So last Wednesday my friend Kathryn and I went to see "Transformers" (we've decided to have Dara-and-Kathryn-Movie-Wednesdays from now on), and even seeing a MOVIE we got to see cool cultural-difference things! For one thing, when you go to see a movie they actually assign seat numbers, and you can pay an extra pound to get comfier seats in the ideal viewing area of the theatre. We did not elect to do this, so we were kind of stuck to the front, but that's okay. Also, there was NO ONE in the theatre until five minutes into the previews, and then suddenly EVERYONE showed up. They also had different rating systems for movies and sweet British advertisements--our favorites were the advertisements with the international perception of Americans in them.
After class ended on Thursday, we went to the "Turf Tavern" with Chris & Tara, our two group leaders who left on Friday to head back to the States. This pub was SO AWESOME--it's really hidden and so it's not so touristy, and it was just a good time overall. We will be going back often, I'm sure.
Friday, six of us went to Bath (pronounced "Baaaaaahth" there). It was actually a really sweet place--first we went to the Roman Baths, which was definitely one of the best-organized historical museums we went to. We got to see the baths as they are today, as well as a lot of the archeological excavation they've been doing of the rest of the complex underground. On our little audio guides there was also a "Bill Bryson" option, where we could listen to his thoughts on what we were seeing as well as the actual info. After lunch there we took the FREE two-hour Bath walking tour, which was really great--it was nice not to have to take notes and just to be able to appreciate the city! After a lovely Thai dinner and a visit to the oldest pub in Bath, we headed back to Oxford on the train.
This morning, we decided to visit "The Cotswolds"--a region in the UK known for its picturesque villages. It definitely lived up to all the hype (see photo below)... it was absolutely beautiful country, and all of the towns we visited had flowers EVERYWHERE, which was just lovely! We visited three villages today: Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Bourton-on-the-Water. At Bourton-on-the-Water, my friend Bryan and I decided to go off and take a walk and we found this nature reserve that was essentially a bunch of cow pastures with trails running through them. The views of the countryside were fantastic there, and we definitely made friends with a couple of cows :-)
Once we were done with Bourton-on-the-Water, we stopped by Stow-on-the-Wold which has a slightly famous Roman Well that has water so clear you can drink it (which we all did). After a dinner in Moreton-in-Marsh we came back to Oxford with plans to go out to a pub, but then we were all too sleepy. I'm planning on going to bed ASAP at this point and taking tomorrow as my one opportunity to sleep in all summer. Besides some emailing and some shopping, I have absolutely NOTHING to do before dinner... it should be wonderful.
Anyway, that's all for now. If you'd like to see pictures of life at Oxford and/or our trips this weekend, here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016210&id=1326450024&l=352f458d1a
Happy 4th!
Dara
Everything is so pretty there, especially the countryside and good old Worcester college. Do they say "Wusstah?"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the photos.
XOXO,
Joyce
Well, all the Atlanta kids with their southern accents say "Woo-ster", but I am staunchly adhering to the New England pronunciation.
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