Okay, so first thing’s first. The bus ride to Salisbury took a little over an hour. Being exhausted from late night blogging, slept most of the way there, but did get a chance to enjoy the countryside a little. We went to Salisbury, which is a charming little town, very small, very British, the kind of town you’d imagine James Herriot was writing about in Scotland in “All Creatures Great and Small.” The Cathedral itself is gorgeous, a prime example of English Gothic. It’s extremely well-kept and under constant restoration. David (our ineffective tour guide) was more into telling unfunny/kitchy stories about the sepulchers, so I went off on my own to explore the magnificent stained glass and fan vaulting. Also housed within the Cathedral at Salisbury is one of the 10 surviving copies of the Magna Carta, which was pretty neat to see. It’s housed within the “Chapter House,” so-called because one was expected to read a full chapter from the Bible before conducting business in the room.
I’ve got to talk about this experience next, because I’ve told some of you about it and others not. Well, it’s no secret that Sevilla had been quite a…mystical…is that the right word?... let’s call it that for simplicities sake. It’s no secret that Sevilla was a challenging/interesting environment for all activities paranormal. Imagine my surprise to find something paranormal in Salisbury, in jolly old England! Here’s the facts-only version: I can feel weird things in general. And I certainly felt something in the cloisters in Salisbury. First thing I felt when going in there was that there were presences there…To me, they felt like recently-dead people. Like they had JUST died. Again, not a scary feeling at all, but just a feeling like indeed, they were there, interacting with me. Or, better said, just there. I snooped around and found that indeed there were people buried in the center yard of the cloisters, and in fact, some had been buried quite recently, one in 2006. Interesting, no? I’ve enclosed a picture of the grounds, not really to validate my story any: believe it or don’t, but so that you can get an idea of the beauty of the place.
After the incredibly cool Salisbury, we boarded the bus for Stonehenge. Stonehenge is SO BIZARRE! First of all: it’s out in the middle of nowhere, completely removed from any signs of civilization or any other natural landmarks of any kind. It’s situation on the Salisbury plain, with no particular purpose to its location…and that’s that lol. Stonehenge is both impressive and extremely frustrating. Here’s this incredible monument to something that someone somehow moved from Wales all the way down here. It was apparently important enough that for 1000 years people kept moving the stones down to this spot to make this bizarre monument to…who knows. The place is very photogenic, and I took plenty of cool photos, but at the same time, it sure is perplexing…
Ah, and now to Bath, my new favorite spot in England. Well, we got there and immediately I fell in love with the town of Bath. In the great weather we were having, Bath sparkles like a bright bubble in the sun, that’s the best way I can describe it. It’s fantastically scenic, combining funky shops and touristy things with fountains, monuments, historic buildings, thin roads, clean parks, cool air…it’s a little bit like heaven. Our first stop was actually NOT to explore the town, but instead to the Roman baths, perfectly preserved since the 3rd century A.D. It was incredible to see such a well-preserved Roman monument, and the audio guide was very helpful to understand how the natural hot spring were utilized by the Romans to create this interesting combination between religion and relax. Oh, and in other news: I tried some of the natural spring water…It was awful. Mary I, Queen of England, described the water as “the water that is left over after boiling eggs”…and it tasted exactly like the water that is left over after boiling eggs…Yuck. But still fun to try. After the baths, we got some time to explore the awesome town of Bath. We wanted to go inside the Abbey, quite possibly one of the coolest Gothic buildings I’ve ever seen, but it was closed for the graduation ceremony of Bath university…What a place to be graduated in! In any case, we wandered more around the town. I have decided that when I conquer England, I will erect my palace in Bath, cause it’s pretty much the coolest city ever.
The bus ride back to London took a few hours, and 
we got to see the pretty rolling hills of the countryside, which was new for me, since I’m more used to urban England. When we got back, we spent some time shopping in Piccadilly Circus. Now, I’ve GOT to tell you about where we went to dinner. It’s officially my new favorite restaurant…ever. It’s a sushi joint called “Yo!” and it’s the funkiest damn thing on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s decorated like a combination between arc deco and “harajuku” and its musical selection was like they took my ipod and put it on shuffle (eg. Chemical Bros., Moby, The Cure, etc.). Everything was compartmentalized: you went to the table and were presented with holes in the table that held chopsticks, ginger, wasabi, soysauce, soysauce dishes, and a choice between flat and bubbly water. It was fantastic. And the sushi came “floating” on a conveyor belt in little plastic “bubbles.” Plus the quality was fantastic. Since it was a Monday, we were treated to their “Blue Monday” special (conjurs up New Order melodies, doesn’t it?), which meant that everything was a cheap 2.15 pounds. We nommed away at this delicious sushi and enjoyed the fun atmosphere. It’s easily the most fun I’ve ever had eating in London. Just opening a place like “Yo!” back in the States…wow, that sure would be incredible/quite profitable. It was a terrific memory and the perfect end to a perfect day.
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