It’s been a few days since I wrote. Apologies.
Monday and Tuesday: homework and hiking and just basically
hanging out with the same 35 people. This whole group thing has been an
adventure. As Anna, one of the girl who works at the Beer hostel said, “Thirty
five people and you’ve been together for two months? It’s a wonder there hasn’t
been a murder yet!” I agree, Anna.
Monday, Nathaniel, AJ, and I hiked to Seaton rather
spontaneously in the afternoon. We took the coastal path which twists up the
hills, providing excellent views of the sea below.
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| AJ, what a swell kid |
The ocean glistens under the
sunlight like salmon scales and the breeze is salty and fresh. The town itself
is about 1.5 miles away, and it’s rather cute. However, we got there around
5:15 and almost everything there closes at 5 pm. Unfortunate, but we did hit up
the food Co-op and Tesco, purchasing some fresh fruit and veg before catching
the bus back. The hike is rather steep and the bus isn’t free, so I haven’t
been there as often as I’d like, but it’s a large sea-side town with several
cafes and vintage stores. I’m planning on heading back there Sunday.
Tuesday afternoon, Namatha, Sophie, and I spent the afternoon
after classes lying on the beach, sunbathing, talking, and people-watching. It
was relaxing.
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| fishing boats on beer beach |
Tuesday night, I popped into The Anchor pub (one of the
three places here with free wifi) to skype my boyfriend. Ordered a cappuccino
and stayed for about an hour before I got several rude looks from the
manager/waiters. It’s been a bit rough to get wifi here. We need it for school
& to keep in touch with family/friends but there’s no wifi in the hostel,
so we have to trek 10 minutes into town. However, the people of Beer aren’t
super friendly when you order a coffee and stay at their establishment for 2
hours on the computer. We don’t think about it much in the states, but I think
it’s a cultural thing—it’s not done as much here, especially in small towns
with privately owned places. And with a group of 35 American kids staying in a
small town—word gets around quickly that we don’t spend a lot of money and stay
for awhile…. so we haven’t been greeted exuberantly by the coffee shop/pubs as
of late.
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| dr colon posted this photo of me-- chilling by the bathrooms, just trying to get that wifi |
Wednesday, we took a two hour bus ride to Stonehenge, which
is actually incredibly cool. We marveled at the Neolithic burial mounds and
observed the incredibly huge stones stacked precariously on top of each other
to form a sort of sun temple, built 4, 500 years ago. Stonehenge is in the
middle of rolling green-grass hills that stretch out endlessly, and the sky
looks as if it’s been placed on a glass table that hovers close by the earth.
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| roofless past |
We learned about the pre-historic people, the history of the place, why it
might have been built there, and how the 70 ton stones might have been brought
from so far away. Sheep stare at you a few feet away from behind fences and
starlings pluck worms out of the earth. It’s a merging of humanity’s history
and nature, and a record of how humans have attempted to interact with the earth for
centuries.
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| just think of what this looks like during the sunrise! |
Afterwards, we headed to Salisbury village to check out the
cathedral there. Consecrated in 1258, the cathedral houses one of the original
copies of the Magna Carta, which is on display for the public and is
celebrating its 800th anniversary.
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| salisbury cathedral |
Graves of knights and royalty from the 1300’s to the 1900’s
lie off to the side, stone carvings of saints hide in the shadows, and candles
flicker in individual cathedrals set aside for prayer. Britain’s tallest spire
juts boldly into the sky, the stone walls rise hundreds of feet to graciously
meet the intricately painted ceiling, and the stain glass windows filter in a
peaceful transcendence of pale red and yellow light. This place seemed a bit
more human than the other cathedrals we’ve been to, a bit more attainable.
Perhaps because it was smaller or less crowded, I felt closer to God here than
I have yet been able to. It may be tempting to say that all the cathedrals tend
to look the same after awhile, but I’d have to disagree—each one contains a
certain aura, and the delicate decorations and ornamental displays are always
different and consistently beautiful.
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| entry way |
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| view from inside the chapter house/cloister |
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| incredible ceiling |
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We headed into the bus for one last stop: George Herbert’s
small parish church in Salisbury. George Herbert was a 17th century
poet, writing such devotional poems such as “The Collar” and “The Altar.” His
church is a small, stone building, with not even enough seating for our group.
The contrast between that humble parish and Salisbury was striking. We sung a
hymn there and read one of his poems before bundling back into the bus for a two
hour ride back to the hostel.
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| george herbert's church |
Today, after classes, we headed to the Beer Quarry
Caves. I hope to post about that experience tomorrow.
We will be leaving Beer Monday, and though this place is
wonderfully beautiful, I will be happy to move on.
Cheers, folks!
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