Stonehenge ROCKS!!!

First off, I know the title of this blog is very cliche, but...I think it is funny so...oh well. I am going to tell this week's adventures in reverse because I though it would be fun to mix it up a little! I finally got to see Stonehenge this weekend! It was amazing and beautiful, everything I expected it to be. It still amazes me how the rocks, some weighing up to 75 tons (that's around 11 elephants!) were carried over a 100 miles! It is crazy, absolutely crazy. Then, some of the stones were lifted up and laid flat across the stones that were set upright, it makes sense that some of the stones have fallen after all this time! I think it is even more amazing that some of the rocks are still standing upright in original position. Seeing the huge pile of fulfilled one of my dreams about coming to England and seeing the monument. To some it may just be a pile of rocks and not worth paying the entry fee to see it up close...the tour only takes about 45 minutes, but I am so happy I did the tour and I personally think it was money well spent. The sun was shining and the roped off section around the henge allows people to take pictures without getting other tourists in them...a very big plus. The best part of the trip was being able to hold up Stonehenge with one hand...yes I am that strong (view facebook pictures for a clearer explanation), it was the closest I got to actually touching the stones! I also tried lemon curd at the Stonehenge gift shop and it was so delicious I went to the store the next day and brought myself a jar...a very good decision.
On my weekend trip, I also got to see Salisbury Cathedral, which surprisingly surpasses my expectations. I originally decided to wait to see Stonehenge to go on the school sponsored trip because it seemed like I would get the most for my money, I never really thought about seeing the cathedral one way or another. To say the least, the building was magnificent! The gothic architecture is amazing, the sculptors are so detailed, and my favorite part was the pristine courtyard in the middle of the compound. It was so lush and  green, with a large tree in it...looked like the perfect place for a picnic. Inside was beautiful as well and the various aches gave the church a very unique appearance. There was a still fountain or pool of water, not sure how to accurately describe it, which reflected off the ceiling and provided an excellent photo! The cathedral has the largest spire in all of Britain...it is huge and during the tour I learned that the originally structure was not build to support an extra tower and spire, especially not as large as the current ones. The additional of the spire warped the main pillars it rests on and the spire leans...it sits about 1.5 feet from the original placement. All this information made me feel really safe when I was standing under the spire...fyi there is sarcasm in this statement! The town of Salisbury is very quaint and I enjoyed walking around town aimlessly looking at all of the open markets. Many of the markets were selling huge bowls of vegetables for only a pound, but then I realized the bowl didn't come with the offered and it just didn't seem as good as a deal anymore. Plus lugging around fresh veggies didn't seem like an ideal plan. The trip was great and the moment I boarded the bus to come home, it started raining...perfect timing.
This past Wednesday I attended a lab tour of the Johnson Matthey Sonning Technology Centre, it is a chemical company specializing in platinum catalysts among other things. The tour was interesting and provided me with a yummy and free lunch with delicious cake...that was the deal breaker! The labs were very homely and small, not what I expected a chemical plant to be, this view may have been swayed because the labs had beautiful gardens surrounding the compound. I think the tour was worth while and at one point one of the researchers was discussing coupling reactions and the recent Nobel Prize recipient...yup that was all Purdue...it made me happy!
I also got my first graded essay back this week...I didn't do as well as I expected mainly because I can't type or spell! Since the grading system is very different and a 70% equals a first...similar to the American 'A' I was shocked at the score because at first glance I viewed the percentage with the American grading perspective! I spoke with the teacher and she confirmed that the grade wasn't bad at all, but I am planning on completing the optional second essay to see if my score improves. I think if I just proofread it more and write the essay in one sitting, it should turn out better...I hope! I really dislike writing essays, hence why I am a chemistry major... technical writing is much more enjoyable and makes more sense, at least to me.
I think that is about it of this week's adventures...oh I tried a Mars bar finally...similar to the US version of the Milky Way bar (not to be confused with the non-US Milky Way bar which is more like a US 3 Musketeers bar...yes I know its all confusing!), except I could taste the caramel in the Mars bar much more than in a MIlky Way...I might just have to bring some back home with me!  I am going to be in Barcelona this coming weekend...time is going by so fast, I can't believe it has been nearly two months since leaving the US. It feels like forever ago I bought my ticket for Spain. I am so excited for the warm weather, the paella, and of course the sangria!!!!