not-so-subtle Bon Jovi reference…
Now that I’ve reached the halfway point of my London adventure, I’ve had a lot of mixed feelings. On one hand, I’m realizing how much there is still yet to do and how little time I have left. I thought about going on a weekend trip to Amsterdam or Barcelona, but on top of the money it would cost, I’ve come to the conclusion that if I did that I would be missing out on parts of England that I would like to see. I’d rather experience one country fully than leave with a small glimpse of another and regrets about not exploring England as much as I want to. On the other hand, though, the halfway mark has made me realize how much I do miss the people and comforts of home. When I think about them, the trip seems quite long to be away. The countdown has begun, and it’s time to make sure I get all out of this experience that I possibly can. I’m so lucky to be here getting firsthand experience with a fantastic group of people. I may be missing home a little now, but I know as soon as I get back it’ll be the other way around and I’ll be missing everything about London and 3 Fish in a Tree.
Anyway, enough of the sentimental rambling..
This past weekend I went on a bus trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath, three incredible sights crammed into just one afternoon. I definitely wish I would have had more time in Windsor and Bath, but you couldn’t beat the price to see all three. It’s so crazy to go to places that have been there for hundreds of years or more. It’s like stepping back in time and it blows my mind to think of what it must have been like to live during the periods in which the sights first existed. Stonehenge in particular is insane to think about because what those unknown people accomplished with such little technology seems impossible. They managed to move 4 ton stones 250 miles without any wheels whatsoever. It had to be aliens, lol.
A bit of advice for anyone who goes on a bus tour in England… be on time! They will leave without you. Several of the people on our tour who didn’t make it back to the bus within ten minutes of the meeting time were left behind. It was a little shocking to me, but we were on a time crunch.
I’m not always into taking tours, because the quality of the experience all depends on the guide that you get. Luckily, we had a very knowledgeable guide who managed to be mildly entertaining as well. He knew a lot of interesting, random facts which explained how history has affected the way we say or do things to day. One example off the top of my head is the phrase, “getting off Scot-free.” I never knew the meaning behind this, but apparently in Scotland there was and possibly still is a third choice when getting sentenced in a trial. You are either innocent, guilty, or the case is unproven.. hence, getting off Scot-free.