Jaslyn Visits the Castle/Summer in East Sussex

As some of you know, my friend Jaslyn has been traveling around Europe with another friend of hers since mid-May. After a journey full of adventures and visiting incredible places, she ended her trip with a week in London and Paris before flying home (meanwhile, her fellow traveler Kelly was off visiting relatives).

Originally, our plan was to meet up in London; but as I found out upon arrival at field school, every single day is scheduled, leaving no time for weekend trips to London. So, Plan #2 evolved: for Jaslyn to come stay at the castle for a few nights. She stayed 2 nights and got to see the gardens, the castle, parts of the estate, and the walk to the village, and she also came to our dig site with us for a while.

The photos below are a mix of photos taken during Jaslyn's stay, when we were walking and taking photos a lot, and other photos of the castle grounds I've taken recently. It's mostly gorgeous and sunny here which has afforded great opportunities for photos!

There are rabbits everywhere!! Especially in the morning,
you can see 7+ rabbits on the grass next to the road
where you're walking. 

standing in the castle courtyard looking over the garden wall

field en route to the village

in the village- another "only in England" kind of sign...

All Saints' Herstmonceux graveyard

Arrival and Walk to the Village

All went smoothly yesterday, and I'm now here at the castle!

Similarly to last time, I was lucky enough to get a single room. However, it's in a different wing of Bader Hall (the residence, 2 minutes' walk from the castle) and so unlike last time, I won't have any pictures of a gorgeous view out my window to show you. Oh well! Below is a photo of part of my room. "Single" rooms are really just regular doubles but with only one person in them. I heard a rumour last fall that some rooms were bigger than others, and now I know it's definitely true! My current room is deeper than my previous one.

one of my two beds

There were a few orientation activities, but in between we had about 2 hours of free time. I was eating dinner with several people and invited them to come with me on a walk to the village, so that was a fun way to fill the time. Below are some photos from along the 2-mile road to Herstmonceux village and back:

And here's a few shots from around the castle:

If you have a great memory you might recognize
this tree from a few photos last fall.... particularly
a "before" and "after" comparison with autumn leaves
on the tree and then on the ground.

Also, a very Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Dad! :)