Day 55: Wednesday
Same morning routine. Around 11 we finally figured out our plans for the day, packed our lunches, and head into town. We went to use the computers, but they were full, so we ran some errands buying stamps and random things we needed. We went back to the library and the computers were still full, but we had to print our tickets for the bus tomorrow, so we waited about a half hour. All of the sudden all of the computers opened up at once, and we were able to use them for the full half hour without feeling bad about people waiting. Gosh I can’t wait to get back to internet tomorrow. After I felt satisfied with my internet usage and my half hour was up, we decided it was time to head to the bus to go to Wimborne. We were hungry already by the time we got there, so we sat on a patch of grass in front of the minster and ate our packed lunches, sandwiches and salad as usual. Then we wandered around inside the minster for a bit until we discovered it had a chained library, so we had to check it out. We felt like we were in Harry Potter going to the restricted section as we wound up a spiral staircase into a library with super old books chained to the wall. One of the keepers told us a bit about the history of the library and chaining books, and of course she was interested in why two American girls were in their library and even interested. We immediately found the Works of Machiavelli, which she found surprising that we got so excited over, and we explained that we are political theory students who had just come from Italy where we were studying Machiavelli. She also told us that their copy of Raleigh’s History of the World had gotten a hole burnt through it by a candle and has since been repaired. It was disappointing that we couldn’t look through the books, but we were able to touch them. By this time, another lady came up to replace the other one, who informed her “These girls are students of political theory. They pounced on the Machiavelli.” We then had a talk with the other woman as well about the books and the history. When she asked about where we were from, she replied that she like Minnesota because Garrison Keiller, Bob Dylan, Prince, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were from there. I was quite surprised that she knew so much about it! After spending much longer than any normal sane person would in the chained library, we went back down the staircase and made our way toward the Wimborne model town. It is literally a model town of what it looked like in the 50s, and it was very cool. We tromped around it acting like little children and playing around with all the buildings and shops, then went inside and played with the trains, which were, of course, Thomas the Tank Engine. Then we wandered around the gift shop and got some tea before we headed out. We wandered around the town of Wimborne a bit more, found a candy shop and bought some sweets, grumbled at an Italian Restaurant as we walked by but amused ourselves by looking at the menu, and then it was time to catch the bus back to Broadstone. We decided to take the long walk home since we knew we needed to walk a little bit to be hungry enough for dinner, which was English breakfast, so we walked along a trail on the other side of the roundabout and came out somewhere in the neighborhood, and we just wandered until Elli knew where we were and we made it home just in time for dinner. I was so full, as usual, but it was so good. Dessert was plumb pie with custard again. After dinner we did the dishes and then set out for another walk to walk off the food baby we got from dinner. We walked back along the same trail we were on before, but kept going two miles all the way to Upton Country Park. We saw lots of English people out walking their dogs and getting exercise. We sat by the country house for a couple minutes before we decided to turn back and head home along the same path. It was about a four mile walk by the end of it, and I felt sufficiently exercised. We had some milk and talked with granny and granddad a bit when we got home, then did the usual without internet before bed. Tomorrow we leave Broadstone and go to London where we will have the internet back finally! But only for a couple days before we go to Dieulefit where the only internet will be from the café. I can’t believe I only have a week and a half left!
