Friday, July 17, 2009

A bit of sunshine = )

Hellooooooooooooo!!

I think I'm finally experiencing the British weather...moments of heavy rain followed by a clearing of sun that peers through the gray clouds. It's quite pretty = ).

Discovery - I really like Pastys. I think I'll buy one every week. = ) They are like Calzones, except they have meat, onions, potatoes, and cheese inside. They're soooooooooooooooo yummy, especially on cool rainy days because they stay warm and you bite into deliciousness every time = )...I want another one now... = )

Anyway, this past week has been pretty rainy. But that's ok. It doesn't dampen the mood or take away from the Cambridge experience =).

Last week, some friends and I walked to Grantchester, home of Rupert Brooke, a famous english writer/poet. We read a novel about him by Jill Dawson (who came to give a lecture) and decided to visit the Orchards that he visited often. The walk was about an hour, one way. Many people rode bikes on the path. We passed by many cows...and fields...not quite Kansas = ).

When we arrived at the Orchards, we rested with some tea and ice cream = ).


We visited the one room Brooke museum (it was tiny) then walked to the "pool" where he dived all day long. I don't think I'd want to swim in that...but perhaps it looked better back in the days...let's hope so = ).

The next day, we made our way to London! It's not too far from Cambridge. It's about an hour train ride, but we took a bus, so about 2 1/2 hours. We all had river boat passes for the day, so that was our mode of transportation, besides walking of course = ). The sights on the boat were very pretty. = )


Once we hopped off the boat, we walked toward the west end. On the way, we spotted Big Ben = )
It's very large and it happened to be noon when we heard it's first ringing = ).

The West End is lovely. It's where the National Gallery and many theatres show performances daily. Jessi and I were hungry, so what did we eat?!


Fish & Chips!!

We ate around Trafalgar Square and saw Nelson's Column. At the square, there was event called Jesus Army. It was...interesting.
Apparently it's hosted by a church called Jesus Army (I think) and it happens every year. It was nice to stumble upon = ).

We walked around some more and visited the Royal Academy, home of the J.W. Waterhouse exhibit. Jessi really really wanted to see that (her fav. artist), so we went. The paintings were beautiful. I couldn't take photos inside...so I took one of the banner poster thingy outside = ).


Once the exhibit was thoroughly observed, we ran back to the boat dock...we really ran. = ) What a treat! It felt sooooo nice to be sitting. There's so much walking in London. Make sure you wear good shoes if ever you visit.

We ate some ramen = ) then headed to the Globe to see Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I was looking forward to this for a really long time. I couldn't believe we were going to see a play in the Globe theatre!!! BUT...little did I know that after a full day of walking around London, I would have to STAND for 3 more hours to watch the play...ahhhhhhhhhhhh. The theatre was pretty


...but I think the fact that my legs and feet were aching and my clothes and hair were wet from the rain (there was no shelter for those standing and umbrellas aren't allowed) made it a bit difficult to enjoy. Very funny...both situation and play. = )

Sadly, our day in London drew to an end...but we did rejoice in being able to sit!

Plus, there's much more to be done in Cambridge = )...like a week of Harry Potter-ness!! = )

We had a formal dinner at Pembroke where Jessi and I decided to dress up like students at Hogwarts and the meal's menu was themed for Hogwarts.

It was fun. The TAs wore their robes and the tables were separated into the houses at Hogwarts.

I was in Griffindor.

The next day, we all went to watch the movie. We sold out the theatre = ). It was hilarious getting there. All of us wanted to get good seats, so everyone started crowding to the front of the "line", but none of knew where the theatre was, so the TA that led us kept zigzagging here and there, making random turns, crossing and recrossing streets...we could have died really. It was dangerous. = ) BUT we got to see Harry Potter...in ENGLAND! = D It made me happy.

Ok, anyway, this was quite a long update. This weekend...I have no plans = ). We'll see what happens = ). I really miss everyone back in the states. I hope everyone's summers are going wonderfully = ).

Love,
Christina

2 comments:

  1. It's crazy to see and hear how much you did of a city like London in just one day. Glad to hear you're having a good time!

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  2. haha sounds like you are having loads of funnn
    i like your harry potter costumes :D

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