By: Morganne Williams

Today had a main focus on John Bunyan, who is most famously know for his religious allegory: The Pilgrim’s Progress. We started out in Bedford, in his old church. After we arrived, we first took a tour of the town, passing by his old house, a large statue of him (right), and the gaol (jail) where he was imprisoned in for 12 years. We then headed back to the church, where we discussed his life and works. Following that, we had another tour through the Bunyan Museum, and then we all headed out to the Ouse River.

Sitting on the bank of the river, we ate our lunch and were soon joined by small a paddling of ducks, gaggle of geese, and game of swans. Unable to resist the temptation, we began feeding them bits of our lunch, which caused the birds’ numbers to grow until they eventually outnumbered us. Luckily, they were kind creatures, and left us alone once they realized we had no more gifts to give.

Following lunch, we then drove through Elstow, Bunyan’s hometown, and then headed towards the Houghton House. The House is a 17th century mansion that is now in ruins, but is said to have been beautiful in its prime. So beautiful, in fact, that it gave Bunyan the inspiration for the ‘House Beautiful’ in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Determined to explore the place, we left no stone unturned; we scaled the walls and climbed through windows, trying to find the best nook to claim for ourselves. However, our adventures were cut short due to rain, so we headed back to the bus to avoid being drenched.

After our trip, we had a quiet evening preparing for both our quiz on Thursday and our final on Friday.

By: Morganne Williams

When my alarm blared at 5:30 AM on Sunday, I was not ready to get up. Sadly, I still had to pack and take a shower, so sleeping in for another hour and a half was not an option. Two hours later I had eventually finished, and I dragged my heavy suitcase up the stairs and into the common room. I was greeted by my half-asleep peers and a mound of luggage. By 8:00 AM, everyone had arrived, and we proceeded out to the bus.

We spent the morning and afternoon at the Duxford Aircraft Museum, which is multiple hangars filled with World War II era airplanes. Some planes we were able to walk through and see what travelling in the early 40s was like, and others we were able to watch take flight. Most of the museum was Royal Air-Force planes, but they did have a hangar full of American planes and even a few German ones.

At 2:30 PM, we boarded the bus and left for Harlaxton Manor. I had previously looked up pictures of it online, but nothing prepared me for the sheer size of it. Harlaxton was breathtaking from the outside, but the inside was unbelievably gorgeous. As soon as my luggage was brought up to my room, my friends and I started exploring. We managed to get lost upwards of ten times, but the rooms we got lost in were worth it.

We found a ballroom, conservatory, library, giant cedar staircase, a list of crests with my family name on it, and a couple of secret passages. Sadly, our adventure was brought to a halt when we had to leave for dinner, but after dinner, we had a guided tour of the Manor. This place is truly amazing, and I feel like a rich Victorian woman walking through the huge halls and the resplendent rooms. These next two weeks are going to be amazing.