Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

 

I got the opportunity to go to the summer solstice celebration at Stonehenge! It was an amazing experience! It is the only time in the year when they take the fences down and you get to walk up close to the stones...you can tell from the pictures that people are really up close! There were reported to be around 20,000 people so there was just so much energy.  I went with Kathleen, Leslie, and Lindsey and we stayed on the grounds from 11:30 to 5:30 the next morning.  We stayed to watch the sun come up, although it was very cloudy so we didn't get to see the sun come through the stones.  It was still worth the rain, mud, and cold! 

*The video is of a man playing the bagpipes at the celebration. There was all kinds of different music! You can't see much in the video but you can get a feel for the energy!

My Fellow Crickers and Vineys...

As I said earlier, there are 19 of us in the Crick Road House and 5 other students in the Vines House, which is across town.  I've uploaded some pictures of all of us out and about in Oxford.  It is great to get to know everyone since we all come from such different backgrounds, but we all have the eagerness to learn in common. Since this is a Christian program, most everyone else is from a Christian college! We are all having a great time discovering Oxford and furthering our walks with God :)

Walking through Oxford...

Winchester Field Trip

Our first Friday field trip was to the town of Winchester and the Winchester Cathedral. I got to see where Jane Austen was buried (see picture) and the house where she lived the last days of her life! It was very exciting to me.  We also climbed over 200 tiny stairs up to the Cathedral's tower to view Winchester from the roof.  We all received certificates afterwards saying that we succeeded in climbing all the stairs!

Crick Road

The students and I are staying in a house on Crick Road in Oxford.  There are 19 of us in this house so, needless to say, it is very lively; but it is great to have a community of people here! Here is a picture of me in front of our Crick Road House!

Pictures say a 1,000 words!!!

I would really love to keep a blog of my trip so that all could read of my adventures but since I am keeping a written journal, I feel that it would be a bit overwhelming.  So I thought I would post pictures on here so everyone can see what I am seeing and so you can walk the cobblestone streets of Oxford with me! I will post highlights of my days and hopefully get to post my events later from my journal.  Until then, enjoy the pictures that I post on here!!