Hello, friends! Sorry about that delay in writing.
At the
moment, I am sitting in Beer’s only café with wifi, listening to three elderly
women talking about the proper way to barbeque sausage. I am also eating a
delicious warm scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Accompanied with
strawberry tea, it is incredibly comforting. The English do a lot wrong with
food, but “tea” they get right.
Monday, we
headed out from Canterbury and most of the day was spent traveling to Beer.
However, we stopped for a few hours at the village that Jane Austen lived in
most of her adult life. We began by touring the Manor of Chawton, which was
built in the sixteenth century and was at one time owned by Jane’s brother,
Edward.
 |
| Manor of Chawton |
It is now a library dedicated to women authors of the 18th
and 19th century, and the manor is incredibly beautiful: original
wood-working, fire-places from the 1600’s, and acres of farm-land and gardens.
We saw a large wooden table used by Jane and her family, nooks where she would
have read, and hallways she wondered for exercise.
We took
lunch in the garden (Lucy-rose provided pita and hummus, as English packaged
sandwiches leave something to be desired) before heading to the estate church
and grave-yards. Jane’s mother and sister are buried there. We took turns
“baa-ing” at the sheep before walking into town to see Jane’s house.
 |
| english gardens, lucyrose style |
 |
| church & graveyard of the manor |
 |
| not a "ba-aaad"picture, if you ask me |
The house is small, quaint: a cute little cottage where Jane
lived and wrote. We toured briefly, saw her writing desk and room, and observed
a few of her letters.
 |
| jane's door-way |
After that,
we bundled back into the bus for another long ride. This may sound odd, but I
don’t mind these bus rides much. True, I do get rather car-sick at times but
the English country-side is absolutely incredible. Green hills roll on
endlessly, dotted with small sheep and rustic cottages. The sky seems bluer
here and closer somehow, and the clouds hover dangerously near. We casually passed Stone Henge
on our way to Beer—we’ll be returning there in a few weeks to catch a closer
look.
Tuesday was
spent mainly doing classes. I did walk into town twice (about a 10 minute
amble), which is a cute historic fishing village that seems, by its plethora of
B&B’s, to do a lot of tourism. Talked to a few locals who kept asking if I was on holiday. I figured out the key to chatting up the locals: just pet their dog. Instant convo topic and who could dislike a dog lover?
I hiked a bit, taking the coastal sea-path
for some incredible views as well as meandering through some sheep pastures for
an amazing sunset view. Had some conversations with a few sheep on the other pasture. We're plotting a revolt, don't worry.
It’s the best of both worlds, really—the sea and the
country merge in an easy embrace.
 |
| beer, sadly with no beer |
 |
| not dissapointed |
Today is a
bit of the same thing. Hiking, classes, exploring. Lots of fresh air
and…allergies, unfortunately. But I like it here. Couldn’t live here, mind you,
but I like it for a two week stay.
Tomorrow,
we’re headed to Bath. Stay tuned. Roman baths and pump rooms and literary
references shall ensue.
No comments:
Post a Comment