The drive from Edinburgh to Durham on Friday was really enjoyable. It took about 4 hours, which I spent napping and looking out the window at the beautiful Scottish (and then English) countryside. We made a stop along the way at a small town called Alnmouth to eat lunch on a beach. The water was frrrrreezing.

We got to Durham in the middle of the afternoon and took a walking tour. It is absolutely AWESOME here. The city is small and doesn't have a lot of people, so it's very peaceful. And then, on the other hand, it has one of the most majestic cathedrals I've ever seen. Romanesque architecture, in case you were wondering (hey, I've gotta put this European education to use at every opportunity). We are staying at Hatfield College, which sits right up on the peninsula over the river.

On Saturday, we went on an excursion to Hadrian's Wall. The wall is only about 4 feet tall now, whereas it was once 15-20 feet high. It was very cool, nonetheless, to see the stone stretching over the hills and to imagine what it once was. We also visited 2 of the forts that used to sit along the wall at regular intervals. The buildings have been excavated, and the artifacts found have been placed in museums on the sites. I got to put some of my Latin skillz to use to translate a few of the stone pillars/altars/tablets that remain from way back then. Sidenote- This day also happened to be the most annoying weather day I have ever experienced. It rained sporadically and continually from the time we left at 11:00 am to the time we returned at 5:00 pm. It would be pouring down one minute and then blue skies 5 minutes later, but the sun only came out to stay once we were back to Durham. Lame.

Sunday has been quite a relaxing day. I got to sleep in, and then I went out with Cristina to explore the city a bit. It's nice to get a little rest today because tomorrow is the beginning of a week of field trips. A few things planned for this week are visits to Lindisfarne, York Minster, and the castle where they shot exterior footage for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. I'm looking forward to seeing the Lindisfarne Gospels (of which there is a copy at Durham Cathedral) because the artwork and the lettering is so lovely. And the Harry Potter castle...I think I'll have some fun there, too.