Ex Libris: Living the lifestyle of the rich and famous

To round up all my recent activities, here is the good old bullet-point list, in no particular order. Because those always make the most satisfying travel journals.

Been to three cathedrals: Ely, Salisbury, and Winchester.
Snuck into the crypt of a cathedral as they were closing.
Found a Roman oil lamp in an antique shop for £49. In that moment, I regretted being poor like I never had before. Lamp? Five weeks worth of food?
Stared at what they claim is King Arthur's Round Table.
Watched a swan try to swim against the current of the Avon River.
Checked out the ruins of a Roman villa.
Paid homage to Jane Austen at her grave.
Stayed at the home of strangers. TAKEN 4!!!!
Experienced an Anglican evensong service.
Tried authentic samosas, made by friends from Africa. So good.
Learned that "pants" does not mean the same thing in British as it does in American. For example, if you say "I haven't washed my pants in weeks," you will raise serious questions about your personal hygiene habits.
Attended a Lutheran baptism.
Met up with the student crowd at church, and found out that spotting Stephen Hawking around the university is almost a right of passage.
No, I haven't yet.
Saw Henry V at the Cambridge Arts Theater. I am now a culture snob and American Shakespeare plays (with the fake British accents) will never be the same again.
Had a dance party in our room. Ok so it was just Bethany and myself, but that totally still counts.

The pictures (in chronological order) (#historynerd):

Ely Cathedral. Since it was my first cathedral, the awestruck-ness is all over my face. Mid-afternoon was a beautiful time to come, with the light casting a golden hue throughout the place. Made me think of heaven. We were too cheap to pay the entrance fee, so we didn't get to explore much of the cathedral. However, this Saturday, my art class is going back, so I will finally get to see the famous octagonal lantern at crossing of the transepts.

On the balcony in the baptistery, there were stained glass windows depicting biblical love stories, like Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob & Rachel, Ruth & Boaz, etc. Very pretty.

Authentic ancient kitsch.

OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIP!!! Day #1: Lullingstone Roman Villa.

The Romans were stylin people. We took this picture for our honors professors back in the states. Look at us, all grown up. Also it just hit me how disturbingly shorter I am than anybody around me. No wait, I'm just funsized.

Down a path, about a mile away from the villa is a tiny village-castle-manor setup. I can't figure out what to call it. This is the "castle." From what I read of the signs, they've turned the bottom floor into public restrooms. Kind of shatters the illusion.

A quaint, blurry shot of the church.

Inside the church.

Last but not least, the manor house. And as these are the only three buildings around, I have no idea what this place was.

After this, we hopped back in our van and drove south of London until we hit Salisbury.

CATHEDRAL!!!

CLOISTER!!!

SARAH!!!

They have a George Herbert memorial window. afiuidvoafdh0rdghfboshfdbp

The coolest chapel I have ever seen.

This cathedral was absolutely stunning. Both powerful and elegant. The whole time, I was trying to wrap my mind around the possibility of something being this spectacular. I couldn't help thinking of the majesty and power of God.

The Little Swan That Could. He never actually made any progress, but I have faith in him.

Day #2: Fareham. It's near Portsmouth and Southhampton. The fieldtrip served a dual purpose. First, all the academics. Second, the particular Lutheran denomination I'm studying in while in England is really tiny. So our school organizes trips to visit different congregations around the country. It was a good setup for students like us, because members of the church fed us and put us up for the night. And we got to see all the cool cathedrals and such along the way. Free trip = no brainer. Anyways, this was the church we visited. TINY. And it was packed full because our hosts' granddaughters were being baptized.

After church, we drove to Winchester.

THE ROUND TABLE. Ok, so they know it's a fake from the 13th century, but that doesn't stop me from claiming I saw the Round Table. No indeed. Anyways, the great thing about this is that each knight's place is labeled. We found Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, and Mordred. Pretty cool.

Winchester Cathedral. As we were walking up to it, the bells were ringing out and it lent a very joyful feel to the whole experience. I was so excited.

It's just as beautiful as Salisbury, but in a different way. A lot more feminine and botanical. The pillars melt into the ceiling and the ribs are decorated with flowers. It'd be easy to forget that this is all made of stone.