Harlaxton Day 15: Bedford

Today was a shocking day in our England experience, it was actually sweater weather! It was a windy, cloudy day that felt like true English weather—perfect for a day in Bedford.

We all woke up tired after a late night of seeing The Merry Wives of Windsor and finishing our essays. After a quick breakfast in the Harlaxton cafeteria, we were on the road at 8:50 to Bedford!

The John Bunyan museum and church was our first destination point—we saw the church filled with ornate, colorful images from Pilgrim’s Progress on stained glass windows. We went upstairs to the museum and observed scenes representing different points in Bunyan’s life. Among these scenes was a recreation of his prison cell that he called home for 13 years and wrote Pilgrim’s Progress in. Seeing the tin fiddle Bunyan created as a tinker was also a highlight. Visiting the John Bunyan museum was an enlightening experience for religious and non-religious people alike.

Next we went outside to enjoy our sack lunches, but to our arrival it was raining heavily outside. This proved to be a surprise for us as we were used to the dry, hot weather of the past few weeks. We all fled to the nearest shelter we could find to enjoy lunch and escape from the rain. Once the rain let up, my group went to Bedford’s local farmer’s market. The farmer’s market was filled with an array of fresh produce and the sounds of thick British accents bartering.

After our experience in the farmer’s market, we were on our way to the Houghton House! Upon arriving to the Houghton House, we were overwhelmed by the intensity of the wind. The wind blew dirt and debris all over us, but we were still able to enjoy the beautiful sights the ruins had to offer!

We returned to Harlaxton around 5:30 pm and made some last minute revisions to our essays due at 7:00pm. Once I turned mine in, my friends and I ordered a pizza for dinner. We sat around, ate pizza, talked, and laughed. However, soon we will be studying for the quiz we have in class tomorrow.

England continues to get better and better by the day. Hopefully this last week goes by slow because I never want to leave!

Cheers!

-Isabel