Starting from Saturday - not the one that was yesterday, the one before that! Our Professor took our entire class on a tour across the English countryside to Stonehenge and Bath. I was particularly excited because I had never been to Stonehenge but always wanted to go. We had to get up far too early, but the bus was thankfully comfortable and we were able to catch a few winks on the way to Stonehenge.
Recently, a new welcome center/museum was built to change the way visitors enter Stonehenge, so we had to take a short tram ride to the rocks themselves. It's hard to describe the feeling of stepping out of the door and seeing them in person for the first time. In a way, its a bit anti climactic because it really is just a relatively small collection of rocks. However, there's something about it that is so very powerful and worth the travel. It's a big place of Druidic worship and there is a definite energy that hangs around that I was very struck by. In addition, I'm fascinated by the mystery behind the site because no one really knows why or how they came to be there.
Despite being unfamiliar with Druidic Gods, I have to admit that I thoroughly believe in them. This is because we clearly angered them. Two students from our group will remain unnamed (because the Study Away office reads this!) decided to cross the ropes and touch one of the rocks. I don't think that security noticed, but the gods definitely did because it started hailing about two minutes later! At that point we had seen about enough of the rocks anyway and were able to head back to the tram without feeling disappointed, though we were now soaked and freezing!
We spent a while in the gift shop, of course, where I picked up a few post cards and a shot glass for my collection. In addition, there was hot chocolate and meat pasties for sale which was perfect after being soaked! After a trip around the small museum, I decided that I really wanted to read more about the history and theories behind Stonehenge so I picked up a book on the subject that I'm sure my father will want to borrow when I've finished.
Shortly after all this, we all piled on the bus and began the drive to Bath! I was a bit more awake this time and was able to enjoy the gorgeous countryside, particularly the sheep! Our tour guide told us a bit about the area and it's history, but one line particularly stood out - "In the Bronze Age, people were defined by their bling. In the Iron Age, people still had bling but they were going to hit you with it."
When we finally got to Bath, it was a bit dreary and cold, but we quickly got into the Roman Bath museum. Unfortunately, 2 hours wasn't really enough to explore much of the city, so I decided to really make the most of the museum and enjoyed the audio tour and the history. I did recognize a lot from my previous trip several years ago but loved it just as much this time around. It did make me want to have a spa treatment though, something that I don't say very often. Once we all finished the Bath tour, our professor did buy us lunch and I was able to pick up some postcards and, of course, another shot glass!
Then, it was back on the bus for the trip home!
The Roman Baths
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