Week Two (and a bit)

Hey all!

I was having a few technically difficulties but they are all sorted out now so I thought I would give you all an update (though by the time you finish reading this it'll have taken so long, it'll probably time for another one). This is the song you should listen to while you read this... because its my new favorite.

So the first half of last week was entirely boring. It consisted mainly of going to my various classes, getting into a regular daily rhythm and was not too different from going to school back home. Which is probably a good thing, because being a never-ending tourist would be straight-up exhausting.

Forensic anthropology was another round of remedial biological anthro which was dull enough to put me into a coma. In Egyptology, however, we are apparently going to be learning hieroglyphics, which to me sounds both overly-ambitious and awesome. Luckily (and randomly) I'm in a group with someone who is going to actually be an Egyptologist so she can already read them.

 My week got SO MUCH BETTER in the second half. On Wednesday I went to go see Morning Glory with my archaeology friend (Angela). The movie was funny and better than pretending to do homework.

Here are a couple of pictures I've taken of Exeter.

Everyone on this street has the same car, and the same house.

This is what the Main Street (called High Street) looks like

Then on Thursday, since I only have class in the morning, I decided to go on a free guided to tour of Exeter entitled "Exeter Old and New". It turns out when the talk about 'New' they're still talking about stuff that was built before Victoria's oldest European anything. On the tour was me and this very old couple, and another old lady and that was it (I think because it was freezing and windy outside... and in the middle of winter when there are no tourists).

The little old man was telling me how his house was bombed in the blitz by something called a doodlebug which is hard to even imagine until you see pictures like these. Two-thirds of Exeter was destroyed in WWII.

Exeter has absolutely ASTOUNDING history. Its like a giant pile of history (it was, literally, after the blitz). I wanted to take pictures of the highlights but it was too cold. I might write a separate post on all the amazing things about Exeter (like when they tried to hang someone this one time, but there was some glitch with the gallows, so he became known as 'the man who couldn't hang' and was eventually just released 22yrs later).

I also learnt some new vocabulary, like what a promenade is used for (milling around, looking sexy) or what a folly is (re-creating full scale historic and pre-historic structures to one up the neighbours).

Then I bought some new boots!

On Saturday I went on my second day trip to Dartmouth, which I was really looking forward to, because I have vowed to maximize the number of castles I see while I'm here in England. That happens to be Dartmouth`s main attraction. The castle was on the seaside, and looked super cool from the outside. Unfortunately the inside was pretty dull (and I'm sure completely historically accurate). The whole castle was approximately three rooms that were white washed and had some cannons. I think the most interesting part was how the architects weren't too able/keen on making it particularly human-friendly. All the doors were like three feet high and it was filled with a series of death-trap staircases like this one:

Yeah, that hole is a staircase. The door for it is like 3ft high.

Dartmouth is such a cool looking town, all the buildings are painted different colours.

Due to the fact Dartmouth is on the seaside (...and its January) it was very, very cold. In addition it was a 20ish minute walk from the castle to the town. My poor friend Yi Mei (who is from Singapore and has never even seen snow before) was dying.

We decided to take 'a long lunch' and we just wandered around until we found a place that was open. It was early, and in the off season so we were the only people there. It was only after we were seated, and were looking through a travel guide that we realized that the pub we were in was the oldest building in  Dartmouth. Built in 1380! I had the best seafood chowder I've ever experienced... it was SO good!

The place was called, get this, The Cherub.

And they had little cherub figurines everywhere

I was excitedly telling all this to one of my British flat-mates and to British people historical sites are no big deal. Oh, built before they had a reliable method of measuring time, no big deal. Built before basically anyone in England was literate, no big deal. Built before Shakespeare, before the Renaissance, before Europeans colonized America, no big deal. (rant ends).

There wasn't too much else to see in Dartmouth since the museum was closed. I did buy this book.

Written by a guy named Peter Underwood who I would sincerely like to meet.

On Sunday, we decided to go on another trip to the beach town of Exmouth, which is about a 30minute train ride away from Exeter. After two different days of being absolutely freezing despite my winter coat, I bundled up to crazy-hobo levels. I'm talking multiple sweaters, make-shift long johns, two pairs of socks... the whole nine-yards. Of course, it was sunny and warm enough for some sun-bathing. We even had ice cream. The beach was very long and sandy and picturesque. We're definitely going back in the summer. I can't wait.

Blindingly sunny

Then last night (Monday) I went out to a pub with some friends and had a few ciders. Apparently cider pretty much originated in Devon, so its everywhere and altogether rather delightful!

Even the booze in England is adorable

I'm very excited about this weekend coming up since I'm going with the International Society (basically this club that plans trips and pub crawls for international students) to Manchester and then on to Liverpool! Also, in a few weeks time I'm going to Dublin! It seems like there are so many places that I want to see and things I want to do that I don't how I'm going to fit them all in. (Dad: I already have three different places I want to go with you when you're here :D )

Anyway, Love you all (Especially you Mom!) Miss you like crazy and I wish you guys were all here doing fun things with me!