A Week in the West

The First Long Trip: Day One

We went to the South and West today; first to the town of Dover to see the Castle and the White Cliffs of Dover. As much as I dreaded leaving my beloved London for the week, I soon realized that getting out of the city is seriously beautiful. Dover Castle has three separate ages of history, first in Roman Times, next in Medieval and then World War Two.  There were tunnels from all three eras. We went to the top of the tower at the castle and saw the most beautiful views of the nearby town and the sea. The ocean and cliffs was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. The water was super clear, so even from the top of the tower you could see the ocean floor.

Next we went to Hastings, to see Battle Abbey and the field where the Battle of Hastings went down. It was so interesting to learn about this turning point in English history. It was the battle where the Normans conquered the English, and the Normans have ruled the British Empire ever since 1066. We were able to walk in the field where 7,000 English men died fighting for their country.  The Abbey was built by William the Conqueror in order to honor all the people who died in the battle when he took England. I think that was so respectful of him.

Next we ate a little late lunch. It may have been my favorite lunch so far. We found this cute little place called the Pioneer Rest, and it looked like it was straight off my pinterest board; complete with iron tables and chairs outside, roses growing up the walls, and a cute little shop full of soap and postcards. I ate the best sandwich ever, like it gave a whole new meaning to “footlong.” A chicken-lettuce-tomato-avacado sandwich on a warm baguette? What could be better? Only that same thing with a diet coke. Yum!

We stayed in not the nicest of hotels, but we were lucky enough to be close to a beautiful backbay, so we took advantage and walked out to it to watch the sunset. Totally gorgeous. We asked a lady to take a picture for us and she continued to talk about the weather for a solid twenty minutes. Classic British people.

Long Trip Day 2

We started off the day by walking across the street from our hotel to a little hidden historical site named “fishbourne palace.” The roman complex was discovered in the sixties when some contractors started digging on the site for a new building. They discovered beautiful mosaic floors and the foundations of a Roman administrative building, dating back to about 100 AD. The mosaics were beautiful and almost completely intact.

Next we hopped back on the coach and took a ferry over to the Isle of Wight. On the ferry trip, I grabbed a sandwich and a smoothie and just sat outside on the top deck enjoying the sun, the ocean, and my friends surrounding me. Sooo pleasant. This is a reoccurring theme throughout this study abroad. I love when things are pleasant.

We next visited Osborne House, which was built for Victoria and Albert as a kind of refuge from their tedious palace life. The more I learn about victoria and Albert the more I like them. They were absolutely in love, and Osborne House displayed many of their gifts to one another. It was a gorgeous house and it displayed things that the British monarchy has acquired from many different places all over the globe. Victoria reigned when “the sun never set on the British Empire” so they had many foreign relations to cultivate. There was a whole room full of Indian relics and many portraits of foreign diplomats.

After the house we dropped our stuff off at the cutest little cottages on the Isle. They were complete with roses growing outside. That night, we hiked to Tennyson Down to read some poetry. The hike took us to the cliffs over looking the Atlantic ocean ocean on the Isle of Wight and it was probably the most spectacular view I have ever seen. All I wanted to do on the way down was sing “The Hills are Alive!!! With the Sound of Music!!” so picturesque.  

Long Trip Day 3

            We jumped back on the ferry in the morning and headed over the Thomas Hardy’s house for a little more poetry. The house was beautiful, but what really made the site interesting was the nature that surrounded it. The front yard of the house had the most beautiful gardens, full of gorgeous roses.

We then went to the beach to see the Cobb, but we stayed and enjoyed the sun for a few hours. I got the best fish and chips ever! Always go for the Haddock. Soooo yummy. For dessert, a double scoop of ice cream while walking along the boardwalk, like how much better could it get?! The answer is none better. It was such an ideal day.

After returning to our hotel, we decided to go see Despicable Me 2, which was totally cute. The best part about the movie though, was free wifi and an extra large diet coke!

 
Long Trip Day 4

            Ah, what a perfect day, I feel like I say that every day here. We woke up early to get to the coast before the heat set in, but by the end of our time at Tintagel Castle it was blistering.  We hiked up and down and up and down these beautiful cliffs over and over again. It was totally worth it though, because once we could see the views from the top, we totally forgot about how sweaty we were. The turquoise water and cliffs that surrounded the bays reminded me of the Little Mermaid; I’m pretty sure this spot is where they got the inspiration for the movie.

            Our next stop was St. Michael’s Mount, the sister monastery to Mount Saint Michael in France, something I have dreamt of seeing since my freshman year French 1 class. In fact, French monks were hired to take on the task of building the beautiful church on top of the island-hill. The home and monastery was beautiful and once again, the views were picturesque.  There were super beautiful gardens and the back drop of the ocean made for the perfect view. After coming down from the hill top, we stopped by a cute little restaurant for the town favorite-cream tea. This basically means a scone with clotted cream and jam. It was the perfect little treat to eat while looking up at the hill from the beach.

Long Trip Day 5

This is my good friend Lindsay.

            Today was dedicated to Jane Austin; we saw her houses at Winchester and Chawton. We also got to see the Winchester Abbey, where Jane Austin is buried. The Abbey was amazing because the Anglo-Saxons in their ancient architectural style originally build it. It was then changed into a gothic style in medieval times. The Anglo-Saxon style included many strong-looking archways while the gothic style utilized those famous flying buttresses. After the Abbey, we grabbed these yummy sandwiches that basically consisted of a classic British meal-pork chops and apple sauce- on a sandwich. Yum! Later we went to Chawton and saw Jane Austin’s home where she wrote Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, and other late classics. I couldn’t help but think that Afton would have loved seeing it!