On Sunday, Mom, Dad, and Laura went to Bath while I read for the Shakespeare paper I didn't write before they arrived.
We took a tour of the Bodleian Library on Monday, which I'm sure will make all the Hopkinton Librarians very jealous.
Mom, Laura, and I got pies, peas, and mashed potatoes (how cliche) for lunch in a covered market while Dad went to the Oxford Rotary meeting. We then met up and went to Blenheim Palace, the estate where generations of Churchills have lived. The gardens around Blenheim are absolutely amazing, and it was a shame that we were kicked out so early because we probably could have spent all evening there.
Laura and I went to a Wailers concert on Monday night. It was so much fun, but probably nothing like it would have been with Bob Marley.
On Tuesday, we all went to Stratford-upon-Avon. Since I had already been there with the OSAP program, I sat in a cafe and wrote my Shakespeare paper (how appropriate to do so in Stratford) while they toured around. We went to see As You Like It that evening. It was such a good show. Absolutely hilarious. I loved it. Beforehand, we went to dinner at a place where Dad had been as a kid, and we made friends with this old lady at the table next to us. She was all about Stratford and England. It was cute.
We went to Wells on Wednesday to check out the market, bishop's palace, and cathedral. It was such a cute town, and the cathedral was pretty amazing.
We went to Cardiff on Thursday. Hooray for adding another country onto my list! We didn't really do anything other than check out the castle since it took a while to get there, but it was interesting enough to occupy us for the day.
The inside of the newest building is absolutely amazing. It might even be considered gaudy, but I appreciate bright colors and busy patterns, so I loved it. I was pretty surprised by the decor of it.
We went to Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and Salisbury on Friday.
It was amazing to be able to see Stonehenge after hearing about it for so many years. I wish I lived nearby so that I could sneak in at night and not be forced to stand so far away; that is kind of ridiculous. Old Sarum is one of the oldest settlements in England. Romans and Normans were both there before the British used it, but it was eventually abandoned when the town moved to the present town of Salisbury. This is a photo of the foundation of the old cathedral.
Then we went to Salisbury Cathedral. I don't know why, but I didn't get any photos of the outside. Neither did Laura. We both must have been distracted. Anyway, this is the oldest clock in England I guess:
What surprised all four of us about Salisbury Cathedral is that there is an original copy of the Magna Carta on display in the Chapter Room. There were 40 copies made in the thirteenth century, and the first thirteen on them were written in one hand. Of the 40, there are only four that remain. The one that is in the best condition, and just happens to be one of the first thirteen, is on display in Salisbury. It was very random and incredibly exciting to see. We were all astonished at how little security was guarding such an important historical document.
We headed for London on Saturday morning. We tried to go into Westminster Abbey, but there was an event going on, so unfortunately, we never got to do that. We did go to St. Paul's Cathedral though, and that was good enough for me. What a beautiful building. It was one of the nicest cathedrals I have ever been in. And I guess I can thank Queen Victoria for that, because she apparently visited at one point, and complained that it was too dull, so many beautiful mosaics were installed. We took a tour of the cathedral and the crypt (where Duke Wellington and Lord Nelson are buried) and then went up into the dome. The Whispering Gallery is the area at the top of, but still inside, the dome. Laura and Mom stood on the opposite side from Dad and I, and we were able to hear each other whispering from across the way. That is amazing architecture, let me tell you. Nice work, Christopher Wren. We also went into the tower with a staircase that does not have any support other than the wall and the previous stairs. It was pretty remarkable. Part of Harry Potter was filmed there. I shamefully admit that I didn't recognize them from any of the movies.
That night, we went to see Sunset Boulevard at Leicester Square. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. The actors were the orchestra, and they played their instruments while acting, singing, and dancing. It was amazing. I was very impressed. The story's plot was kind of strange, but it was still a wonderful show.
The London Marathon was happening on Sunday, so that made navigating through the city a little difficult. Laura and I went to the National Gallery and wandered around before meeting Anastasiya, our Russian exchange student from sophomore year of high school. We were so happy to see her. It had been a really long time. She is pretty much exactly the same. We eventually made it to the Tower of London, and took a tour with an hilarious tour guide that I couldn't get enough of.
We saw the crowned jewels and some films of Lizzy's coronation, showing that those ridiculous things are actually used in real life. I can't imagine. We walked over Tower Bridge, past the Globe (we sadly could not get any last minute tickets), and then had dinner in Covent Garden.
On Monday morning, us girls ran around Harrod's department store while Bobby went to the Methodist center. Mom, Dad, and Laura left for the airport around noon, and I left for Oxford. Overall, it was an amazing week, and I am so happy that I was able to see my family. It will make these next two months much easier, I'm sure.
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