The sun sets on another busy day

The sun sets on another busy day here at Harlaxton where we just spent the day in Cambridge. After an early departure to the train station we got ourselves into Cambridge for the villiage bus tour.

WOW!! is all I can say about it. All the architecture and history (and bicycles) were a lot to take in. We cruised down old cobblestone streets and past statues to get a feel for the atmosphere at the perch of the double-decker bus. On the bus tour, we hopped off at the Fitzwilliam Museum. We got a room by room look at everything from the Egyptian artifacts to the French Impressionist (loved that Monet!!) and beyond.
Kelly gave us mini classes at the galleries, bringing us up to speed on our history time lines. I have to say I liked the Fitzwilliam visit better than the Tate Modern we visited yesterday (it helped too that the weather today was only cool and not rainy). I couldn't get over how impressive it was to see all those artifacts and paintings. The history of it all and how we've been able to put it in a time line through art is just amazing to me. This has to be the best museum I've been in............and it didn't hurt that I got to see it all in Cambridge!




The side view of the Fitzwilliam Museum with the lions guarding the steps

Gate sign for the museum



Here we are at the entry foyer of the Fitzwilliam Museum





Picture of the entry foyer from the top of the staircase


Oh, let's not forget that their are approx. 120,000 people that live in Cambridge and there are almost 35,000 bicycles!!!! This is a "bike park" outside the train station.



The walk back to the train station made me appreciate their way of transportation over here. Not that many people have cars and they walk or ride their bikes everywhere!

We spent the rest of the day walkig the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. We went to King's College and took in whole thing. What an awsome piece of architecture!! This is all of us standing outside the College for a snapshot.

First day in London by Ashley Brown

Woke up early, we wake up early every morning but this morning was the worst despite my going to bed at 8:30pm last night. The train ride from Grantham to King's Cross Station was fun, sort of like Am Track, not at all what I had expected. While we were there it seems as though I may have offended the lady working in the station by saying "thank you" after she checked my ticket and passport; which would be normal American courtesy, however, that may not be the case here. It took about an hour to arrive in London from Grantham, which is about 100 miles.

When we arrived in London, we went on a sight seeing tour, which took up the majority of the day. It was my first experience on a double decker bus and most of our group sat on the top. We had an excellent tour guide that was very informative and friendly. We saw many sights and took a lot of pictures. Unfortunately my camera battery died. What we saw included the place where Paul McCartney met Linda Eastman, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, a pub that Charles Dickens used to drink in, and many others. I learned that that Geoffrey Chaucer is buried at Westminster Abbey, which would be interesting to visit.

Our last stop was the Tate Modern Art Museum, which I personally didn't find too appealing, but I don't like modern art. I don't like it because I don't find the qualities that make it art, however some critics would argue that point. Afterwards we headed back to Grantham, some of us want to a local pub and others came back to the manor.

We had a great day and now we get to have a little bit of rest and start over tomorrow.

A view of the Castle with the Cathedral in the background

One of the Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral

Sharing the day in the Conservatory - Tuesday

Wednesday at Lincolnshire

As I'm sitting here gazing out the window at the front entrance of Harlaxton, I can't help but be reflective of the day we experienced. From our "thrilling" dash to the town of Lincoln, to the moment we arrived back in time for the dinner meal, our day was full of excitement. We began the morning with our tour guide, Kay Lamb, who showed her love of the Lincoln Castle and the history held within its walls. Kay was very colorful in her descriptions of the beginnings of the Castle with King William of Normandy who had conquered England. Lincoln Castle built in 1068 was one of the first royal castles he built to control this new kingdom. This Castle has been used as a court and prison for more than 900 years. Unfortunately, it also served as the "hanging" location for the town of Lincoln. We scaled the stairs to the medieval tower of Cobb Hall which served as a prison, defense tower and public execution site. Kay carefully explained every purpose of the tower especially as being used as the site of hangings. These public executions were often a very anticipated social event for the community - often with 20,000 people observing the hangings. On a more cheerful note she detailed the romantic story of King Edward 1 and Eleanor whose love story surpassed none other. We had our sack lunch on the beautifully manicured lawn and enjoyed the lovely English gardens. We were also able to view an original Magna Carta document. The afternoon was enjoyed with a tour of Lincoln Cathedral built by the 12th century bishop, Saint Hugh. He was noted for protecting Jews and not be afraid to confront Kings Henry II, Richard and John. The Cathedral's stained glass windows were breathtaking. Our guide was very thorough in his explanation of the reason why the Cathedral was such an important part of the lives of pilgrims. After a quick trip to the gift shop, we head back to Harlaxton just in time for the dinner meal - Italian - to our delight. We plan to make it an early night, but since daylight lasts until almost 11:00 p.m., we often find it a little hard to turn in early. Oh well, somehow we always seem to be rested for the next day's travels.

Pictures from the Garden at Belvoir Castle

Our friendly friend from the Belvoir Castle

The Conservatory at Harlaxton

Landscape around Harlaxton

Day 3, June 10, 2008 "Kansas did it"

After a full night's sleep everyone seems to have a little bit more energy this morning. We attended a British Cultures class this morning and learned quite a lot about Victorian Country House Estates. The Harlaxton Manor is considered a Victorian Country House Estate.

It was very interesting to learn a little bit about the politics and land ownership over here in England. It is definitely different as compared to the USA. We also learned that the wheat grown over in the USA played a vital role in the downfall of the Victorian Country Estates.

Next we went to Belvoir, pronounced 'Beaver', Castle. All I can say is Wow!! It was just phenomial. We couldn't take any pictures of the inside but it was very ornate in some of the rooms. This definitely fit one's image of what a castle looks like. I have included some of the images of the outside.




Tonight we are supposed to be getting a guided tour of Harlaxton. It should be great.



I have to say that we are all pretty tired at this point. I don't think that we have fully recovered from the jet lag. And one more point, we think we drive fast in America, come to England, and just hang on!!

We made it to England!!

We finally made it! After a rocky start with bad weather, running the O'Hare 5K, and not sleeping on the plane....my first trip out of the country was great! I knew someday I would have to get on a plane and I'm so lucky to have experienced this with such a great group of people. Let's just say on the flight to Chicago, my nerves got the best of me and the tears started to fall. All the emotions I was feeling just came out in tears. No screaming, just tears. The feeling is not something I wish to experience again and thankfully by the time we were on our jumbo jet to London, I was feeling much better.
After arriving in London we still had a two an a half hour bus ride to Harlaxton. Our driver, David, was very nice and funny. He definetly wanted us to enjoy the "country side" (by the way...it looks like Kentucky). But once we finally approached Harlaxton...what a site. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful view. The manor is breath taking. A quick tour of the small village of Harlaxton and we were up the drive to the manor. We received a very warm welcome and soon were eating our first meal there, finding our rooms, and exploring the manor. Day one in England was quickly under our belt and the fatigue won over. After being awake for nearly thirty-one hours...a few of us hit the sack early.
To best describe how I felt through the whole ordeal of flying for the first time and stepping foot on English soil...where to begin. It is a trip I will never forget and one I will always be thankful for.