The London Culture

           The third day of our trip in London was probably one of the most memorable for me, and one of the days I would consider my favorite. Our day began with an early breakfast at the Jury Inn, and continued along as all fifty two of us hopped on a bus to begin the day’s festivities. Our day was to consist of a guided excursion to Stonehenge and Bath, and was going to end on a great note with the famous Fish and Chips that remain as a popular dish throughout London.

           

Contrary to my previous thoughts, visiting the Roman Baths was one of the most memorable and relaxing experiences I endured throughout the duration of the trip. On the bus ride to the Roman Baths I did not believe I would be enthralled with anything. What would the Roman Baths have that I would find interesting? Again with the common negative thought, running on barely any sleep I found myself dragging along on some days, not excited about any activity our group was completing that day. However, when the bus drove into the city of Bath, I could not have been more astonished. The close buildings, petite houses, street markets, cobble stoned streets, and lively chatter of citizens made me much more excited for what I was about to experience. As I stepped off of the bus I suddenly felt extremely calm. I was stepping into a peaceful community where the people were friendly and the atmosphere was so relaxing. I absolutely adored the historical look that each building portrayed, as well as the beautiful architecture that surrounded me.

           

            Before we actually began our tour of the Roman Baths, we stood outside and had the chance to admire the beautiful cathedral that lay in front of us. The cathedral was absolutely astonishing, and I found myself intrigued by the architecture that made up each piece of the building. I could not take my eyes off of the cathedral and found myself constantly snapping pictures of it. After a photography shoot of the cathedral we made our way into the Roman Baths. The architecture inside was nothing like I expected, and matched the beauty of the Baths outdoors. The ceiling shocked me the most because it was the most detailed, beautiful, ceiling I have ever laid my eyes on. I have never seen anything like it and I wondered to myself how long it may have taken to actually put the ceiling together. After admiring the inside of the building, I made my way outside after we were given an audio tour guide. I have never used one of the audio tour guides before and it was actually very exciting to use one! I began to feel as though I was filling the role of an American tourist pretty well. As I toured the Roman Baths, I breathed in the peaceful air, and fell in love with it. Everything was so beautiful, and it was like I was in a spa because everything was just so peaceful, something I needed after a lack of sleep and touring all day every day. After we finished our tour in the Roman Baths we were given free time around the city. My friends and I went to grab lunch, and ate our sandwiches and drank our coffee on the side of the street, taking in the astonishing view and breathing in the calm and peaceful air. Of course we walked around to shop for a little and it was so neat to see the street shops we passed. Every store was so close together and lined up along the street, something I was not used to in America. It was like an outside mall, but even better than the ones we have back home. I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

            After hours in the city of Bath, the group got back on the bus and made our way to Stonehenge. Although it was not much of a drive it was quite hilarious to note that nearly every student fell asleep every time we went on the bus, even if it was for a short drive. As we arrived at Stonehenge we were all groggy and quite cranky to say the least. I got off the bus and found myself staring at rocks. Yes, I said it, rocks. I looked around to see if anyone else was as confused as I, but quickly shook my head and remembered that Stonehenge is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. I was excited to be able to say that I had visited Stonehenge, and found myself enthralled with the idea that I could actually tell others I had visited a world wonder while overseas in Europe. While walking with a group of friends we all laughed at each other because we all realized we were spending an hour of our tour staring at rocks. It was a common joke of our group to make a peace sign and exclaim “Rocks rock” with a British accent. We all laughed hysterically and made a grand time of the tour at Stonehenge. After our tour we got back on the bus and made our way to dinner.

 

            For dinner we ate Fish and Chips, a meal that London is well known for. I was very excited to eat the meal, and found myself absolutely loving it. Our meal started off with a salad, then continued with our fish and chips, and ended with dessert, coffee, and tea. When our fish and chips arrived, I looked at the plate and saw fries, not chips. I remembered that to the people in London, chips are French fries to us Americans. I never found out what they actually call potato chips over there, but this was another difference I recognized while in Europe. I also learned that it was common to serve tea or coffee after eating fish and chips because in the nineteenth century, when fish and chips became popular, the first meal of fish and chips was served with bread and butter, and a cup of tea all for only nine pence. Everything was absolutely delicious and I would definitely recommend that anyone who visits London should try their fish and chips, after all, it is one of the only dishes their known for, right?!