Tuesday:
After class on Tuesday we went on a tour of Soho, which combined history and health care like every other tour we’ve been on since we first arrived. This is not surprising considering the classes we are taking but it was very unfortunate in this circumstance because we were COLD and TIRED and ready to ditch the tour at our first chance. Michalec runs a tough camp though and he kept an eye on the whole group even though he hated the tour too. Edgar was the only happy one because he found the perfect place to purchase a messenger bag JUST like Michalec’s. He is well on his way to becoming a cool, hipster professor. We also learned the true meaning of the name Soho, which is the hunting call for English gentlemen who used to, you guessed it, hunt.
After the Soho part of the tour, we found to our dismay that there was MORE. Every one of our instincts told us to make a run for it, but we didn’t listen to them. Brittany’s contact even fell out so she was half blind for the rest of the day. She ended up leaving it on the streets of London so that a part of her will always be here. ANYWAY after that incident we took a long bus to an old operating room above a church. Don’t worry; they put sawdust on the floor so that the massive amounts of blood wouldn’t drip down onto the worshipers below. How kind.
Our tour guide demonstrated how an 18th century surgery would have gone and it sounds very painful. AGAIN we learned more about Samuel Pepys than we ever wanted to know. Megan actually felt nauseous after looking at the tools they would have used. What a wimp. Good thing she’s taking a HEALTH CARE class.
After the demonstration we rushed out and took the first bus we could back to our part of London where we felt safe. We left the hotel to finally do some laundry because we had been putting it off for two weeks. It was sort of an experience…there was no coin machine (DUMB), so we had to go buy things at a convenience store to get the change. Then Megan realized she forgot to put the soap in the washer before she turned it on. The only good part about that place was the nice old lady who gave Brittany her dryer with some extra money on it.
After all the excitement of the day we decided to stay in and play gin rummy, which actually isn’t all that fun with three people but we toughed it out. The end.
Wednesday:
We had to wake up around 6am to prepare for the trip to Stonehenge& Bath, so we were a bit miserable for a few hours. After 2 hours of uncomfortable and inconsistent napping, we arrived at STONEHENGE (or J. STONEhenge as we sometimes call it). Once again, there were demonic birds roaming the area, but we managed to cross through a tunnel towards the massive stones.
Of course Michalec and Ermann teamed up to give us a short tour of Stonehenge, and I’m pretty sure we came to some consensus that aliens must have created the structure. After one lap around and one group picture, it was back to the bus.
About an hour later we arrived in Bath, and we had some free time to roam and EAT which was perfect since we were both dying of starvation and sleep deprivation. Additionally, we may have suffered minor injuries from the bus ride. We ended up finding a nice cafe with really great staff who actually were not rude. Though the French Onion soup was far from perfect, Brittany did enjoy some mint tea while Megan most likely burned her tongue on coffee (this happens 9 out of 10 times).
We met the group at the town center where we split up for separate tours. We learned about King Edgar (this caused Edgar to get a little carried away, and he even requested for Michalec to bow down to him at one point). I might not be exaggerating. Though it was quite chilly, the tour made us both realize how much we want to live in Bath.
Where else is it socially acceptable for me to bathe whenever I want (without any water leaking into a clothing store and getting called a dirty person by my landlord)? Where else can I drink tea all day? Basically life in Bath seems ideal (or at least used to be). The people of Bath drank magical water each morning, and then bathed in public baths. This was followed by tea time, gossiping, a few hours of getting ready, and then off to the theater. WHAT A LIFE. Oh, and did I mention Nicholas Cage (star of many slightly not above average films) fell in love with Bath and moved there (however, he sold it away due to his lack of revenue from these films)?
After the walking tour we warmed up and took a tour of the Roman Baths—the site of natural hot springs once used for public bathing. The tour itself was interesting especially since much of the site is still intact. Though we were tempted to jump into the large pool of water, we realized it may not be quite sanitary and we may also get in some trouble.
When the tour finished, we were each allowed to try one glass of “spa water” in the Pump Room. Apparently spa water is a precious commodity which has healing powers. According to the website:
You can try the hot Spa water at the fountain in the Pump Room. It contains 43 minerals and has a rather unusual taste. Spa water has been used for curative purposes for two thousand years. Originally treatments involved bathing in the hot waters, then in the late 17th Century drinking spa water also came to be a recognised treatment for certain conditions.
Well, this curing water smelled like straight up rotten eggs (yum). 5 of us decided to get 3 glasses (since Megan and Glenn chose to only try a sip). Of course the 3 of us immediately chugged the sulfur filled water, convinced we would turn invincible by the end. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and instead we got on the bus for a 4 hour drive (lots of traffic) back to the hotel.
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