Thursday was St. Patty's day, and we, here in England, did justice to the day. We traveled out to Pudsey, at 20 minute bus ride, to go to the Leeds Beer, Cider and Perry festival. There I got to try different types of cider, perry (like cider, but made of pears), and even beer. I actually learned quite a bit about cider and perry, as the volunteer running it knew quite a bit. I also discovered that I like beers with fruit on them. I got a blackcurrant and mixed berry beer from Belgium, and tried sips of my friend's coconut, mango, strawberry and raspberry beers, and they were good. So I guess I found a beer I actually do like. I still like cider the best, though. Friday was exciting because I was finally able to watch a KU game. The NCAA website is streaming every game of the tournament. I watched the first half of the game before I went to bed and remembered how much I miss KU basketball.
Saturday morning I woke up, bright and early, at 5:50 am (with no need for anyone else to wake me up at all!!) to get to the bus by 7 to head off to Bath. We finally arrived around 1, got some lunch, and walked around. We first went to the Bath Abbey, which has one of the most intricate and beautiful ceilings I have ever seen. I think half of my pictures from Abbey are of the ceiling. After that, we went to see how much of the Roman baths we could see without actually paying 12 pounds for it. We got to see the main bath, which is outdoor, and even try some of the water, which was just warm and tasted kind of dirty. After that, it was time for our free tour. We walked along the paths where Jane Austen strolled, and even set some scenes in a few of her novels, saw the Royal Crescent, a half circle of linked homes that go for millions of pounds, and learned all about why every building in Bath looks the same (a father/son team designed most of the city and made all the buildings out of Bath stone).
We walked around and looked at some shops for a bit, despite the fact that literally every store was way out of our price range. It was then time to go dinner. We went out to a Turkish restaurant, where my friend Marcy and I split a four course meal. We had some amazing appetizers of things like Salmon Patte, Hummus, Couscous, Cucumber Dip, and so much more deliciousness. Our appetizer consisted of four samples of different kebabs, including lamb, chicken, and an unknown mixture, lamb strips, rice, and some sort of slaw. For desert we got Chocolate Mousse, and our last course we had some fresh fruit. It was rather scrumptious. After dinner we took a hike up to the top of this hill where we could see the whole city. It was pretty beautiful.
After the hike up the hill, we hung out a pub for a little while, where I tried some local cider, and then headed back to the hostel (which was in a YMCA). Sunday we woke up, stocked up on some breakfast, and headed out to visit Stonehenge. At Stonehenge, we had an audio guide, which basically told they have no idea how they got the stones there, why they put them up or rebuilt it so many times, or really just about anything. It was still rather interesting, though, and I feel like its just something you have to see when you go to England.
After Stonehenge, we stopped at Avebury, where Britain's oldest Stone Circle is located. The circle is so large that a town is in the middle. There, you are allowed to touch the stones, so we hugged and even climbed the ancient history after lunch, when I had an amazing piece of Chedder, Apple and Leek tart.
We then made a stop in Broadway, an adorable little town. All of the buildings were made of the same stone, but each had their own adorable character. I loved it! We also stopped at a farm shop, where I got a jar of blackcurrant jam to take home, a scone for breakfast Monday morning, a piece of veggie quiche for dinner, and some chocolate and yogurt covered honeycomb for desert. It was scrumptious!
Today I went to basketball for the first time in a few weeks since it was canceled last week and the Monday before I was in Ireland. It felt good to play again. Our tournament is next Wednesday, so I'm pretty excited! That's all for now!
The Ancient Stone Climber,
Jessica
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