Departure Location: London Arrival Location: Varied
A coach bus crammed to the brim with nineteen students, four professors, and...light packing became my home for the last week. The only way to describe the insanity and craziness of the spring break trip is to go day by day, starting with leaving London...
Day 1
It was a 9 am departure. Simple. Everything we brought to London had to be packed up, although we could only take some of it on the coach tour. I thought I was ready (ha, yeah right) and chatting on the bus as we waited for everyone else to get on. Then, as the bus started rolling out, the inevitable feeling came. You know the one. The feeling of your stomach dropping to your feet. If you've never experienced something such as this, it's coming...or you're extremely lucky. Anyways, I realized that I had left my passport safely tucked away in the room we were currently driving away from. So, stopping the bus, running back in, grabbing it, and then running back ,we're on our way to a fun filled week.
The first stop on our tour of the United Kingdom was Stratford-upon-Avon, the land of Shakespeare. We walked along the Avon to the small church where he is buried. Then, after a fantastic dinner (apparently the rudeness which London exhibits is only in London...), we watched the Shakespearean play (of course, what else? :)) Twelfth Night. If you've ever seen She's the Man with Amanda Bynes, then you know the plot and characters, because that movie was loosely based off the play.
Day 2
After a hearty breakfast in the quaint B&B we stayed at, it was off again, but not very far. Our final destination was York but we made several stops before that. The first was Kenilworth Castle. The castle was obviously not a hot tourist spot as there were very few people around, but it was recommended by the locals, which is always a good sign. It was a beautiful day and as we were released to the grounds of the castle I saw why they recommended it. The ruins were nestled in vibrant green grass and, while they said no climbing the walls, the castle was open and free. Wandering aimlessly was not only allowed, it was encouraged as we explored the dungeons and towers. All too soon we were stuffed back on the bus for the next stop.
The next stop was just as relaxing. For two hours we stopped in Stamford, a small town that had some sort of military heritage (none of us figured of what). It was great for us because a carnival happened to be in town. The magic and fun in the air was tangible as we walked the streets, smelling fried food and sweat that only a carnival can make smell appetizing. After finding food and wandering around a bit, we settled underneath a willow tree as the sun set. It was nice to soak up some vitamin D that England seriously lacks and stretch out on the soft green grass. Unfortunately, we had to adhere to the schedule and we made our way back to the bus before we were ready.
We had a late arrival in York but our day was not done. Apparently, York is one of the most haunted cities in Europe. Who can pass that up? Not us apparently. We had a scheduled ghost tour that night. All that can be said about it, is that I scare easily and I thought it wasn't that bad. I was more creeped out when we were walking back from theatre and it was dark and foggy and we were alone...
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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