Stonehenge and Old Sarum!

Tuesday was an open day, so Megg, Casey, Caitlin, Heather, Jen and I took ourselves to Salisbury. We managed to figure out the train routes from the Oxford railway and took several stops, Reading, Baskingstoke, and Salisbury. From here, we took a narrated Stonehenge tour, which included Old Sarum and admission to the Cathedral. We sat on the top level, front row of the hop on hop off so that when the bus rounded the corners it looked as though we were running over people. Approaching Stonehenge was interesting because I was happy to hear the intercom voice remind us to appreciate the surrounding landscape rather than thinking of Stonehenge as a single entity or monument. It embodies what Stonehenge is and those responsible for erecting it- the multiple parts of Stonehenge also includes many burial mounds that are quite distant from the prehistoric monument, And the Landscape was very beautiful dotted with sheep and shades of green, and the typical English weather. It was pretty crowded, it is set up so that people walk around the stones on a designated pathway and listen to the audio guide or appreciate it in your own way. I would imagine that the experience would have been much more spiritual in the absence of people, but it was awesome in every way that was possible to us. Imagine stumbling up upon that a few centuries ago...

Next the bus dropped us off at Old Sarum, the ruins of a site that initiated the development of Salisbury the town. This site was inhabited over 5000 years ago, and it wasn't until the 10th or 11th century that the fort was constructed, along with a chapel. Much of it was destroyed by a storm, so that much of what is left today is a bit more than the foundation plan in some areas, and great walls in others- such as the latrine pits (quite magnificent)! It was located up on a hill, and we let ourselves in by gate, as to not let the grazing sheep out into the road. The last stop brought us to the center of Salisbury, and we walked a few blocks to the Gothic style Salisbury Cathedral, very beautiful. Inside is crazy with the great halls that lead down to the alter, and several tombs decorated with the sculpture of the person. To our surprise and amazement we discovered discovered in the last few minutes of our stay that the Magna Carta was residing there in the cathedral! It is the Great Charter of 1215 and was designed to limit the power of King John of England, and lead to later changes in the workings of English constitutional law.

Photographs of the trip so far can be seen here. Also there are some (or many) from Nicaragua 2009. I'll make a small connection, England is a large consumer of coffee (and tea), much of it comes from small farms such as the ones pictured here. Fair Trade in England seems more like common sense rather than a special brew of the day or a rare, packaged coffee and state of mind that is harder to find in the U.S. Also in England, mostly every facility uses organic dairy, and free range meats, eggs and dairy- it's labeled and apparent to all (and even the water bottles have positive messages on them such as drink to nourish your brain).

a Day in Wales

Saturday the entire group took a coach for a day in Wales (Cymru in Welsh)! Having some portion of Welsh heritage (however this may be measured) it was really exciting to be in the country. We went to two medieval castles and an abbey, and a little town called Abergyvenny. The ride there was reminiscent of driving through the countryside of France and Nicaragua, though entirely different. The fields and hills are so green and covered with sheep and cows, spotted with small brick houses, and the driving was a bit of a ride. In Wales, the coach driver took us down really narrow, single-lane streets that were designated for both ways of traffic, so that upon reaching a corner the driver would honk the coach horn as a warning. In addition, the hedges were so high that we were unable to see where we were going (in Nicaragua, the driving consists of two lanes, but much honking at passing into the other lane as one pleases so that the flow of traffic goes at ones own pace)!

The first visit was Tintern Abbey (Abaty Tyndyrn), a Cistercian foundation built over a period from the 12th century to the 16th. And this was an isolated establishment where monks would devote themselves to god and keep care of the sick (there was an infirmary). The abbey was magnificent in size with impressive architecture. The castles and the abbey were all located in Monmouthshire, bordering England in the south. The abbey was surrounded by hills of deep green...can I mention again this vibrant color? What grand vocabulary! Next we stopped at Cheptow castle, built over a period starting in 1067 to the 17th century! It is a pretty extensive castle that rests on the edge of a cliff looking over the water and constructed for battle. The enjoyment of Welsh history through architectural remains was exemplified by the good humor Sir Goodrich, the noble. After convincing the entire BSC group to sport chain-mail and woven headdresses as good sirs and fair maidens, the party arrived at the royal castle of Raglan, and a ceremony was held in the court for the knighting of sir Megg and Sir Casey. The knights and ladies explored the remains of the exquisite castle via imaginary steeds and trotting to the sounds of coconuts. I thought it was a great way to embellish in one's surroundings.

We ended up in Abergyvenny, which was nice but I was left wondering what Monmouth could have offered, considering that it was the original plan of action to go there. The best part of the day however was when Megg spotted the White Horse of Uffington out the window. We were on the was back to Wadham when she spotted it off in the distance, a white chalk figure carved into the grass from the Bronze Age. And it was indeed the Uffington horse. Turns out there are several other white horses in England (realizing thankfully that the one featured in the latest Robin Hood was representing one of the others), the one located on the hills of Uffington is the oldest in the country. So that was really neat, I think our group will still attempt to see it on foot and up close, but now at least I can say that I saw it with my own eyes.

Today the group went to the Pitt-Rivers Museum: a free museum of anthropology and archaeology. It is just a few blocks from Wadham and it was great! Outside was a new exhibit "Ghost Forest,"brought to us by Angela Palmer; a number of gigantic tree stumps and roots from Ghana, Africa. The trees come from forests exploited for commercial use, but each tree also has a special meaning, name and purpose whether in nature, utilitarian or spiritually. Inside I also got to see some of the Aboriginal Australian landscape paintings that I had written about in an anthropology paper. Also exhibits on primates, dinosaurs, cultural materials and objects such as shrunken heads, painted eggs from Romania and the Czech Republic and the Dodo bird!

Bears become Readers

Wednesday was our first day of Oxford Fantasists, and it went pretty well. The style of the course is discussion-based and the group of 6 from Bridgewater gathers around a table in a small classroom. Dr. Plaskitt meets us there on the scheduled days at 3, and we each start a small discussion based off some of the questions. First day we went over Tolkien's essay on Faerie stories and a few of the short stories such as Bluebeard and Rumpelstiltskin. It was interesting! Earlier in the day we had breakfast in hall, each of the grand tables lined with pots of tea and coffee, toast racks, and a line leading up to buffet breakfast: croissants, two types of eggs, baked beans (!), roasted tomatoes, fruit, yogurts, cereals....and as soon as you're finished eating someone is by to whisk your plate away and refill the toast trays.

Yesterday was a very full day, but great. It started off with the flea market on Gloucester Green which had tables of antiques, oddities and collections (such as U.S. nickels), artwork, clothing and so forth. Next we stopped for a quick lunch at Boots and took it back to the dormitories to get ready for the Bodleian Library. An honorable experience I could call it as we were to become admitted to the library as one of its readers, which is done by taking an oath. The initiation took place in a magnificent building which I learned was a Parliament room. The hall is lined with pews made of a dark wood, with the individual arm rests at the top row, leading up to a somewhat daunting post and chair (looking almost like a thrown) where the head of parliament would sit (which uses a more specific vocabulary word I'm sure). The director of admissions gave us a history of the Bodleian and described the several library buildings and the extensive works we now have at our finger tips- the library is reference only, meaning that you can only have access to the books if you are a reader and while you are inside the library walls. It was also a heads up to get a move on with our essay sources!

After the initiation ceremony the BSC group went outside, through an arch and the Radcliffe Camera was revealed to us- this is the architecturally well-known library building for its circular form and dome top. The Radcliffe was surrounded by the cobblestone, black iron gates, the St. Mary the Virgin Cathedral behind it (this will be climbed), as well as the walls and college buildings of the university. This was fun to see after reading the Golden Compass for our class, some of which was set at Oxford University, and then seeing it in the movie (which was not very good but it's always neat to visit such places)...a real place that an author took to another level with his imagination.

After this we strolled on Broad street a bit, and used our new Bodliean reader cards for a discount at the college store, we (the BSC group) purchased Oxford sweatshirts and tshirts and some souvenirs for the family, mine is a burgundy/plum-purple:) We also went to Ben's Cookies, a cookie stand in the covered market with a warm variety and delightful organic milk. For the evening, the same group (most of us are either seniors at BSC and some graduate students) went to The Eagle and Child pub, known for its meeting place of Tolkien and C.S.Lewis for fantasy discussions, many themes in which were disagreed upon. And each had a round of English beers of course. And finally, on return to Wadham we attended the college's performance of the Tempest, one of Shakespeare's last significant plays I think. I am not familiar with the plot and Shakespeare in general, but it was really an enjoyable performance. It took place outside on the grass and the chairs were lined in rows in the shape of a circle, so that the stage was in the middle and lit with torches. These were basically tiki torches that repel insects- or attempt to do so but it set the mood. There were a small number of actors- all very talented and funny who also sang, accompanied by just a few props and instruments. This lessened the distance between the performers and the viewers- in thought and actuality.

en Voyage du Temps

In half an hour we are to arrive at Hall for the 8:15am breakfast. Wadham college is stunning with its architecture, stained glass windows, and formal processions of things- a bit intimidating I might add!
So yesterday and the day before that was an exhausting, drawn out occasion meshed into unknown hours of packing, traffic, airtravel, and becoming situated here at the college. The flight was a much better experience than the last overnight trip to France, but lack of sleep and jet-lag are inevitable. It was funny because my best friend (and colleague), her dad flies for American Airlines and knows the captain- so just before take off he made a special welcome to Megg and Frances! I enjoyed looking out the window- passing over the northern coast of the U.S. as the sun was setting and just a few short hours later the sunrise just before passing over Ireland, Wales, England. I like looking at the layout of grasses and farm fields from above, and figuring out what objects are there when the plane gets closer. I spotted a star pattern cut into the grass and hoped to satisfy my hope to see the White Horse of Uffington even though we weren't flying over Oxfordshire...
We took a mini bus, driving on the left side to Oxford, passing what I hope were fields of lavender and meadows with cows, sheep and horses and a softer side of commerce. Rather than the deliberate or obvious advertisements of specific fast food or gas stations, highway signs were marked here with simple symbols of bed, gas pump, soda cup. Getting off the highway, we entered the town of Oxford and were driven through the streets toward the university. (Oxford University by the way is made up of many individual colleges- including ours; Wadham College) Many of the houses here are smaller, made of brick or stone with little windows and red or brown roofs (not quite like what you might see in photos of the Baltic region), each walled in. Buildings with vines and flowers are especially adorable. The flow of traffic feels different, and there is special attention for bikers who have their own portion of the road.
At the college the luggage was unloaded and we made our way through the arched doorway to the Wadham courtyard, and received our room keys and a map. Friends Megg and Caitlin and a graduate woman are on the top floor, located by staircase with individual rooms. Each has a common room with a desk, chairs, tea* table and a separate bedroom with a closet and sink. Everyone has a different view from the windows that look out onto the college grounds, very nice! We had a few hours to unpack and "relax," although this was very hard to do. A few of us went into the town in search of a bite to eat and drink but I felt delirious with fatigue and sort of stumbled about the place. Not quite sure what the buildings are made of but many of the college buildings and churches and made of a warm, golden stone. We ended up at Mortin's for a cheaper lunch of baguette sandwiches, I got one with mozzarella and sundried tomatoes and a Celtic Spring water. I also learned to ask for "still" water instead of just bottled water to clarify not wanting any bubbles.
Later on all of us met in one of the courtyard for a welcoming Pimms party to initiate the summer program and to meet our tutor/professor, Dr. Emma Plaskett. (the course is Oxford Fantasists, reading some of the works of Oxford alum like Tolkien, Wilde and C.S. Lewis!) She seemed very nice and looking forward to the class. Most of the students on the trip are English majors but I think I'll be alright, intimidated yes but my background in anthropology and geography will come in handy somewhere. We will have two papers to write so I can incorporate a topic of interest from my own perspective. Pimms is a common alcoholic drink here (not like the beer though but something I would like) with oranges, cucumber, mint and fruit base it could be orange or mango- delicious! Before this we also had had an orientation meeting with Dr. Jadwiga Smith and Mrs. Brachman about the schedule. A few time changes were made but we'll work around this to hopefully do some separate travel from the group.
After the Pimms party we had dinner in the great Hall, with long tables lined in rows, candles, portraits and stained glass windows of family crests or crests of some sort. Dinner was served in courses (you might notice I like talking about food), first a roll of bread and dinner salad, next an entree of tuna steak (Surprise!) and potatoes, and an awesome desert. The desert was a bowl of fresh strawberries and raspberries and a sweet cream to pour over it. It was a consistency a cross between cream (such as half and half...) and yogurt that made a simple and delicious desert. That was nice to have after the tuna steak, I normally do not eat or like seafood but I think that will be encountered here more than once on the trip and it wasn't horrible. Breakfast the following morning was also good, in general the ingredients or standards of food quality seems to be higher.
Following breakfast our BSC professors took us on a walking guide through the town, it was nice to see it in a less tired state, but I have yet to go back again and stop into a few places and see a few buildings such as the Radcliffe camera and the Ashmolean Museum. We saw much of the Bodleian library and theaters, the covered market again and an old pub where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would meet and talk. It is a very nice, walkable town and it is so pretty with all of the buildings (made of this mysterious stone), cobble-stone (if you call it that) sidewalks, and old houses. It must really be something to just live here in a town that's been animated with people for hundreds of years, there's a lot of thought put into how things run today...here. Megg said something funny to me earlier, that this is one of those places that we feel like we should whisper while you are in that place, not just out of respect but there is a certain element of perhaps sacredness or something.

to Oxford!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my third international adventure, this time to England. I wanted to keep a journal to celebrate the experiences of traveling abroad and to make connections with previous trips. I've been to France and Nicaragua through school, and I'm excited to reflect on these and share new thoughts on people and places. I will be participating in the Bridgewater-at-Oxford program; taking an English course and traveling within England and a day in Wales.