(Monday 7/2)
After getting some amazing rest of Sunday, I was well rested and ready to go on Monday!
We took a couple different modes of transportation to get up to where we were going - train, tube, ferry, bus - if i remember correctly. The ferry ride was so nice with that breeze and seeing Gunwharf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower from the boat. It was such a beautiful day for that ferry ride.
Once we got off the bus, everyone was getting a bit hangry, so we stopped at a little pub to eat. They were quite surprised to see such a big group all at once, especially considering it was quite empty before us, but they handled it very well and got the food out pretty fast as well! I got a salmon filet with some potatoes and salad, and was very surprised to see the salmon come out with a more natural fish color, since it is so pink in the US, but everything was delicious and much needed!
After our lunch, we headed up to Carisbrooke Castle (literally up lol). It was a bit of a hike, but thankfully we were mostly in the shade, and honestly I could use a hike like that after all the good food I'd been eating. We saw a golden retriever on the way up, which immediately got the whole group's attention (dog deprived!). He seemed to be headed our way with his owner but then made a quick turn at the last minute as we all stared after him with sadness.
The hike was well worth it once we got up to the castle, and we were all amazed to see how well it had been preserved. It seemed to have all the original structures, and was barely decaying, which is pretty amazing considering just how long it has been around. It also had an amazing view, allowing you to see almost the whole Isle of Wight! The museum was very interesting as well, with many artifacts from the time period from when the castle was first built. The ornaments from locks of hair were particularly interesting and the hair had help up incredibly well. There was also so much detail in the clothing, especially the lace and embroidery, and it is amazing how much time it must have taken to do it all by hand and without the help of machinery. I also can't imagine getting around the castle in a gown or wearing the weight of the chain mail. The steep, narrow stairs were treacherous enough in what I was wearing.
The garden was also incredibly beautiful and had so many different varieties of flowers and plants! Everything had such vibrant colors and went together so well!
We took a different route on the way back down, which proved a little more difficult, as it seemed to be a less popular path, and more steep. Once we reached the bottom, we made our way back to the ferry station, but not before stopping for ice cream at Minghella's! I got the coffee flavor and it was delicious! I also needed the caffeine so I don't know if there was actually a lot of caffeine in there, but I think I tricked myself into feeling more energized.
We made our way back across the channel on the ferry, enjoying the breeze even more after a bit of walking. We then explored Gunwharf Quays, which had a very interesting layout. I love how it was not a closed mall and instead was open to outside air. It had a lot of shops that were similar to malls here, with a few specifically English shops mixed in. After walking for a bit, we ended up at Giraffe for dinner, a restaurant that has dishes inspired by many countries around the world. In an attempt to be healthy, I got a rice bowl with brown rice, different vegetables, chicken, and an egg on top. As with just about every other meal, it was very good! We talked to our server a bit and she mentioned that she had never passed her drivers' test and had just given up on it at this point. It was such an interesting conversation and showed such a culture difference, because it would be incredibly difficult for us to make our way around in North Carolina without a license due to the lack of decent public transportation and how far apart things are.
After dinner we headed back to Guildford to relax a bit and get some work done before the next day.
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