HCJMU Abroad: Bar, Bar, Wherefore Art Thou Bar?

While still planning out my wedding details with the Prince, I managed to make my way out of the city this past weekend.  All 28 students and I hopped on a private coach, what we in the States call a Greyhound bus, and ventured out into the country. After having my legs cramp up, my neck break in half and my butt fall asleep, we finally made it to our first stop: Stratford-upon-Avon. Brief history lesson: for some reason, when developing the country of England, someone decided to name two different locations Stratford. To make things somewhat less confusing, “upon-Avon” was added to the Stratford on the Avon River. Class dismissed. (If only history was that easy.)
 
The coach drove us straight to our quaint bed and breakfast where we quickly got settled in and set out for dinner. Later that Thursday night, the group had a mandatory viewing of Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  Though I haven’t seen that many plays, I would watch this particular production every week of my life if I could! Besides it being a fabulous adaptation, the men, the men, and the men in this play were incredibly easy on the eyes. I strongly suggest that every one of you definitely invests some time in acting.
 
After the play, Stratford-upon-Avon was a ghost town. No Thirsty Thursday, no drunk busses and definitely no raunchy Jimdels were in sight.  With Shakespeare on my mind, wherefore art thou bar?!  On the walk back to the bed and breakfast, we came across a cow in the middle of the street.  But this wasn’t your ordinary cow – this cow only had two legs and said way more than “moo.” Breaking all the rules about safety and kidnapping, a few of us followed the cow to a place called “Chicago.” Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn.
 

When we got to “Chicago,” we were all paralyzed and drugged… with happiness of course! A nightclub, hidden in the walls, like Harry Potter’s “number 12 Grimmauld Place,” was bouncing with life and music. Who would have known?! You could hear a needle drop outside, but behind these walls of Stratford was “Chicago’s” “Student Night” with draft beer for one pound. Dance floor, check. DJ, check. Alcohol and friends, double-check. Long story short, you know how that night went.
 
If you’ve never stayed in a bed and breakfast, you need to do so immediately. There’s nothing better than waking up to the smell of breakfast already cooked for you. (Unless you wake up to one of the guys from the play.) The whole weekend I enjoyed a traditional English breakfast: tea/coffee, fried eggs, sausage, bacon, tomato, baked beans (the tomato and beans make it English) and toast. While savoring every bite, I also gained five pounds. We only stayed in Chicago – I mean Stratford-upon-Avon, one night. Next, a day trip to Oxford was in order. Collegiettes, ™ if you want to meet your husband, plan a trip to Oxford, England! That’s all I’m going to say about that. Oxford was short, but perfect. After a quick tour of the city and the college, we were on the coach again to Bath. Not bath, but BAHHth.

 
We stayed in Bath for the remainder of the weekend, two days and two nights. Thankfully, the weather was absolutely impeccable because we went on an open roof bus tour and toured the ancient Roman Baths. Most importantly, I managed to attend my first rugby match between Bath Rugby and the Leicester Tigers.  After having a group consensus, rugby is a combination of American football, soccer, sumo wrestling and cheerleading. (Cheerleading only in the fact that they lift each other up to catch the ball.) Bath won and all was merry. Guinness was definitely on my mind.

A couple pints and some cider later, the group was ready for some nightlife.  Fortunately, Bath wasn’t a ghost town and the bars and clubs weren’t hidden.  For some reason, the buzz about English guys liking the American accent proved to be simply a rumor. In the same night, I told two different guys I was American and the first thing they both said was, “Oh My God!” in a valley-girl accent.  Being the sarcastic girl that I am, I said “Brilliant!” in a British accent. Conclusion: epic fail. Both nights in Bath, we meandered to three pubs and a nightclub. The pubs closed around 11 p.m., but the clubs stayed open until 3 a.m.
 

Sunday morning, sore, exhausted and without a voice, I ate my English breakfast and headed back on the coach. Being from the country, it was strange how much I missed my home: London. On the travels back to my Prince, we stopped at Stonehenge. You know… the HUGE rocks that were miraculously shaped to form a circle in the middle of a field? Truth is they are a lot smaller than they appear to be.  A nice telephoto lens and upward angles can really trick the mind. It was definitely worth seeing though and was a nice ending to a great relaxing weekend away from the hustle and bustle.
 
Don’t worry collegiettes™, my next entry won’t be as peaceful. I will be enjoying life in Barcelona, attending one of the largest dance parties in the world: Sensation White 2011. Yes, I just bought my white dress and five of us girls are going to kill it!
 
Adios Amigos xx