“I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.” --Emily Bronte
"Words can't describe the beauty of England. It's everything I could have hoped for and dreamed of."
Chester, Wales
Leaving Ireland, we embarked onto our next adventure in the great UK. After a four hour ferry ride across the Irish Sea, our coach docked in Wales where we drove across the beauteous landscape. Sadly, I did not get any pictures of the towering green mountains or the pristine streams that ran through them, but the memory will forever be imprinted on my mind. Halfway through our journey to the great England, my group and I stopped in a little town of Chester. It was a quaint and exquisite town and the people were extremely friendly.
An old roman fighting pit in the middle of the town. Same brick work, just a few things restructured. I love Roman history and thought this was fantastic!
The Bronte Parsonage and Moors walk, Haworth, England
"As I sit on the beautiful moors, walked by the Bronte sisters, I feel such an overwhelming sense of passion. It's beautiful here and I am alone. The wind is blowing the heathers, the sky is gray, and for miles all I see is rolling green hills. I'm feeling inspired and balanced. How beautiful this sight is! I want to stay here forever. In the moors, there are valleys and ponds. I'm sitting on the highest hill and the wind is blowing my hair. Who knew such a chill could warm my heart."
As I was sitting, a local came up to me and pointed out the exact place that "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte was inspired from. He pointed to these trees in the distance by the Bronte Falls:
After the chilly moor walk, we visited the parsonage of the Brontes and I learned so much about that family. Their father, Patrick Bronte was the town's priest in Haworth and always inspired his children to write and explore their creativity. Their family seemed very close to each other, delighting in each other's company. Patrick outlived all of his children, and watched them all die, starting with this wife to each of his daughters and his son.
Chatsworth
Look familiar? We went to the house of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and it is also the same house as Mr. Darcy in the Kiera Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice. It was absolutely stunning. The grounds were gorgeous.
York
York was an interesting town. Filled with rich medieval history, it stands as the second most popular town in England. London is the first. My feelings were mixed about York-- it had a different vibe from any other city I've been in. I had never seen so many interesting characters and... mohawks; mixed with countless piercings. We had the opportunity to go into the town's house of representatives which dates back to medieval times. They still hold their same meetings in the place where Geoffrey Chaucer used to meet with the city council.
The one thing that stood out about York and left a lasting impression on me was their giant cathedral. Comparable to Notre Dame in France, it was such a sight to behold. We had an opportunity to spend most of our time in the cathedral and attend an evensong held by the church's men's choir. The feeling I had being apart of one of time's artifacts and participating in a service was absolutely amazing. It was such a beautiful, beautiful place. (I know, I say that a lot.)
More photos from York
The Shambles: the most photographed street in all of England. Famous from medieval times to today.
Salisbury
We stayed in the town of Salisbury and visited the town's cathedral, which has the tallest spire in all of England standing at 404 feet and home of the Magna Carta The cathedral took 38 years to build from 1220-1258. I loved seeing the original Magna Carta. It definitely was a divine document inspired of God and essential to England's history.
Glastonbury Abbey
A demolished ruin of an abbey, it still stands a sign of some of the earliest Christianity in England. It was destructed by King Henry VIII who did away with most abbeys and converted his country to the Church of England. It also was said to hold the grave of King Arthur, king of the Britains up until the premise was destroyed. Glastonbury was a quaint town as well, with lots of charming shops of a supernatural nature and many devoted to King Arthur and his tales.
Our cute tour guide which made the experience of Glastonbury even better. She sounded like she was right out of Monty Python.
Jane Austen's house
I fulfilled my dream and walked where Austen walked. I saw where she wrote and was able to walk the path she walked to her church a few blocks down. I felt a great connection to this marvelous writer who spoke of balance in all things and the importance of true and undying love.
Stonehenge
Okay, we have reached my favorite part of the trip: Stonehenge. Dating back to 3,000 B.C., it is absolutely one of the greatest marvels of the world. Absolutely stunning. I found it hard to take my eyes off such a structure. Being so old, no one knows exactly the reason why it is there or the precise methods how the stones got there. With that, there are speculations and theories getting as wild as Merlin taking and placing them there from the Celtic giants (sounds a little political to me) to the Devil or Aliens. In fact, up to 40% of the original stones are missing which used to create two full circles. These circles were either for spiritual rituals, sacrifice, or simply a calendar or time clock based on the seasons. With that, around the structure there are dome graves just like the ones I saw in Boyne Valley. Why and how do these magnificent stones stand? I'll leave it up to you to decide.
Something that left an impression on me about Stonehenge is its location. It's completely out in the open alongside the highway and in the midst of these farmlands! It stands as a perfected example of beauty in the simple things; some of the most marvelous things in the world do not necessarily need extravagant settings and introductions. Who would have known one of the world's wonders could be in someone's backyard?
"Wow. Stonehenge was one of the greatest sights I've ever held. Today was one of the few times in my life where I felt like I could stay in one place forever. Right in front of those majestic stones for eternity. Never have I seen something so beautiful and wondersome. I found something to marvel at. I don't know why or how this 3,000 year old structure was built, but there was something so peaceful and sacred about it. Absolutely stunning. The highlight of my trip."
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