The British Museum and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre by Jessica Stephens

In 1822, after studying the Rosetta Stone and other ancient Egyptian writings, Jean-François Champollion was able to decipher heiroglyphs. The Elgin marbles were a bit more of a trick to find since upon hearing the word marbles, the majority of us thought of the tiny round marbles from our childhood. After asking a few of the staff members to point us in the right direction, we entered a large room filled from end to end with marvelous sculptures made out of , you guessed it, marble. Instantly, there was no longer a question as to what we were looking for and the amazement took over as we looked upon them. The sculptures were so breathtaking that it was clear we had made it to the right place.

This large collection was a part of the Parthenon in Athens and has been on display in the British Museum since 1817. The building was altered and damaged over the years due to its many uses. It was originally built as a temple dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war and crafts. Later it became a church of the Virgin Mary of Athenians, a mosque, and then an archeological ruin after a gunpowder explosion damaged a large majority of the remaining marbles while the city was under siege. The existing marbles can be found in museums in 6 different countries with the majorities in Athens and London.

After we left the museum we headed to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where we were to see a showing of the play Macbeth. This modern recreation of the Globe Theatre was built in 1997. The original, built in 1599, was lost to a fire on June 13, 1613, during a performance of Henry VIII as the result of a stage cannon firing and catching the thatched roof aflame. It was later replaced in June 1614 on the same site but was closed in 1642 because of an ordinance by the Puritan-led English Parliament that put an end to all stage plays in theatres. The theatre was later destroyed, in 1644, by the Puritans.

Our first glimpse into the world of Shakespeare came as three hag-like witches began wandering throughout (and under) the crowd in the standing-room only area. Those “lucky” enough to be in this area were covered from the shoulders down by a quite curious black tarp that allowed only their heads to poke through so as they could see nothing of what was going on below. It was clear as to where the witches were slithering about beneath the tarp by the squeals and squirming of the audience. Through these strategically placed holes in the tarp and also the stage arose bloody, writhing men who were clearly in helpless agony. The one occupying the opening at center stage was pulled out by the first of the main characters, thus beginning the show and bringing the audience to silence. The graphic and rather grim show left some of us fighting back the tears and watching the bumps rise on our arms in the 75 degree weather. Throughout the majority, the audience was for the most part speechless, though at moments we were left laughing quite audibly at the humorous moments that relieved us of some of the anguish being portrayed on stage.

Once the show had finished and the standing ovation had left my hands feeling numb, we were all headed to meet up when I was lucky enough to come across the actor who provided the majority of the comedic relief throughout the play. He was nice enough to allow me to have my picture with him to keep as a reminder of this once in a lifetime chance of seeing Macbeth at the Globe Theatre.

We set out, walking along the river enjoying sights including Big Ben, Parliament, the London Eye and some rather interesting street performers.
Dinner was had and our ride back on the Tube was much easier on the return trip. My last evening was spent reminiscing about the trip and putting together the jig-saw puzzle of souvenirs that had to somehow fit into my suitcase. While the realization of going home brought some relief to my feelings of nostalgia, it was very much bittersweet. This trip has opened up my eyes to a new culture and my own willingness to learn, and has left me undoubtedly planning a return visit.

We took the London Underground, which is known as “The Tube,” to get to the theatre. Sounds pretty simple right? Well, after catching a few trains to and fro, we managed to find the right one and it was smooth sailing after that. Though I have to admit, I was sweating at the thought of missing what was to me the most awe-inspiring experience of the trip. Once off of the tube we hightailed it by foot to the theatre, catching a quick glimpse of the London Bridge and arriving with a few moments to spare and allow us to catch our breaths before the performance began. As we filed into the rows and looked upon the grandeur of this building that represented so much history in not only the theatrical world but also the culture of the city, it was apparent how fortunate we were to be occupying those seats.

Day 11 June 22, 2010

We started off our last full day in London by walking to the British Museum. Though we only had a short while there, we were able to see many truly amazing artifacts thanks to a sort of “treasure hunt” we were sent on. This allowed us to see and learn about artifacts from Egypt all the way to Mesopotamia. Among the relics that we saw, two of the most fascinating were the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. The Rosetta Stone was amazing to see. It was found in the year 1799 but carved 196 B.C.. It was written using three different scripts and in two different languages.

Stonehenge
By Jaime Salinas
Summer solstice was today and our last stop took us to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is still to this day one of the oldest and most mysterious monuments dating back to 3000 B.C. There have been many speculations about its construction and for what purpose it was used. One of the most common speculations is that it is an ancient calendar that man used to mark the changing seasons. But if that were in fact an ancient calendar, why build only one? Another of the speculations was that it was built as a pagan ritual site to honor the gods. Ancient man would bring food or animal to sacrifice to the gods. One of the stranger speculations was that ancient man had a little help from celestial beings (aliens). But since there are no records and none have been found yet, no one will know the real reason it was built.
But why would ancient man choose to carve these big rocks and then move them from one part of ancient Britain to another? Why not build this monument at the location where they found the rocks; it would have been a whole lot easier since the wheel had not been invented yet. So why go through the trouble of moving these rocks over hundreds of miles. Then once they managed to get the rocks to the location, how were they able to put it together in such a precise way? They had some of the most basic tools, so how was it that they were able to stack - let alone stand - these rocks?
There is no way to know about the true origin of Stonehenge and the reason why it would be built out in the middle of nowhere. But you have to see it to get the feeling that pictures cannot even begin to describe.

Day 4 – York by Brandi Holder
On day 4 we traveled to the bustling city of York. It was very full of life and excitement. We departed at 8:10am for the train. The train we rode took us from Grantham to York. When we finally arrived, we had to walk for about ten minutes to actually get to York Cathedral. There were many people walking from place to place. It’s always interesting to see different towns at their busiest times because it’s different from anything in the USA.
I remember when I first saw the York Cathedral. All I could say was, “Wow.” You always see big cathedrals like York in movies but to see it first hand was breathtaking! The cathedral was built in the gothic style. It was extremely big and beautiful. There were many long stained glass windows that seemed to stretch from the top of the church to the bottom. The cathedral had enormous steeples that were coned shaped on the top.
The insides of the church were very interesting. The stained glass windows were even prettier on the inside! The colors were magnificent and very vibrant. Our tour guide was a minister of the cathedral; he told us that there were 28 windows and over 2 million pieces of glass! Can you imagine all the time it must have taken to assemble those enormous windows? Some of the men working on the glass worked all their lives and never got to see how wonderful the finished product was! One particular window called ‘The Five Sisters’ was the inspiration for a Charles Dickens novel called Nicholas Nickleby.
After the tour was over we discovered that there were many little shops along the streets of the town. We had free time until our train arrived, so we decided to spend some time shopping. The little shops were very quaint. We all had a great time shopping in many different shops. We found shops that had clothes, jewelry, and snacks. Other stores we found were stores like Poundland, which is the equivalent of our dollar store or tree. We all enjoyed that store very much! Everything seemed so cheap to us. We also found an ‘alternative’ clothing shop which sold rock t-shirts, posters and jewelry. Some of the other students found a flea market and said that they enjoyed it very much. It was a good experience for learning to use pounds and pence.
After tiring ourselves out with the cathedral tour and shopping, we were happy to catch our train to return home. It’s very nice after a long day to come back home to a place as beautiful as Harlaxton!

London - Stacy G.

Our time at Harlaxton has sadly come to an end this morning, and yet we are all smiles and giggles as we pack for London. We take one last look at the striking landmark known to us as the Manor House, and our understanding and appreciation are immediately heightened. However, we must say farewell for now and continue to journey on, for London is waiting.
Some of the educational highlights of the city include the knowledge that London’s history can be dated back to 43 A.D. when it was founded by the Romans. Today London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is Britain’s largest metropolitan area, and the world’s largest financial center. Over three-hundred languages and many distinctive cultures make up London’s population, making England one of the most diverse areas on the earth.
There are also over three-hundred theaters, and thousands of shops, so upon our arrival we decided to tour the streets while making our way to Saint Paul’s Cathedral to attend an organ recital. The music was glorious, and the cathedral was amazing on the grandest scale. While it is true that we have had the opportunity to tour many incredible cathedrals while in England, I must say that Saint Paul’s had a breathtaking effect on the group as a whole. I could not be more thankful for the experience and the education that this trip has afforded me.
Stacy G.

Windsor Castle/Bath by Samantha

Hello everyone! We had quite a big day today and we were blessed with beautiful, warm weather. This morning we met our lovely tour guide who stuck with us most of the day. She went above and beyond by giving us lots of information as we were riding from place to place, which made it all the more enjoyable. Our schedule today included the following: Windsor Castle, Jane Austen Museum, Bath, and Stonehenge.
Windsor Castle was, needless to say, outstanding. The Queen spends a lot of her leisure time at this Castle, and we were told that the Queen was actually there today! We were able to tour the State Rooms, the Queen’s Dollhouse, and St. George’s Church. An exciting part of the Windsor Castle trip was the Changing of the Guards, which was very cool.
After we left Windsor, we hopped back onto our bus and headed to the city of Bath. In Bath, we visited the Jane Austen Museum. We listened to a presentation about Jane Austen for several minutes, and then walked through the exhibits. Jane Austen lived in Bath for 5 years and at least made mention of Bath in all 6 of her novels. She actually used the city as a backdrop for 2 of her novels. The exhibits showcased some period clothing and also tried to bring her stories to life.
Our next stop was the Roman Baths. On the way there, our tour guide clued us in on the legend of Bath. The legend has it that a Prince long ago had leprosy and was ordered to leave his Father’s, (the King’s) courts. He later bought pigs and then traveled. These pigs however, had back sores. After coming to a place to rest, the pigs went to bathe in water. When the pigs came out, the Prince had noticed that the back sores on the pigs were gone. Hoping there was something magical about this water, the Prince himself bathed in the spring. The Prince was then cured and was allowed to return to his Father’s courts. Now this is only a legend, but I quite like it!
The idea is that the baths cure diseases. There was actually a Queen who wasn’t able to have children and decided to bathe in the Baths. She later was able to conceive.
One thing we do know for certain is that the Bath is the only hot water spring in the country. It is about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The Romans would originally use the cold bath for exercise or lounging, then the hot bath for a sauna effect, or massage.
Our next and final stop was Stonehenge. It was a special day to visit this legendary site because it was the Summer Solstice…

Grantham By LeeAnn

Today we met at the Guild Hall in Grantham for a walking tour of the city. Grantham is the birthplace of the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and is also the place where Isaac Newton went to school. Grantham’s population has grown drastically since 1801 when it was merely 3,300. This growth was because of world class agriculture equipment being introduced to the city. People came from nearby villages to where the money and lifestyle were better. Grantham, originally having one school for boys and a church, grew to have many of both. Today Grantham’s population is over 40,000.
There were lots of fascinating facts and places the tour guide shared with us, one of them being the Beehive Pub. It has a bee hive out front that acts as the pub’s sign with living bees inside. Next there was a relic of war painted on a brick wall which pointed to the emergency water supply. It changed color if the town was bombed, and Grantham was the most bombed town in England until the Blitz in 1940.
The most interesting place we visited was the parish church. The parish church has a lot of history in it including the Anglo Saxon pre-Norman part from about 950 A.D., the Norman part which goes up to about year 1219, and Grantham’s first marketplace. One of the things I found interesting in the church was one of the stained glass windows. It had four panes the two on the left pictured good people going to heaven, and the panes on the right side pictured bad people going to hell. The right two panes always stay dark no matter the time of year, because it was placed with a building blocking just those two panes from ever getting sunlight. The church also has a chain library called the Trigge library, which is the home to a book that has no other copy in the world. Its oldest book dates back to 1472 and it also has a book that belonged to Christopher Columbus.
After the tour we went shopping throughout the city and headed back to the manor for dinner and class time.
-LeeAnn

Classroom away from home

We have been meeting in the Harlaxton Manor conservatory for our evening meetings - a lovely classroom!

Sandringham House-Molly Pease

Sandringham Hall is an 18th-century house that has 7,000 acres and was bought for the Prince of Wales in 1862. It was a plain Georglan house that only had two Victorian additions, an entrance porch and a conservatory. In 1870 it became clear to the Prince of Wales that the house was not big enough for his growing family, so he had it almost completely demolished and rebuilt to the grand house we see today. This is where the Queen of England and her family stay over the Christmas season.



This is the bachelor wing that was added to the south of the house in the 1890s. It originally housed an indoor bowling alley.



This is the ballroom that was added in 1881. Annual balls were held here for the ‘County’, Tenants’, and ‘Servants’. It is still used today for parties and the Royal family uses it as a cinema to watch film in as well.



This is the Saloon. The front door of the house opens straight into the Saloon. This is where the balls were held before the Ballroom was added to the house.



This is the Dining room. The style was originally set up to have breakfast and lunch served at several small tables and dinner served at one long table. This was called the Edwardian style.



This is the Drawing room that the Prince of Wales had a curtain hung in at one time to give the appearance that it was actually two rooms. When Queen Mary lived there she re-organized the house and opened this room up as it appears today.

Lincoln Castle and Cathedral

Thursday June 17 – Day 6
Sometimes when traveling it is the tiny things that happen that really have an impact on you. For instance, this morning, while riding the coach to Lincoln, I could not help but notice that about twenty minutes into the ride all of the passengers grew exceedingly quiet. While at first I recognized this as sheer exhaustion settling in among the weary travelers, I then realized that it was so much more than that. It was a display of how very comfortable we have all become.
We made our way to Lincoln excited that we had the most beautiful weather thus far on the trip, and were immediately awestruck when we pulled into the square and laid eyes on Lincoln Cathedral, which towers into the skyline with a demanding presence. Finding ourselves with a little time to spare before our tour was set to start, we took the opportunity to wander the streets of the quaint town and relished in the peaceful atmosphere. While most of us stayed within the area of the main square, a few adventurous students decided to head down the road a small way, and, on their way back, discovered one of Lincoln’s less notorious features, a large hill that sits at about a forty-five degree incline.
We started our day with a tour of Lincoln Castle, an imposing structure that displays the Norman Motte-and Bailey style of architecture. The castle was originally built by William the Conqueror to be used as a military fortress. One of the reasons that he chose the location was because it afforded a view that spanned twenty-five miles giving him approximately a two day advantage over any opposition that may try to attack. The castle was originally constructed with wood from Sherwood Forest, but was redone in stone by 1115.
The grounds of the Lincoln Castle also contains an old jailhouse, a courthouse that is still currently active, and an exhibit that proudly displays one of only four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta, and a copy of the Charter of the Forest, a 1217 re-issue of the Magna Carta. After touring all of these sites we sat in the castle yard to have our lunch, soak up some good weather, and prepare for our next tour.
We then made our way to Lincoln Cathedral, which is only two years older than the castle itself, and found ourselves once again stunned by the beauty within its walls. While there are simply too many details about the Cathedral to go into them in any great detail, I will share some of the more interesting tidbits our guide shared with us. If a visitor is lucky enough to get a view from the top they will notice that the structure is actually shaped like a cross. I was also quite interested to hear that the Cathedral contains an organ that, in 1869, became one of the first to be converted to electric and the second story of the Cathedral is filled with the organ pipes that are over three thousand in number. Lastly, being a huge fan of Dan Brown I was very excited to hear that Lincoln Cathedral was used to portray West Minster Abbey in the popular film Da Vinci Code.
There is no way to adequately describe the effect these locations have had on all of our senses. This trip is truly the opportunity of a lifetime, and, while it is difficult, I could not be happier to be sitting on this side of the computer as the one attempting to express the beauty and wonder that we have seen along the way.
Molly Hodgen

Cambridge College/ Fitzwilliam Museum by Dawn Strickland

On our way on the train looking out the windows, the view is breath taking -how green and open the fields are. I can see for miles. Looking at all the houses, I can just see all the history that is in the house. Every house has at least one chimney; it’s very different than our houses in the United States. Also on the train we saw wind turbines and they seem a lot bigger here than the ones in the United States. The wind turbines in the United States take up a lot of space, whereas, in Great Britain their turbines are bigger and need less space. We had to get off in Ely to transfer to another train that went to Cambridge.
Cambridge came from the bridge that goes over Cam River. Guild Hall is the coat of arms of Cambridge, and everyone that has been there from wars put their mark on it. Twelve hundred and nine students came from Oxford University. When the students arrived they lived with monks; then the area became colleges: there are thirty one. Small group and lecture are the students’ tuition. The students go for three semesters of eight week classes. Students come to Cambridge University for three years and graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. If the student on graduation day is wearing a red or blue cloak, they are graduating with their masters degree. Students still climb the buildings at night to see how far around Cambridge they can go. Two of the colleges are just for women; the rest are mixed. We had a very cozy tour around the college.
Other places we visited-
Eagle Pub was built somewhere between the fourteen to fifteen hundreds. The place was used for people to stop in for the night and take baths. In this same pub Royal Air Force and Americans wrote their name on the ceiling in cigarette smoke.
Saxons came over from Germany and built the St. Benet’s Church which is dated back to one thousand and twenty five. The stone is the only part that is from the original church.
Cavendish Laboratory was built in the eighteen hundreds. Isaac Newton discovered gravity in the laboratory and he went to King’s College. Also discovered in the laboratory was the atom, DNA, etc. The Laboratory of Physical Chemistry is the coat of arms for King’s College. St. Botolph’s, saint of travelers, helped the United States come up with the name Boston which originated from his name. Cambridge University Press is the number one publisher in the world.
King’s College is the third largest college in Cambridge University which was built in fourteen hundred and forty one. King’s College Chapel started out being built by King Henry VI who was very religious. He bought the land and demolished shops, churches, and a college to build this Chapel. The church is the only one made of stone. Out of all thirty one colleges Trinity is the largest and founded by King Henry VIII. The coat of arms on the chapel main entrance represents King Henry III’s sons. One of the coat of arms is blank because the son was born a still birth.
The Fitzwilliam Museum had very magnificent Egypt, Greece, and Roman art, as well as many other cultures.

Harlaxton: Written by Kaitlin Fancher

Great things always take time. And it took a lot of time to get here! Between about the 13 hour wait at the Detroit airport with no sleep, to the 6 and half hour flight with no sleep, and finally the 2 hour bus ride to Harlaxton with maybe a little sleep, we FINALLY arrived. Let’s just say pictures do not do the place justice. Pulling up you are just completely over whelmed with beauty and do not know where to actually look. It is so hard to imagine the effort that goes into this palace look a like. The height is basically magnificent and my favorite is the land scenery. The gardens are beyond breath taking and you can see for miles and all of it is purely green.

But we all have different interests when it comes to the manor whether it is the gardens, the ceiling high doors or all the many different rooms and what they have to offer. It is hard to understand/explain how every corner you turn is some piece of history. Every sculptor and every painting has a significant meaning and you really just don’t find a place like this in the U.S, especially this old. A gentleman by the name Gregory Gregory (seriously that’s his name) built this masterpiece in the 1830’s and it has been standing for 170 years. Surprisingly this isn’t the original building which was torn down in 1857. Gregory wanted something bigger and flashier, which I personally think he accomplished. With the 153 rooms and 117 acres, you just might agree with me. There have been quite a few different owners and it is a blessing that University of Evansville is the proud owner and allows me and all the others on this trip to experience this whole other world. It really looks and feels like a fairytale…all I need now is my knight and shinning armor to take me off to the sunset! (Or I’ll just settle for going out for ice cream).

Belvoir Castle by Hannah Forkel

Hello Friends and Family!

Today was a colder day here in England. We actually got a full night’s rest of sleep and it was quite refreshing. I was pretty much ready to go this morning when my alarm sounded but I must admit I did sleep fifteen minutes past when my alarm went off. This morning we met with the Principal of Harlaxton, Dr. Gordon Kingsley. He was very kind and gave us a warm welcome as well as a little history of the college. Next we had a class session with Dr. Edward Bujak who told us a vast amount of information on Neo-Elizabethan, Gothic and Victorian architecture. Then after we got our lunch we ventured onto our mini-bus and off into Grantham and Denton which finally led us to the grand Belvoir Castle which the locals pronounced Beaver like the animal. They say it Beaver because the Anglo-Saxons were unable to master the French pronunciation of the castle.

The Belvoir castle dates back to the Norman times. It is the fourth castle to stand on these grounds and is a working castle. It also houses the Duke and Duchess of Rutland as well as their five children. The castle contained many pieces of art of the family and other royalty. When walking through the castle you noticed all of the marble and stone built to create this grand castle. It was quite breathtaking as you saw all of the English history unfold right in front of you as you walk through the castle. When we first arrived at the castle we saw the gardens to our right which were quite large and full of beautiful statues as well as striking flowers.

Another kindness the English provided for us was that we were the only ones in the castle. This was because that day it was closed to the public. We were the only public allowed in which I thought was nice that they would open their doors and have someone come in to work in the book shop just for our group of twelve.

After our feet were tired and we were all a little frightened from being on the left side of the road there were several gasps on the way there and back we finally made our way back to the castle to eat dinner.

-Hannah

Harlaxton 2010 Study Abroad Cohort