BES Journal Two

This weekend we had our first group trip. I was really excited for it because I have wanted to see what the UK is like outside of London.  The first stop on the trip was Stonehenge. On the bus there, I thought that Stonehenge was going to be amazing to see since it is such a well-known attraction. When we arrived, I was a little disappointed. It was not as big as people make it out to be, and we had to stay on a path that was at a distance from the site. I was hoping I would get to walk through the stones or at least be a little closer than the path allowed me to get. Do not get me wrong, Stonehenge is an incredible feat for the time it was constructed, but for me, it is just something I can say that I have seen. Next on the trip, which was also my favorite part of the trip, was Bath.

I found Bath to be beautiful! I enjoyed walking around Bath looking at the old architecture. It amazed me that a small city like Bath had so many things going on. It would not be hard to keep myself busy in Bath all day and all night. The Roman Baths were interesting and beautiful. I think I spent a few hours wandering around them. It shocked me how big the place was. From the outside and the initial entrance of the Baths, I thought I would be bored with it within an hour. I was wrong; there were so many hallways and rooms that it kept my interest the few hours I was there. What I really wanted to do was to try the water. So when I reached the exit, it didn't take me long to fill up a cup of the water and try it. It was not as bad as what people told me it was, but it still wasn't good. Not something I want to drink every day. Fast forward to the night life in Bath, and I would say that was a surprise.

Bath was crazy at night! There were so many people on the streets and at the pubs and clubs. It caught me off guard because it has more of a sleepy town feel to it during the day. The whole place did a 180 once the sun went down. I met quite a few people that night. Most of them lived outside of Bath, but came into the city for the night life. Two of the guys that I met made my night. These two threw every stereotype about anti-Americanism out the window. Once they found out that we were from America, they became very excited. One of the guys kept asking us to speak so he could listen to our accents. He was fascinated by us, and asked many questions about the states. I don’t think he knew much about the States because he asked me where I was from; when I said Iowa, he asked me what part of New York is that. It made me laugh, and definitely made my trip to Bath more memorable. At first, I was worried about anti-Americanism, but after my weekend in Bath and from the people I have met in Woburn Place, I just do not see the hate for America.  I guess it is just a stereotype.