By Ella Kemper
Hey Blog!!!! It’s Ella Kemper typing up a summary for day three of our Pilgrimage. This morning, we woke up bright and early for our last moments in Park Place in Hampshire. We ate breakfast, and got all of our things together to board the bus for our next adventures. After getting all packed up, we said goodbye to Park Place and headed on the road. We were on the bus for three hours before arriving at our first stop, the Cliffs of Dover. We hiked down the path, snapped some insta-worthy pictures, and took a second to smell the roses and take it all in. We sat while looking into the ocean over the cliffs and reflected on what God was saying to us in that moment. Winding down for a split second, and enjoying the time we have in such a beautiful place has been an important part of our days. After we were done at the Cliffs of Dover, we hiked back to the bus and drove a short way to Dover Castle. This beautiful castle was full of things to see and learn, including a guided tour that we took through tunnels underground. These tunnels used to be a hospital during World War Two, and was very interactive including flickering lights and original aspects of the closed hospital. After we were done with the tour, we explored the castle and climbed about a million stairs to the roof to overlook the entire town of Dover. It was amazing to see the city from so high up (we even saw France from across the water!) Once we were finished, we trekked back to the bus and headed to the grocery store to get supplies for our own home-cooked meal. Ray and William made dinner tonight, a meal including spaghetti and a Lightning McQueen cake. We came together to share a meal, and after came together to discuss our day and wrap up day number three! It was a great day!
By Ella Stewart
Hey y’all! It’s Ella! We had a great day exploring Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. We began our day with delicious croissants and a scenic bus ride to Stonehenge. Not only were the stone structures interesting, the mystery of how they got there was truly fascinating. The stones weigh twenty-five tons on average and were from a location fifteen miles away. No one knows how the stones were transported to Stonehenge, considering they had no motorized equipment. After we left Stonehenge, we travelled to Salisbury to visit the Cathedral and the town. Salisbury Cathedral boasts the largest spire in the United Kingdom at a height of 404 feet! Additionally, the Cathedral had magnificent stained glass windows and friezes. One of our favorite friezes told the story of Genesis and Exodus and included the stories of creation, Adam and Eve, and Noah’s Ark. We also had the opportunity to view an original copy of the Magna Carta. After we left Salisbury Cathedral, we explored the town. It was interesting to see how the people in England live differently from us. From driving on the left side of the road to drinking water without ice, life in England is quite different from ours! For dinner, we had burgers made by the Fransican nuns with ice cream for dessert. We cannot wait for another amazing day in England!
By Ray Ross
Hey y’all, it’s Ray here. We had a joyous time on our first day across the pond. We started out hopping on an airplane in Atlanta and then landing in London where I got my picture with Lightning McQueen! We then met up with our wonderful Wonder Voyage guide, Mike. He then led the way straight onto our bus where we prepared for our big day ahead (and fought through our jetlag!) Our first stop on our pilgrimage was Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England. It was really cool to see such a big and old cathedral, we even met the guest vicar who gave me and William a pilgrim’s blessing which was really cool. I had the honor of sharing some brief history of this cathedral with our group. Some facts that we learned while walking through the cathedral include:
Jane Austen, a famous British author who died 250 years ago, was laid to rest there.
During the English Civil War, the Parliamentarians came in and burst all the stained glass windows. Later on, they cleaned up all the glass pieces and then made new stained glass windows with the broken pieces.
They had a Bible there that was an illustrated manuscript that was 900 years old.
From then, we had a great lunch at the Cathedral Café which was surrounded by beautiful gardens. After that, we had the chance to explore the town and see all of the sites, architecture, and shops which was a fun break. We had a shorter afternoon after our long flight, so we headed to our home away from home for the next two nights which is a beautiful convent where we have the opportunity to be hosted by Franciscan nuns.
We can’t wait for another great day as we continue on our pilgrimage through England!
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