First Day in England!

05/05/09


After 8 hours of flying and 3 hours of bus riding, we have finally arrived in England! We are staying at this superb mansion, called Harlaxton Manor, which was used in the filming of the movie The Haunting. The mansion is massive, and it contains a detailed interior décor, which was mostly carved by Italian artists. The mansion also houses numerous cherubs in virtually every main room as a result of the first owner's preferences.The majority of the mansion is made of stone or plaster. The manor is breath-taking, and the gardens surrounding it have the same effect. I am staying in a room with Courtney, Meghan and Dakota. Our room is relatively large, and has an amazing view of the mile drive (which is actually .7 of a mile long) and the surrounding landscape. The girls next door to us had trouble getting into their room because the doors were bolted shut from the inside! The maintenance man said it was probably the ghost that likes to play jokes on people on our floor (creepy!).
After we put our suitcases in our room, we went to exploring the mansion and the gardens. We found the secret staircase and two other secret passageways that were used by the servants who lived here long ago.
There is a small town called Gratham that is only a few minutes away. The college provides a shuttle that takes you right into the center (or should I say centre?) of town. Hopefully, Grantham will have some good shops and yummy cafes!