Harlaxton Day 14: Class and Tolethorpe Hall

I began my day by skipping breakfast (sorry mom) and sleeping in. It was the first time we had a morning of free time in what felt like forever. We were able to study for our quiz later in the day, sleep in, write our papers, or anything else that needed to be done during this time. The day before, we had a long and hot hike through the moors. It was breathtaking from both beauty and the sheer amount of physical activity.

In class that day, we had a guest speaker come in to tell us all about her experiences as grad student in the UK. She gave us so much information and many of us a little bit of hope that we could try to go to school abroad one day. After the speaker, we got our first essays back and launched into a full discussion about The Merry Wives of Windsor and John Bunyan.

Once class got out, we immediately left for Tolethorpe Hall to see a live performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor. On the way there, we stopped in Grantham at a grocery store to pick up some food for a picnic. When everyone was finally corralled back on the coach, we took a short ride to Stamford. We got off of the coach, and as soon as we were all ready to start our picnic, there was an absolute downpour. Every one of us booked it back to the coach to stay dry until the rain stopped. Thankfully, the rain only lasted for a short while. By the time we finally got to sit down and eat, everything was soaked but we still made the best of what was going on. Even though the day had been one of the hottest that England has had in 40 something years, the temperature had dropped by several degrees. The sun was peeking through the clouds as they passed. It was fantastic. We finally got to start our picnic and it was by far one of the best dinners I’ve had since I’ve been in England. While we were at the store, my friend group decided to split up what we bought. Each of us bought bread, cheese, tomatoes, meat, chips (or crisps as they call them here), fruit, or drinks. Our group had a huge potluck and it was honestly a great time on a wet table.

After we finished eating, it was time to watch the play. It had a slow start, but was funny as it progressed. The play, like Hamlet, was much better watched then read. The subtle plays on words and the funny actions could be recognized a lot easier when it was live. Something I found interesting was that they had the play set in the 1940’s, so they had swing music and the apparel of the time. They even had one of their actors attempting a southern drawl, which was especially, and probably unintentionally, funny for us as Americans from Kentucky.

To end the night, we got back on the coach. As soon as we got back, a majority of us began to work towards finishing up our second essays that were due the next day. Overall, it was a great day that was full of funny happenings and one that I will remember fondly when I look back at my time in Harlaxton.

Drew