Deanna Gorman is a student at Luther College and an ISA Featured Blogger. Deanna is currently studying abroad program in London on an ISA Fall 4 program.
This weekend was packed with several ISA excursions and I have to say, two of the sites definitely make my list of Top 10 sights in England. The first was Stonehenge which we visited Saturday morning. I had been getting mixed reviews of the famous stones from people throughout the week. First I heard they were absolutely amazing, but then some would say they are smaller than expected and were in the middle of a highway and so it was not worth it. At first I was really excited because Stonehenge is one of those iconic sights that is cool to see with your own eyes, but then I began to lower my expectations as to avoid disappointment.
When we pulled up to the stones and got off the coach it was partly cloudy with the sun poking through the clouds, a gorgeous England morning! I began to get really excited as we got our tickets from Maria and as we rounded the corner, the stones were in full view and it was incredible!! Seeing Stonehenge up close like that was quite the experience. They are some of the oldest remains in England and somehow they managed to be preserved so well. We were there for about 45 minutes and I enjoyed every minute of it! The clouds had broken up a bit more and so the sun was really shining down. Even the landscape around the stones was vast and lush and remarkable. Stonehenge is a must see when in England, it made my entire day and week!
Our second day of excursions was just as good as the first but in different ways. My favorite part of Sunday was our second stop of the day, Warwick Castle (pronounced war-ick). Before we arrived, I was not overly excited about this stop because we have seen castles before and up until now, although they are very impressive, they had all been the same. Warwick Castle ended that assumption!
There was not one defining difference between Warwick and any other castle, except that this one had particularly striking views and impressive towers. The winding and narrow stairs up to the top of the towers were a bit scary but totally worth it when you got to the top! We even got to see and play with peacocks on the castle grounds! We were there when the sun was beginning to set and so the sky was painted so many incredible colors.
As we mingled at the top of one of the towers I began to reflect a bit on my time here. Two months have come and gone and I have seen so much! Studying abroad in London is a once in a lifetime experience that has changed me. In one short month I will be headed back to the States, but not the same person I left as. I took a minute to allow time to stand still, but now I am ready to continue on and experience all the things I have not seen yet before I go! Stay tuned to see what I cross of my To-See List this week!
