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Published: October 19th 2009
So this weekend was the first Rutgers group trip to Lewes, and Jess and I got to meet the other 3 students studying in England: Jonathan, Ariel, and Jessica. Last night we got into Lewes after about an hour-ish train ride from London and went off to dinner after checking into our rooms at the White Hart Hotel. At dinner we met Catherine's husband, Roger, and Stephen, who is married to Jennifer, the president of Rutgers Alumni Association. Jennifer didn't make it because she is a busy corporate lawyer, but the company was good and the food was delicious. After dinner we headed back to Catherine's house for dessert and cinema, where we watched Wallace and Grommit, which is a famous English cartoon about a wacky inventor and his dog, Grommit, who are always trying out new gadgets and have a deep relationship with cheese. Oh, and they're made out of clay. It was really funny and adorable, and I felt like I was truely getting a taste of British culture.
Saturday began with the most sumptuous continental breakfast I have ever had. There were fried eggs, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, beans, roast tomatoe, cereals, yogurts, juices--I mean this could
have been 3 meals for me. It definitely beats plain toast! After breakfast we met up with Catherine, Roger, and Stephen to do a tour of Lewes Castle just up the street. This castle was much older and more disheveled than Windsor and Hampton Court due to the destruction from the Battle of Lewes so I had to do more imagining of what the castle looked like originally. On the upside we got play dress-up with tunics and silly hats, which was fun, and the views of the surrounding rolling hills was also breathtaking. It was a good tour, but nothing exceptional...the days events got better.
After Lewes Castle we made our way to Beachy Head & Seven Sisters on the coast. We drove through so much country, fields of sheep and cows...it made me so happy. All of the nature and the turning autumn leaves just put a smile on my face.
When we reached Beachy Head & Seven Sisters my mouth just dropped from the utter natural beauty of these amazing white cliffs amidst the vast ocean backdrop. Incredible. I could not get enough of everything around me as we walked all the way up to
Beachy Head. I could see miles upon miles of rolling hills to my left and an endless blanket of ocean water to my right. I felt like I was in heaven. I literally frollicked on our way up because I was so happy. I even went as far as to log roll down one of the hills because it was just too perfect to pass up--I felt like I was eight years old laughing so hard the entire way down. It was so exhilarating. Moreover, the weather was perfect. All of this nature was just what I needed after stressing out in the city about classes and applying to jobs.
After reaching the top we boarded the bus and headed to Bodiam Castle. Before beginning our tour, we had a pub lunch right next door. I had my first pint of cider and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't particularly like beer, but I really enjoyed the light flavor of the cider. The food was absolutely fantastic and the pub atmosphere was really cozy too. After lunch we moved onto our next castle.
Now Bodiam Castle was not like any other castle I had visited. It was literally the
epitome of the historical castle you would see in a fairy tale story or in the movies. It's four towers stood erect surrounded by the large mote protecting against intruders. Moreover, the surrounding rolling hills added to the effect because you could easily imagine the villages located in the hills and the castle as the central hub. I think Bodiam Castle is my favorite thus far, even though the interior is in shambles, just because it has the true aura of a castle.
Sunday began with another delicious continental breakfast at the White Hart where we met Mike, the 4 time former mayor of Lewes. He was a soft-spoken and proper englishman, but he was full fantastic trivia about the quaint little town of Lewes. He gave us a tour of the town and imparted all his fun little facts along the way. For example, a small alley is called a Twitten, which is a combination of between and betwixt. I also appreciated the how the castle is still incorporated into modern life. For example, the barbican gate still overhangs one of the common streets still used today. It's so amazing to see something so historical as a castle
to be juxtaposed with something so modern as a car. I think I never really appreciated history because I could never experience it, but when I'm in a castle tower or on a battle field, it's almost as if I'm experiencing it, and I'm intrigued by it.
After the tour we checked out of the the White Hart and went for a 5 mile walk up The Downs mountain range surrounding Lewes. We had another gorgeous day so you could see miles and miles away over rolling hills, farms, and even to the city of Brighton on the southern coast. The views were astounding and it felt good to be among nature again. After about an hours climb we had a picnic for lunch and took in the views again. Experiencing the English countryside has only made me want to live here that much more. I'm going to try to apply to full time jobs while I'm here so hopefully something comes of it. I would love to work here after graduation, but we'll see how feasible that is....
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anonymous
non-member comment
i knew you would never come back!!! asshole!! but i'm happy for you and love you and miss you and am very proud of you and if you stay in england then i shall just have to visit and give you lots of kisses!!!!!!!!!!! mmmmmmmmmmmwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaa