumably once a train station. There are tons of fresh and delicious things to buy, and there are so many free samples that you could easily make a breakfast out of it. Unless, like I was, you are hungover and can only look at the food with both envy and contempt. There are veggies, LOTS of cheese, LOTS of sausage, fish, LOTS of candy "sweets," antipasta, tea, crafts, etc. These pastry type things called "pasties" are pretty huge over here. Basically, they take this flaky sort of dough and cook it filled with anything imaginable. My roommate got a really good with brie and eggplant or something. I don't think I'm really that big of a fan of the meat-filled pastries that are big over here, but I am absolutely fine with CHEESE.
Stonehenge, Salisbury
Our program marked the final day of orientation week with a trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Lacock. The uk weather channel promised a sunny say with temps in the low 50s, so I dressed appropriately the next morning. When our double decker bus made its way through the English countryside and arrived at Stonehenge, it was super windy, rainy, and cold. I had mixed feelings about Stonehenge; it is something definitely worth checking out, and the stones ARE pretty huge. It's interesting walking around because you can see the stones, but you can also see barrows (burial mounds) all around the countryside. So we all walked around the stones, took some pictures, and everyone was ready to leave after not too long in the raw wind. Interestingly, two of our English student helpers had never seen the stones before that day. I'm sure the same can be said about me in America.
Next, we went to Salibury--another old English city of about 50,000 a bit southeast of Bath. We didn't do much other than eat at an extremely old pub with delicious food and check out Salisbury Cathedral, which was amazing. The building was completed in the 13th century, so, yeah, it's pretty old. I can't really explain it's beauty, so hopefully some pictures will give an idea. The Cathedral is also the home to one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta, meticulously handwritten and marked with the seal of King John. I couldn't take any pictures of it, but it was impressive how well the almost 800 year old document had been preserved. We're talking about a piece of paper that is centuries older than the Declaration of Independence.
Finally, we headed to the small village of Lacock for a quick lookaround and a traditional Sunday night English dinner at a pub that had one of the oldest liquor licenses in all of Britain, which is REALLY old. So, naturally, I had to buy a pint and add my name to the list of countless others in search of libations over centuries and centuries. Lacock is also notable for being the home of a number of film sets, due to its oldEnglish appearance. Parts of the Harry Potter movies were shot in Lacock (places like Harry's house when he and Hermione go to visit it can be found here). Others include The Other Boleyn Girl and The Wolf Man.
stonehenge and salisbury cathedral:
Next, we went to Salibury--another old English city of about 50,000 a bit southeast of Bath. We didn't do much other than eat at an extremely old pub with delicious food and check out Salisbury Cathedral, which was amazing. The building was completed in the 13th century, so, yeah, it's pretty old. I can't really explain it's beauty, so hopefully some pictures will give an idea. The Cathedral is also the home to one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta, meticulously handwritten and marked with the seal of King John. I couldn't take any pictures of it, but it was impressive how well the almost 800 year old document had been preserved. We're talking about a piece of paper that is centuries older than the Declaration of Independence.
Finally, we headed to the small village of Lacock for a quick lookaround and a traditional Sunday night English dinner at a pub that had one of the oldest liquor licenses in all of Britain, which is REALLY old. So, naturally, I had to buy a pint and add my name to the list of countless others in search of libations over centuries and centuries. Lacock is also notable for being the home of a number of film sets, due to its oldEnglish appearance. Parts of the Harry Potter movies were shot in Lacock (places like Harry's house when he and Hermione go to visit it can be found here). Others include The Other Boleyn Girl and The Wolf Man.
stonehenge and salisbury cathedral:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)