"Remember, remember the Fifth of November..."

"...murder and treason and plot!" There was no murder or treason that I ran across today, I'm happy to report. There may be a plot, I suppose, but if there is, I'm not in on it. At any rate, today is Guy Fawkes Day, a celebration of the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament in 1605. That of course makes this year the 400th Anniversary! To celebrate, several of us went to the city's big celebration up on Clifton Down, but before I get to that, I should explain what we were doing in the area in the first place.
Today was our second of two field trips, this time to the far less exotic (compared to Wales, that is) Avon Gorge. We visited several historic quarries to learn firsthand how to record geological data. I'm afraid it was just about as exciting as it sounds. I have very little geological experience, and much recording is done via drawing, which as many of you know is another weak spot of mine. On the plus side, it rained less than it was supposed to, and I came away not only with a better working knowledge of geology, but with a brachiopod fossil as well, so all in all it was a day well-spent.
Afterwards, several of us trundled up the hill to go to the Guy Fawkes celebrations. I'd really been looking forward to this, as that particular holiday has fascinated me for a long time. I'm not really sure why the British chose to focus on this particular event for their main nationalistic holiday. After all, their government almost got blown up, which seems an odd thing to get excited about, but they do enjoy it here. The important components of the holiday are, appropriately enough, fireworks and bonfires (this being England, drinking is implied as well). The official city party had both, as well as live performances by several bands, which I only mention to see if anyone has heard of Chesney Hawkes. I don't know the guy at all, but all the Brits did, and they got positively frantic when they heard he was playing. I, however, was unimpressed. Back to the point at hand, the fireworks show was excellent, and the bonfire was just fantastic. It was a good fifty feet tall at its largest, and we felt the heat on the other side of the park while we were perusing the carnival games (No one won anything; they're rigged in Britain as well as in America, the main difference being that the prizes here include bottles of vodka and £20 notes - fun for the whole family!). I am still puzzled by many aspects of Guy Fawkes Day (For instance, why didn't they choose to celebrate something that happened in summer? It would have made fireworks shows much more enjoyable, but probably would obviate the need for a bonfire.), but like so many things in Britain, as soon as you stop worrying about all the details, it's a great time.