longest day

A very long day was today.  Today was a very long day.  Very long was today.
 
We began our day bright and early, leaving the Oxford campus at 9am, which is quite early considering last night.  On the way to our first garden, we passed by Stonehenge, which we will be visiting in person later on.  It was strange to see such a historic landmark from our perspective, none of us realizing that it was so small, and right next to the road.  Strange. 
 
First stop after a 2.5 hr bus ride was the Stourhead gardens, which involved a 2.5 mile hike around the grounds.  My group got lost, opting for a road rather than the trail, which added about half a mile.  Luckily my professor was the one leading our small group, so I am petitioning for extra credit.  :)  Since we took an extra detour, our group had little time to grab a bite, as the others had already eaten, and we were off again.  This bus ride, though quite beautiful, was difficult to endure.  Its redeeming factor was the detour through Bath to drop someone off- and the sights and views of that beautiful city (which we will tour later in the trip). 
 
The second garden was Painswick, a Rococo garden recently reconstructed from a painting of the grounds in its prime.  I sketched a countryside here with my friend Martin, who is much better than I.  The return bus ride had everyone on edge, due to the lack of sleep, little food, and longetivity of time spent on the bus throughout the day.    Everyone was ecstatic to return home, and dinner plates were quickly devoured.  All in all, a great day, but a long one.  I'm just happy to be back on solid ground.  ;-)