21st Birthday and a Day in Lincoln

Hello Everyone! Thank you all for the overwhelming amount of birthday cards! It was so great to have an overflowing mailbox each day when I checked it. The workers at the front desk came to know me quite well and were always curious as to how I managed to have so many friends. Thank you for making my birthday away so special! :) Unfortunately, I had class off and on from 8:30 to 5 on my birthday. In between classes I found time to open cards and indulge in a few birthday treats. I was even lucky enough to receive two 21st birthday tiaras to where during the day. (I hope this doesn't make me 42!) As my day progressed it continued to get better and better. I received some beautiful flowers from my parents which made me feel like I was very close to home. I could not believe that they were able to figure out a way to have flowers delivered in Grantham. Way to go Mom and Dad! :) I think the best part is that they have lasted all week and are still sitting so prettily on my desk as I write this. Just because I was away from home, I was not about to forgo the cake and ice cream. I bought a big chocolate cake and ice cream to share with my friends. Much to my surprise, when I finished my 5pm class my roommates told me there was something waiting for me at the front desk. Once again I returned to the reception desk to find the workers amused to see me yet again. I was so excited to find that my best friend had managed to send the prettiest cupcakes I had ever seen! Thanks Katie! :) I was so excited and could not wait to enjoy a cupcake. Later in the evening my friends and I celebrated by having cupcakes and noisemakers and wearing party hats and noise makers (thanks, Mom). The next day I had a field trip to Lincoln for my British Studies course. This town is home to some Roman ruins, Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle. I was excited for the day because I was getting to spend the day in a place that I had never been before. Unfortunately, the weather that day was freezing cold, windy and a bit misty. I had dressed warmly, or so I thought, but I still froze. Luckily, my first stop on the trip was the magnificent Lincoln Cathedral. This cathedral sports an array of medieval architecture, but my personal favorite are the flying buttresses. The cathedral is so large that it requires massive stone structures to support the building from the outside. I don't know if my fascination comes from the name or the structures themselves, but they are pretty neat. The inside of the cathedral was cool as well. The design of the inside reminded me a lot of Westminster Abbey in its cross-like shape and large screen in the center. There were a variety of small chapels within the cathedral and some were dedicated to those who have lost their lives in war. Like many other sites that I have visited, this cathedral was most interesting because of its age and ornateness. After the cathedral I went on a tour to see some of the Roman ruins. There really aren't a whole lot of ruins unfortunately, but it was interesting to see things like a well and parts of various walls. I didn't enjoy this portion of my day as much as the rest, but I attribute that to the bitter weather conditions. After enjoying a quality Harlaxton packed lunch, I explored chocolate and coffee shops on my own before heading to the castle. The castle was pretty unbelievable. One of the original four copies of Magna Carta is housed in the old prison ward of the castle. It was really awesome to see a document that is so old and means so much to the history of the United Kingdom and what it had developed into today. While the castle was an interesting tour, it was a bit creepy and somber. The Lincoln Castle was home to a prison and numerous executions. I took a brief tour of the prison and saw the chapel where church was held. The inmates were required to wear masks with only small holes to see. That chapel contained several small stalls in which each inmate would be locked. The walls of each stall were wooden and too tall to see over. The only area that each inmate could see was the elevated pulpit that hung above the stalls. I was to scared and claustrophobic to even dream of going into one of the stalls so I went up to the pulpit instead. It was a bit scary because there were some manikins with masks on placed in a few of the stalls. It was odd to look out and see what it would have looked like during the years the prison was functioning. During the remainder of the castle tour the guide took us to the various execution sites and told different stories about the individuals. After talking about the people she took us to the graveyard that is home to most, if not all, of the individuals executed at the castle. I did think that this was a rather morbid tour but it was fascinating to learn what happened to people in the olden days when they committed a small crime such as stealing a cup.

Ta Ta,
AM