Submitted by Griffin Smith on the 2024 Winter ENGL program in London…
My second week in London was packed full of fun outings and sightseeing. Some of the excursions
included tours of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the British Museum, a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum,
and trying out some new restaurants. The V&A was particularly enjoyable because of the immense
amount of art housed within it, with rooms three stories tall filled with statues and columns, and gallery
walls plastered with so many paintings. One of the coolest rooms was the jewelry room, filled with glass
cabinets of beautiful necklaces and gemstone rings. But perhaps my favorite thing I did was a day trip to
Stonehenge and the city of Bath. The coach ride to Stonehenge was just under two hours, and when we
finally got there, another bus took us up to the stones. It was spectacular seeing them in person, and to
wonder how we were standing in the presence of something that was built by humans before the
Pyramids of Egypt. It is crazy to imagine how they were able to build the monuments, move the rocks,
and lift them up into place. It was definitely a sight to see, and the weather was really good, not too
cloudy allowing the sun to shine through. After soaking in the sight, we visited a small museum about
Stonehenge before getting back on the coach to head to Bath. Bath was one of the most beautiful cities I
have seen. The architecture was amazing and looked very much like a city in Italy; the city was built
when the ancient Romans invaded England. We got lunch first, and then walked around, taking in the
sights. Before we left, we went into the Bath Abbey; I noticed it had features to both Westminster Abbey
and St. Paul’s. Like Westminster, the floor and walls were covered with tombs and memorials for people
who passed away. However, it did not feel cramped, built with an open feeling much like St. Paul’s. Even
though I was in Bath for a couple hours, it has already become one of my favorite cities, and shows a
striking difference in architecture to that of London. (Submitted on January 21, 2024)