An excursion outside of London

[Rewind a couple of weeks, to the distant time of March 5th]

I went on an overnight, small group tour to a bunch of places outside of London. We first went to Oxford, where we toured the campus and witnessed Oxford students in their traditional graduation garb.

 These creepy heads were all over the place.

 Bikes are truly the most widely-used form of transportation in Oxford.

My friends and I then wandered around the town for a little while and mid-exploration, were captivated by a fudge shop in front of which a woman was shouting “free fudge!” We couldn’t resist going inside to investigate, even if this was just another phony business strategy that required the customer to buy 5 pieces of fudge and a drink before receiving the free fudge. We did get free fudge inside in the form of small butterscotch fudge samples, and as we savored the taste of free fudge (which I can attest is more savory than fudge with a monetary value), we watched as a boy inside the shop prepared a new batch of chocolate fudge. Using a broom-like device, he spread a very undesirable-looking, goey brown substance (that resembled a certain bodily creation) around a table-top, re-shaping it and thinning it out several times. Regardless of this unfortunate eye-opening demonstration of the fudge-making process, we bought a wedge of chocolate fudge anyway (one that appeared much more appetizing). It was a wise purchase, needless to say. 

We hopped back in the van and drove towards the Cotswolds, an area of pleasant countryside villages in western England. We stopped at a small market town called Stow-on-the-Wold where we looked inside a historic-looking church, went in a few shops, and got some tea.

Along the bus ride, we came across another small village where we saw small British children taking part in their typical leisurely weekend routine - catching rubber ducks in a stream.

I also encountered a phone booth. I decided it was the “one,” and took my first phone-booth picture with it.

We then stopped at another small town called Bibury. I have no idea why this place was on the itinerary or why we spent nearly an hour there. There was really nothing there other than a trout farm, so we spent most of the time exploring the inside of the one and only building on the premises - a hotel - so we could avoid the swarms of mosquitoes outside. But to avoid sounding cynical, it was a pretty renowned trout farm that supplies most of the UK and some other countries with trout - so definitely check it out if you are fascinated by fish exports.

 The trout farm was actually really pretty, and a popular site for weddings (but choosing to set your wedding on a trout farm is a little unusual).

After the long eventful day, we drove to the hotel in Bristol. My friends and I played a few rounds of charades - some notable performances including “fish and chips” and “a mosquito” (inspired by those encountered in Bibury).

The next day, we got up early and drove to Bath. We spent hours walking around the Roman Baths, which is expansive and very cool to see. In fact, it is so cool that it has been titled a World Heritage Site, along with the rest of the city. 

 The royal crescent.

 A model of Romans in their natural habitat.

 The bathing sequence.

 A live portrayal of a Roman.

We stopped at Lacock next, a small medieval village. Apparently scenes of Harry Potter were filmed there. However, this meant nothing to me as I am lame and have not read the books nor seen the majority of the movies. 

Finally, we saw Stonehenge, and while a google-image search of these large stone structures probably would have sufficed and had the same impressionable effect, it’s one of those places you have to see for yourself anyways. However, I did find it absurd that there was an audio guided tour, with numbers to press at certain points along the trail around the structure (as if it really makes a difference where you stand). 

Supporting Stonehenge with the palm of my hand.

More recent events to follow.