The Plague!!

Well I think I've sweated the readers more than an Arizona sweatbox, so time for another update.

I had my first week of classes this week and all went well.  I have a lecture of three to four hundred people Monday afternoon, not the biggest class I've ever been in, but still a pretty good amount.  I had the next couple of days off, I have a seminar for my Accounting class that meets Tuesday, but that only meets four times throughout the term.  Thursday was supposed to be the last day of my school week, but when I got to my Greek Religion lecture that morning, I found out that the class meets Friday afternoon as well.  Also, for all those who say that university in England is easier than back in the States, the only reason we have so few classes is because we're here for just one term.  Had we came for the whole year we would be taking at least twice the classes and all of our exams would be taken in the summer.  Even for classes that were only held during the Autumn term.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early to take the coach to Stratford-upon-Avon.  This little town was the birthplace of Shakespeare.  Disappointingly, we only had two hours to spend there.  We walked through Shakespeare's house and then had a little time to wander around.  The street that the house was on was filled with a mixture of souvenir shops, restaurants, chocolate shops, and a few other shops.  I could have spent a few more hours exploring the town (I didn't even get a chance to make it to the river), but we only were there for a short time before heading to Warwick Castle.

Warwick Castle dates back to the Norman Invasion in 1066 and is one of the best preserved castles in all of England.  Upon entering the castle, we saw displays of armor and weapons that would have been used by defenders of the castle, as well as some of the drawing rooms, a bedroom, and a dressing room used by the inhabitants of the castle.  After which we climbed The Mound, the oldest part of the castle, which treated us to some amazing views of the surrounding area.  We were able to see the village of Worcester, nearly 30 miles away.  They also had a sword stuck in a stone, ala King Arthur.  Unfortunately, I am not the chosen one, as the sword is still securely in the stone despite my best efforts.

After our adventure on The Mound, we went on a tour of the castle's dungeons.  They have a really cool walking tour that's set up to scare, gross out, and/or amuse you.  In order to add a sense of realism, human 'actors' were used alongside wax figures.  First, they attempted to convey to us the terror the plague brought upon 14th century Britain.  In one of the rooms, they conducted an 'autopsy' on a plague victim.  As they pulled out his "bits," as they were called, water was flung on us.  Causing some of the members of our group to recoil in fear.

After that we headed further into the dungeons until we entered a torture chamber.  After locking one of the group into a human birdcage and another in a chair, we were shown the uses for many of the different implements.  Those who survived the torture chamber next headed into a medieval courtroom to await our judgment.  One member of our group was found guilty of being a witch and was sentenced to return to America.  As a further punishment, we were sent into a labyrinth from which "we would not return."  Well we did make our way out, except we walked right into an execution chamber.  Another of our group was chosen to be the condemned.  The executioner had lousy aim however, as he lost just an ear, rather than his head.  The crowd also got sprayed with another blast of water.  After the botched execution, we were sent to a place "full of pain, humiliation, and suffering...our daily lives."

Let me just take a moment now to say that while the tour certainly attempted to spook you, it was much more a 'jumpy' type of horror rather than a true sense of terror.  Other than one or two cheesy parts, I was very happy I chose to see this part of the castle.  On the other hand, I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed to be an American in my life.  The group that went into the dungeons consisted of a Canadian, a couple Irishmen, two or three English, and 15 from ISA.  Obviously our group would be the loudest when something jumped out of the shadows.  However, we had a couple people who thought it was necessary to shout profanities each and every time.  During the two instances where we got wet, a couple of other members of our group thought it was necessary to go on about how, "This better not stain," and, "Not in my hair."  In other words, we were extremely crass and disrespectful.  Granted it was only five or six members of our group, but those five drowned out the other 15 people on the tour.  After the tour was over, I almost wanted to apologize to those who weren't from ISA for having to endure us.  Now I understand why the English think of Americans as rude.

Anyway, after the tour of the dungeons, we climbed to the top of the tower.  The doors were very narrow and incredibly short.  The stairs were also very narrow and windy.  The treads (the part your step on) were also much smaller than most, you definitely wanted to hang onto the banister.  The top of the tower offered an even better view of the surrounding area than The Mound.  After exiting the tower, we had to head for home.  As with Stratford, I would have enjoyed a couple more hours to explore the castle.  There was at least one exhibit inside the castle I hadn't seen, as well as the gardens, and The Haunted Hallows.  Unfortunately, the driver of the coach had to be back in London by a certain time (similar to the US, the drivers can only be on the road for so long) and we had to cut the tour(s) short.

Nevertheless, I had a good time and am looking forward to next weekend when we go to The Tower of London on Saturday and then to the coast on Sunday to see Brighton.

-Justin

UPDATE: Pics on up on my facebook here

-Barbara