My friend
Sarah got married this past summer! Whoo hoo! So, naturally, we hopped on a plane and threw ourselves on her family's hospitality for a week and a half.
The last time I visited England I was twelve, I still remember that trip clearly, it's one of my favourite memories, and I'd vowed to return one day - it looks like God decided to oblige me ;) This time we met up with
Twimper,
Jake,
Vertimyst and
Bethany.
I came back with a lot of inspiration, I could spend my whole life there and have no end to it. There is so much history known and unknown.
We spent a day in London and another in Bath, the rest of the time we explored Abingdon and Oxford. I had no idea there were so many universities there! I always assumed that "Oxford University" was one institution, it turns out it is
many under one title. We were fortunate to have a friend who works at
Oxford University Press and she took us on a tour of some of the universities. We got to see where Tolkien taught and walked.
I felt like there were more tourists in England than Englishmen.
My favourite part of our trip was Avbury. It's a stone circle older than Stone Henge (they estimate about six to nine thousand years old), but not as large. When we visited it was sunset and there was a warm wind blowing. In order to see the stones you have to open gates and walk through fields filled with grazing sheep. It's created a brewing story in me.
The countryside in England was so green - my Favourite colour :D
The picture below is at the Roman Baths. I wish I could sit in that rounded window room and write for hours.