4th of July

Today was my very first time celebrating the 4^th of July.  It so fun.  We put our chairs up on top of the hill and settled in about 4 hours early to watch the fireworks.  After a long while some people decided to walk down the hill to see the sundial bridge.  I needed the loo and I knew there were some at the bottom of the hill so I decided to join them.  They waited on the bridge for me while I walked across the car park to the toilets.

 These are the toilets.  I know you are wondering why I have a photo of them....  but look at the picture; they have porta sinks too with soap, water and paper towels.  I have never seen that before.  

Anyway,  when I tried to come back to the bridge I found that they had closed it and were not letting people across.  I stood trying to persuade the police officer that I was on my own in a foreign land and all my friends were on the other side of the bridge.  He said that I would not be able to cross the bridge until midnight.  I stood next to him on the phone to my friend who was now saying ‘let me talk to the cop.  Stop being British and tell him to move that gate and let you go across’.   I kept saying ‘no, he is a nice man, he is just upholding the law.  It is not his fault.  He would let me across if he could’.  Anyway he cracked under my niceness and let me on the bridge.

However on the bridge I found most of my friends.  They had waited for me but now none of us were allowed off the bridge in the direction of our chairs (and the rest of our friends).   So we just had to join the main celebrations on the side of the bridge we were on.  It was awesome.

They had a live band that played patriotic ‘we love America’ and ‘our marines are amazing’ songs.  I was amazed there were so many songs.  Like, we should really write some patriotic songs about England.  I felt fully American and ready to enlist in the marines by the time the fireworks started.

The fireworks were the most awesome ones I have ever seen – and they were FREE to watch.  I am used to fireworks in the freezing rain in November in England, but here I got to lay on the dry grass, in the warm air watching the amazing display.  Loved it.  My American friends thought I was hilarious saying ooohh,  aahhhh, and twizzler  like we do in the UK.