Wednesday July 29
We got an early wake up call via the ferry intercom system and were up and off the ferry by 8 a.m. We boarded our coach and were off to see Stonehenge. Unfortunately, we were all so used to sunny weather, that most of us packed an overnight bag with shorts and t-shirts for the ferry ride. The weather was quite a bit colder… and windy! We had a few minutes to grab a jacket our of our packed luggage, but still… it was pretty cold!
Our coach took us straight to Stonehenge. Interestingly enough, it is NOT out in the middle of nowhere. It is right next to two busy roads that come quite close to it. It was truly amazing to see the prehistoric assemblage of rocks in person, though. It dates back to 3000 B.C. Each of us had our own audio guide equipment so we could listen to the history of Stonehenge and all the hypotheses about how it came to be. We had a limited time amount of time, but once it started raining steadily, most of us were ready to get back onto the warm coach!
Because we had a 2 hour ride ahead of us, Michelle put the movie, “The Other Boelyn Girl,” on the coach TV and we were able to get a sneak preview of our next destination… Warwick Castle!
It was still raining a bit when we arrived, but the skies were bright and we all felt optimistic as we headed through the gates of William the Conqueror’s massive castle to begin our exploring. We were able to climb into the towers and saw a beautiful view of the Avon river. There was a special hallway that had been restored / preserved to resemble how it looked in the 9th century. We tried to imagine what life would have been like to walk the halls on a rainy day in the middle ages in the attire of the time. I know I would have been extremely uncomfortable - especially after seeing the clothing (and the bathrooms) common for that time period. After the first 45 minutes or so, the rain started coming down harder… and harder. It was tricky getting from wing to wing in the castle, hopping over puddles and getting wet in the process. BUT it was worth it! There was a hallway that displayed the contents of the armory - very long rifles, intricately decorated swords and bow and arrow sets.
We moved inside for dinner and were soon back outside to learn about combat techniques used in the middle ages. Were you wondering if it was still raining? Nope… It was pouring! We watched a medieval bows man demonstrate the proper technique and he was a riot! We were lucky, though, because we were standing outside underneath tents and the rain poured over us. HE was in the open for his demonstration (at least 30 minutes) and he was SOAKED. He was wearing clothing appropriate for the 9th century (wool), too. Needless to say, he got a roaring round of applause at the conclusion of his demo.
He was SO funny!
OK, so because it was pouring on us, and had been raining all day long, our medieval “trainers” decided to bring us inside for the rest of our combat technique instructions. We each were given a (real live) sword and we jogged up the hill back to the dining area. We spent at LEAST an hour learning the tricks of the trade when it comes to sword fighting… not only how to do certain moves, but WHY they are done. “It is nearly impossible to drive a sword through your opponent’s chest,” on of our trainers explained. “It is much easier to get him unbalanced and drive the butt of the sword into his nasal area, breaking the bones in the skull.” Gruesome, but true!
Dusk was upon us and the culmination of our day at Warwick was about to take place… We brought our swords back to their storage tent and walked down to the river where the re-enactors had prepared their most diabolical battle weapon, a trebuchet (sort of like a catapult, but WAY cooler) for a fire ball launch. The preparation schedule was described (in detail - ask your delegate what types of disgusting things were added to the trebuchet to wreak havoc inside the opponent’s castle walls), and we watched (from across the river) the fire ball launch into the distance. It was really a sight to see. Evidently, the trebuchet at Warwick is the largest in the world and even has a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.
It was a spectacular way to end the evening (even though it was STILL raining)!
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