Blog Post Prompt 2

I am currently living in Harlaxton College, which is a manor house built in the 1830s. It is often referred to as Grantham Castle. Harlaxton Manor is a sight to behold, and simply put, amazing in every aspect. The manor itself is an amazing work of architecture. The ceilings themselves defy imagination, with their ornate molding work. Throughout the house several beautiful artistic touches can be found, whether it's an exquisitely designed leather Italian door, or beautiful marble fireplaces. The interior design of the manor has a touch of several different nationalities throughout. While a large part of the house still maintains it's original brilliance, many areas throughout the manner have been converted to dorm rooms. We are staying on the fifth floor. While our room has been converted to a dorm the ceiling still has elaborate molding work and you can see the frame of an old marble fire place behind our desks. The brilliance of the interior of the manor is only matched by it's stunning exterior. Outside the manor there are miles of impressive and visual stimulating gardens. Throughout the landscaping stone lions can be seen as a common theme. At Harlaxton Manor both inside and out you feel as if your are a character in a nineteenth century novel. This is probably why we all enjoy reading and discussing our Bronte novels so frequently within the grounds of Harlaxton. Since this is my second trip here I already knew much of what to expect. However, I did not anticipate that it would be even more beautiful and extraordinary than I had recalled in my memories.


The closest town to Harlaxton is Grantham. Grantham is a small but charming town. The town has many small shops, thrift stores, a hilarious museum, and a grocery store. Grantham also has many pubs located within its small area. Pubs are a large element of English culture. Two years ago the pub that many of the locals and residents of Harlaxton frequented was the Blue Pig. I have also come to understand that this has been true for some time. However, apparently after an altercation occurred within its walls, the Blue Pig is nearly vacant. This new development is kind of sad to me. Mostly, I am saddened because a lot of the people on the trip think that there really isn't a big difference between British and American cultures; and I feel that there could be nothing further from the truth. While there are several similarities, there are also several vast and important difference between our culture at home and the culture here. I feel that if our group was able to interact more with the locals, especially in a pub setting, they would learn a lot of the important and interesting differences that make the British culture so special. In addition, I feel that the differences will become more evident after the group spends more time and engages in more activities in town. The grocery store in town is names Morrisons. They have several of the products similar to those that we have in the our U.S. grocery stores. However, the portions on nearly everything are smaller. They also carry several delicious products native the Great Britain, specifically biscuits. Biscuits are similar to a cookie within the U.S. but better. I purchased some Scooby Doo Biscuits with Jam for my daughter and the grocery store yesterday, hopefully she will enjoy them!