Welcome back to “Rae in London”! I thought I would turn this week’s installment into a little travel blog for my recent day trip outside of London.
BU London has a great Social Programme that offers discounted experiences inside and outside of the city, including theater productions (I am signed up to see Hamilton, Wicked, and The Nutcracker), day trips, and even overnight trips, such as the coveted Edinburgh trip that filled up before I even checked my email and saw it was available. Sob.
Well, last week, I went on a day trip to the Cotswolds: an area of English countryside known for its beautiful hilly landscapes, adorable stone villages, and historical wool industry — thanks to the absolute abundance of sheep. We were led by a tour guide and one of BU London’s residence life supervisors, and rode in a comfy charter bus service from stop to stop.
We left campus fairly early in the morning and drove about two hours to our first stop, Burford, known as the “gateway to the Cotswolds.” Our guide said this was a silly title considering that any village along this road could technically claim to be that, but anyway. In Burford, we were shown around some key points, including the church, a boarding school, and a guild-era old folks home building, all sharing a small public square.
Then, they turned us loose to explore. My friends and I went to a tea house to satisfy our recent English breakfast tea with a milk and honey kick. But they, for some reason, had zero honey on the premises. What a disappointment!
Our next stop was Stow-on-the-Wold, which definitely felt to me like a bigger town. We were again shown a church, which had a door that possibly inspired a drawing by J.R.R. Tolkien of the Doors of Durin, complete with a hanging lantern and framed by yew trees. We took our fair share of Instagram photos there later.
When we had some free time to roam around, I made sure to hit the wool shops, although nothing really caught my eye. I was considering buying some socks with sheep on them, but the colors just weren’t right. I found a good selection of cashmere sweaters in a charity shop (that’s what they call thrift stores over here), but I was already wearing a sweater, so it was hard to tell how they would really look on me. I had to pass them up.
I met my roommate for lunch at Cotswold Baguettes, a trendy sandwich shop with amazing prices (London is expensive!!) and so many options. I ditched the sandwich route and got a pastry filled with chickpea curry. They warmed it up for me, which I much appreciated, as it was actually very cold that day and we had been outside for a long time.
Before leaving Stow-on-the-Wold, I tried (and failed) to find a bathroom that I wouldn’t have to pay for, and ended up wandering into an antique pop-up market in the city hall, which was very interesting to see. There were lots of little trinkets that I’m sure have been in these families for a long time.
Our final stop was Blenheim Palace, home to the Dukes of Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill. The middle of the palace was under construction, so it was a bit of a disappointing view. But we got to climb up some really sketchy stairs in the scaffolding and look at the roof more closely. That was really cool until the wind blew into the tent covering and made a very scary flapping noise; I thought the whole thing was collapsing. Anyways! Nothing like a good heart attack to make you appreciate that you do not, in fact, live in a palace.
We did a self-guided tour of the palace and the surrounding grounds, including some beautiful gardens. My friends were really excited about a big tree with a hollow in it that was featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince — specifically in the scene where Snape’s worst memory shows him being suspended upside down from the branches by James Potter.
My favorite part, though, was the pasture of sheep. They made such perfect sheep noises, and I wished I could pet them, although an electric fence rudely stopped me. The trees in that area were also beginning to turn red, which made it the perfect fall landscape. I also spotted a few pheasants in the grass, the quintessential rich English person bird in my opinion.
It was a great visit to see what else the UK has to offer outside of the city streets, and I can’t wait to explore more over the next few months.
Do you think Bu would let me keep a sheep in my dorm?
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