Stonehenge by Emmaline Swena

July 16, 2011

Today we went to one of the oldest and most mysterious places in the world, but also one of the best known. I am talking, of course, about Stonehenge, the Neolithic stone circle.

Dating from prehistoric times (3000 BCE – 1000 BCE), Stonehenge is renowned for how little we know about it. We do not know who built it, though theories range from the Druids, to the Greeks, to the Atlantians; and we do not know how the stones, some of them from 250 miles away, were brought to Salisbury Plain.

For all that we do not know about Stonehenge, there is much that we do know. For example, the flat stone in the foreground of the picture is known as the Slaughter Stone, so named because it was initially believed that the Druids used the stone as a sacrificial altar. However, archaeological evidence has disproven this, as the stone was initially standing and the Druids would have had to stand on a ladder to sacrifice their victims!

After Stonehenge, we went to the city of Bath. It was just beautiful. The city managed to have the feel of a tiny little town with its twisty streets cute cottages, but also had a very busy downtown with everything you’d need. And, of course, there was the Roman baths.

Stonehenge by Emily Onizuka

July 16, 2011

Today we journeyed to Stonehenge and Bath. The long bus ride gave us plenty of time to catch up on sleep so in a way we got to sleep in, and that's always a good thing. While we weren't sleeping we got to enjoy some beautiful scenery. I couldn't help but wonder what faeries were hiding in the rolling hills and endless fields.

Stonehenge really was amazing to see. We got all sorts of pictures from all sorts of angles and hey, maybe when we look back at them we'll make some kind of genius observation that will lead to a breakthrough archeological discovery, or maybe we'll just rememeber seeing some old rocks with some new friends. Who knows?

Then we travelled to Bath. Apparently it was named for the water that was used as a public bath by the ancient Romans though its history goes way back to the Celtic era. There was also a delicious Fish & Chips place with some interesting people with awesome accents.

Overall, it was a pretty good day. I wonder what wonderous things we'll be seeing next.

Arrival in England by Marijke Jurriaans

July 15, 2011

Hello family and friends back home!  We are officially in England!!!!

Today we packed up our bags and headed to the ferry around 11:00 and we are all proud to say we were 12 minutes early! Yay for us!  After arriving at the ferry terminal we spent all our change at the vending machines on chocolate and chips so we wouldn’t come home with Euros.  How considerate are we? Very. 

Next we boarded the ferry, which was more like a mini cruise with all its shops, lounges, restaurants –and yes that is plural.  Not to mention the arcade and casino.  After our wonderful boat trip which was around 2 and a half hours long we arrived in England. We breezed through security and all our strong boys quickly loaded up the bus for our 6 hours ride to London.

We stopped for a quick dinner along the way and arrived at College Hall in London very late.  We are all very excited to be in London and ready to see all the amazing sights! We miss you!