Hadrian's Wall

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sleepy right now, so this post won't be particularly emotive.

This weekend, we went to Hadrian's Wall, built in the beginning of the 2nd century by the Roman emperor Hadrian. He built this to mark the northern border of Roman rule in England. The wall is over eighty miles long. We first went to Housesteads, an excavated Roman fort. For so long we have been talking about Roman forts, their set-up, their construction, etc. But seeing a fort, walking around it and through it, was so much more interesting than just seeing a picture on a Powerpoint. Housesteads was situated in a beautiful location: rolling hills and sweeping vistas (and hedges and sheep!).
After exploring the fort, we hiked three miles to another point, where our coach was waiting. This hike, though more strenuous than I had anticipated, was the highlight of the excursion. We walked up and down hills and along cliffs. (I did almost trip on the edge of the cliff, which might have put a damper on the rest of the day).
Our last stop was Vindolanda, another Roman fort. This was not so picturesque as Housesteads, but it is one of the most important archeological sites in England. In the museum, we saw the Vindolanda tablets, which are correspondences between residents of the fort and other places. Some of them are about the military or transporting goods, but there is also a correspondence between two women where one invites the other to a birthday party. The excursion was pretty tiring, but definitely worth it.
Yesterday, Karyn and I went to the house of Vera and Ken, an older couple from our church, because we needed to interview some British people for our British culture class. They were so lovely! They told us about growing up in World War II (they're both about 82), particularly about the bombing of York and other raids. Vera served us tea and biscuits, and Ken showed us old photographs of him as a boy in the church choir. They also wanted to ask us questions. For some reason, the first question British people seem to ask us is "How are you affording this semester?" to which we reply, "We aren't." Oh well. If I don't think too much about it, maybe it will go away.
This week we are going to Clifford's Tower, the site where, in 1190, about 150 Jews took their own lives to avoid being murdered by an angry mob waiting outside. Yikes. Then, next weekend it's off to Edinburgh again to see the family!

This Yorkshire Life

Sometimes I wish I was blessed with the gift of spontaneous poetic inspiration. You know, like at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast when Belle gives a musical run-down of the happenings of her small provincial life. "There goes the baker with his tray like always, the same old bread and loaves to sell!"
Lately, I've been listening to Fleet Foxes more than is normal, which means that spring is upon us, and, with it, breathtakingly beautiful days. Don't get me wrong: there are still mornings when I look out the window, see the mist and drizzle, and say, "Britain, you and I are fighting" before jerking back the curtains. This week, however, Britain and I have been getting along swimmingly.
Yesterday was Friday, which means it was one of the busiest days in town. It also happened to be the most beautiful day we have had so far. After class, I was going to go back to my flat and do some homework (a task I am shamelessly putting on the back burner), but I couldn't do it. It had to get out into the fresh air. Walking down Low Petergate and rounding the corner to the Minster Square never fails to amaze me, and yesterday was no different. The sun was shining; the town was bustling with families, tourists, shoppers; there is a street performer who always sings in front of St. Michaels whose repertoire I know by heart; there is noise and excitement and a kind of fervor for life and—!
You see what I mean? Sometimes I want to twirl around with my arms open and start singing "The streets are alive with the sound of busking." I might even be able to garner a few pounds.
After being here a handful of weeks, I have found myself taking York for granted. I know all the streets and shops; I pass by them almost every day. Yesterday, however, I forced myself to look up and take in the town. One thing I've noticed about medieval architects is that they didn't give two straws about symmetry, uniformity, or straight lines. All the buildings slant and curve and eagerly lean forward. I have this theory that the builders did it on purpose. They knew that in about five hundred years, people would find this charming, thereby assuring that the buildings would last as delightful examples of medieval haphazardness.
As I'm halfway through the semester, I'm starting to feel panicky about leaving. I've taken this town on as my own. I'm starting to appreciate York's corners and recesses. Paradoxically, I'm starting to feel a great longing for piling into the car and going to Grand Haven to watch the sunset.
Traveling is confusing.

Lincoln and Other Things

First order of business: Happy birthday to my Mom!!! I love you and I hope you had a great day!
Ok, I think the next order of business is to apologize for not updating my blog in over a week. Especially since I went down to London to visit Mike last weekend. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot to tell, since I have had strep for the last week and a half. The day I left for Mike's I went to the doctor and got prescribed a week's worth of penicillin. This experience taught me to realize how much I depend on my couch and my TV and my family to go "there there, pookie" when I'm sick. I found that I don't much like taking care of myself.
So my weekend with Mike was extremely low-key. We did not get into London proper because I couldn't walk for more than twenty minutes at a time without having massive coughing attacks. Still, it was a great weekend all around because I got to see Mike. We watched movies and went out to eat and mainly stayed around his neighborhood. (And I went to Primark and bought a shirt!)
This weekend, we went on an excursion to Lincoln, another city that was at one time a Roman fort. During Roman occupancy, the legions built many roads. The longest road (that is still in use today, though now it's a highway) is Fosse Way, which goes from Exeter to Lincoln—about 200 miles in a roughly straight line! Well, Lincoln is known for the walled castle (where a portion of the Magna Carta is displayed), the bishop's palace (which is in ruins now), and the Lincoln Cathedral. My favorite part of the visit was to the cathedral. For some reason, though the day started out overcast and miserable in York, by the time we reached Lincoln, we were stripping off our coats and scarves and taking in the sunshine. Because of the sunshine, the lighting in the cathedral was spectacular; we spent most of our time there. We spent a great day meandering around the town, though I think we could have left an hour or so sooner.
That night many of us in the group went to a pub just to relax and talk. I spent the evening talking to some of Jessie's flat mates and their friend. They are all international students. One girl is from Mexico, one from Italy, and one from France. They were really awesome to talk to and I hope I'm starting to make some friends outside my Calvin group!
On the agenda this week is lots and lots of homework. My 3,000 work essay is due this week for my 19th Century Writing course. This is the only paper I have and makes up about 70% of my grade for that class (the other 30% is our final exam). We're also going to the Castle Museum on Wednesday. And, most importantly, it's less than three weeks until our trip to Edinburgh! Huzzah!