Day 17 – A history packed field trip: A first-hand account of studying abroad

Catherine Carter sits beside Roman baths. The baths are said to have properties that can cure all diseases.

By Catherine Carter

Hey Huskies! Today was quite an adventure! I went to bed, bath and beyond! And no, I don’t mean the store. This morning we went on another group field trip. Our first stop of the day was Stonehenge and on the three hour ride, I enjoyed a nice nap. When we arrived at Stonehenge, we walked about 15 minutes to the stones themselves. After seeing hundreds and hundreds of photos of Stonehenge throughout my life, I didn’t really expect much other than seeing something cool. But when I finally got to see them up close, I realized how miraculous they really are. First I was incredibly surprised by their size! It was an otherworldly experience. I also didn’t realize how perfectly straight each of the stones are, especially the ones that were on top. I was so amazed! After Stonehenge, we stopped at the Jane Austen Center. Although I had to do some work while I was there, it was an awesome museum. The highlight of my time there was getting to dress up like characters in her novels. Here’s a picture of me and the Crowley’s daughter enjoying some tea with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. We had a great time!

To add to the busy day, we also toured the Roman baths. This was another incredible experience! I was able to walk around and explore a temple that is thousands of years old. History has never seemed so real to me as when I drank the water from the baths, which they thought would cure people from any disease. (Don’t worry, it’s not the gross green stagnant water you see in this picture!) I was expecting the water to have some magical taste or something to make it so special but do not be disenchanted like I was. It was basically warm tap water, but I am proud to say I’ve had water from the Roman baths!