I had my first market experience! I went to the Borough and Jubilee Markets next to London Bridge on Saturday. It’s extremely popular for all their delicious and eccentric food! There were so many people; I have never been so claustrophobic in such an open area. I got to see a giant hogs head on display on top of a case of raw meat- venison and all. Right next to that, there was a conglomeration of “just killed” animals hanging by their necks, waiting to be bought. There was also The Fresh Olive Company, complete with a 75 pound bottle of olive oil!! I decided on a delicious cheesecake pastry, some brie, a loaf of freshly made bread, hot apple cider, a pretzel stick, and banana bread. Everything was absolutely delicious (I would know, it’s all gone now).
Sunday was quite the adventure. It was Evan Evans day- tour bus day. Three of my friends and I went to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath- all in one day. Think about what you think a castle might look like, you imagine a movie scene right? Well, that’s exactly what it looks like. It was gigantic and beautiful, I felt like I stepped into 1066. We got to see Mary’s dollhouse, a present from the nation to the queen. Everything in the dollhouse was completely real; the books had every word the original copies would have, the piano is playable, the linens are all made of the rarest and finest cloth. We also were able to tour the state rooms, four of them are still in use for parties and other gatherings. The ceilings had gold and pictures of Greek Gods, the walls were covered in luxurious fabrics, and the furniture was to die for- the finest upholstery, with gold accents on what seemed like everything.
The Queen was at the castle when we were, a few people from our tour got to see her leave the castle and drive away! When we went outside, we got to see some guards changing, and during the process, the Queen’s corgis were let out to run in the courtyard!! They were so cute.
Onto Stonehenge. This structure was believed to be built starting in 3000 B.C. and ended around 1200 B.C. Some of the stones are believed to be from Wales, which is a good 200 miles away from where the structure is located. No one knows how or why the structure is built, but there are some pretty good theories. I personally believe it was some sort of sacred and religious place, used for sacrifices. This belief stems from the druids, people who believe in the worshiping of natural things- such as rocks. Of course, the druids arrived many years after the completion of the structure, so they are not the original creators. My suspicion of this being a place of worship increased when I realized the structure is no longer by itself; many famous and important people have decided they wanted this possible holy ground to be their burial site.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how ridiculously cold, rainy, and windy it was. It was so windy that we couldn’t keep our umbrellas up because they kept blowing in our faces and inside out. So we put them down and got completely soaked from head to toe- it was hilarious and an absolute blast.
We then move onto Bath- this place looked like the British version of Greece. It was absolutely gorgeous, complete with houses built on giant hills, roman influence, and epic scenery. The Bath was discovered by the Romans and they used the area as a spiritual and sacrificial space. The museum had all sorts of artifacts that were found in the bath areas, thought to be offerings to the Gods. In the 1700s, it was rediscovered by Queen Anne who discovered it had healing powers (I don’t know about all that, but whatever). After getting a quick sandwich, we were finally on our way home, 2 ½ hours later, we were back in our own rooms. It was quite a day….
Love from London,
B
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