Final Thoughts - "Official Post"

Wow! It is so hard for me to believe the end of the trip is here! This past month has been incredible for me, and I have gained a lot from this experience.

I gained a lot of knowledge through visiting the different sites. After hearing about how castles were used, and the different architecture for the castles and cathedrals, it was impressive to finally see it firsthand. Exploring the towers for both locations brought a new perspective on the buildings and their surrounding areas. With castles, we were able to see the land area, and how that location was a prime spot for these defensive buildings. With the cathedrals, we were able to see the surrounding land and cities that helped bring wealth into the church community.

It was really interesting for me to see the different styles of architecture within the structures we visited as well. At first, I didn’t really understand how much of a difference the arches in the cathedrals really had. Seeing the arches definitely changed my mind, and gave me a new outlook on the styling.

I have to admit, my favourite part of this trip was probably visiting Stonehenge and Avebury. These stone circles were so incredible to me. I was taken aback by the size of the stones used in them, and the fact that people had to make these structures without any type of mechanical equipment that we have today. They were incredibly wonderful to me, and hearing the stories around them was so intriguing.

Another thing that I learned – I CAN live out of a backpack for a month! I definitely had to downsize for this trip, but it wasn’t a bad thing for me. I have also never stayed in a hostel before, so it was quite the interesting experience for me. I didn’t really think it was too different than the dorms at school though! At times it was frustrating to not have immediate internet access, or the ability to call a friend up, but I quickly got over that. Being away from the ‘luxuries’ of home really helped me appreciate my surroundings this month. It was simply wonderful to actually immerse myself in this culture. It is definitely an experience that I will never forget.

I hope everyone reading this enjoyed hearing of our adventures; I know we sure loved being here!