Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day!

Greetings!

This past weekend was our first weekend in York for quite some time. It was nice to not think about traveling or packing, and just enjoy Halloween weekend! On Friday Rachel and I went to the "York Dungeons" with a group of international students. The "York Dungeons" are part of the same company which has dungeon tours in other cities that are meant to frighten and entertain. This was certainly an experience I will never forget! All of the live actors we encountered were dressed authentically and played their parts very well. They were meant not only to tell us true stories about York, but to give us a good old fashioned scare at the same time! We learned about York during the Bubonic Plague, Guy Fawkes, Dick Turpin, and other figures and events important to York's history, but with a scary twist! I really enjoyed it!

On Halloween, Rachel and I rented costumes from the local theater and attended a masquerade put on by our Bible Study leaders. We enjoyed picking out ridiculous feathered masks and finding dresses to match! We spend a couple ours in the house and listened to Halloween music, then went into town to scope out rest of York's costumes. It was really neat to spend Halloween in the "Most Haunted City in the World!" (York was recently given this title)

I am a member of the Volleyball Club here at York and the girls team had our first game on Wednesday in Bradford. It was exciting to take the train with the team to another university, and wear a jersey once again in competition! Although we didn't win, everyone played really well, and I know we gave them a run for their money! I have really enjoyed being a part of the Volleyball Club and have met some really wonderful people through that experience.

Yesterday, Thursday 5 November, was Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night! I was really looking forward to this because Guy Fawkes was born in York and christened in the church I attend on Sunday evenings. The city was crowded with tourists yesterday, and the local Guy Fawkes Inn and Pub was packed full! Fireworks began around the city as early as 5:00 pm because it is already pitch dark outside by then. Me, Maggie, Rachel, and some of our international friends (Oddbjorg from Norway, Franziska from Germany, and Emilie from Sweden) went to dinner at the Lion and the Lamb Inn. Afterwards we went on a Ghost Walk, which is a popular activity in York. A man with a deep voice, and thoroughly Yorkshire accent conducted, us around to some of the most well known and haunted places in the city! We all really enjoyed laughing, but being slightly frightened at the same time ;)

After the ghost walk we went to a friends house to enjoy some food, fellowship, and fireworks! Fireworks are required for an enjoyable Bonfire Night experience. It has been fun to celebrate a couple holidays here, and I'm sure there are more exciting celebrations to come!

This weekend Rachel, Maggie, and I are going to London! I am really excited to finally go to England's capital city and see some of the most well know places in the country. We plan on going to Stonehenge on Saturday fallowed by Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Big Ben, among others, on Sunday and Monday. Luckily we have a number of connections in London, and we will have help when trying to navigate the city. It should be a really fun time! Next Thursday we head to Paris with the international students, and there are trips to the Lake District and Liverpool in our future as well! It is nice to have so much to look forward to, and my time here is flying by! I would really appreciate prayer for safe travel during our trips, and our overall safety as we go to these immense cities. Also, for perseverance as we tackle large essays and projects. Thank you again for your prayers, and thanks for reading Molly's Meanderings!

Cheers everyone!