Sara Benedetto

So far we have had a wonderful, exhausting trip--in a good way! I've managed to find Starbucks' easily--in JFK, when we got to Bath, and once we arrived at Oxford today. The Starbucks siren calls out to me!! ;) .

The best parts of the trip for me have been Tintern Abbey, Stourhead and Glastonbury. On Monday we visited Tintern Abbey--the thing I was most excited to see when I saw the tentative itinerary months ago.
I read William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" freshman year at Hiram and it has remained with me since. Wordsworth identifies some things that may be difficult for everyone to put into words. He visits the abbey to escape from the "civilized world." My interpretation of his work is that he not only found in nature a place to escape, but a spiritual experience, as well. I identified with this when I first read his work because I often spend time in nature to escape the world--to think, write, meditate, admire the beauty found in nature and simply be with myself. Being immersed in nature and, in a way, away from the world, allows me to feel like my most complete self, something I think Wordsworth may have been feeling as well when he visited Tintern Abbey.

At Tintern Abbey we talked about the way the grounds are taken care of, how it is not truly "natural." This relates to a text we read for class News from Nowhere. Tintern Abbey is supposed to be picturesque, but is actually partly artificial in its beauty. Is any nature not artifical or man altered in some way? In News from Nowhere Morris writes of a society that doesn't use all of it's land for things, but uses it simply for beauty. However, man still alters it to make it look how he wants, rather than simply letting it be "wild." This ties into a recurring theme that has come up in class discussions: What is wilderness? Does it truly exist? Some of the answers we have come up with is that humans imagine what wilderness is, but since it is something that is untouched by humanity once humans interact with land it is no longer wilderness. Whether or not Tintern Abbey is wild does not take away the elements of sublime found there. Not only the picture of the broken abbey against the fields and trees surrounding it, but the broken parts of the abbey contrasted against the larger part still standing, as well.

Though I enjoyed Tintern Abbey, I didn't have the same experience there that Wordsworth did. I felt more like this when I visited Stourhead and Glastonbury. Stourhead is a 2,000 acre estate of indescribable beauty. It was great walking through the garden, but the best part was when Erin and I climbed to see Apollo Tower. From there we had a great view of the path we'd walked--it was amazing. If only we'd known what was coming...later that day we went on the Glastonbury tour to see the remains of St. Michael's Chapel. I don't even want to tell you about the walk up there. Neverending steps, anyone? Everyone made it up though! A combination of sheer will and coffee (I'm speaking about me, of course ;) ). The view from the top made every step and sore muscle worth it. You could see the whole town from there, and being so high up was a strange feeling. There is something spiritual about being so high up and being able to see so much, and feel so small, and also about being in the presence of something so old with so much history. Many historical figures have allegedly been there in addition to millions of people overall. It's strange to think how many people have been there for different reasons, brought together by one thing, all connected in some small way.

Needless to say, I am enjoying the trip so far! I think everyone is. The group as a whole has been getting to know each other and so far this is a more than worthwhile experience. Still have time in Oxford and then London! AHHH! :)

On a slightly lighter note--Turkish coffee is good. ;) A bunch of us went to a Lebanese restaurant tonight. For those of you who might read this who love food, I have also had wonderful meals at a French restaurant, Indian, Japanese (Wagamama!) and English, of course. And plennntttyyyyy of coffee!

--Sara