Okay, I promised myself I would be a good student and get a ton of hw, laundry, and this blog post done and be in bed by 11:00. We'll see if that happens.
Where was I?....OH! Cambridge.
Friday:
We met at King's Cross Station to head out on our group excursion to Cambridge...home of 32 colleges and universities (and Charles Darwin, for that matter)...where DNA and the electron were discovered along with many genius minds. The train ride was about an hour. I sat next to Waldina, a girl who has already been studying in London for a semester (she's decided to study for a year). So we listened to her "wisdom" all the way there. :) It helps that she's my neighbor...I can ask her for advice anytime.
The train ride was of course...beautiful. We actually saw the country!! So much green..ahh. :)
Cambridge was windy, but full of gorgeous architecture. Our tour guide took us around to different locations important to the history of the town. The college buildings look like castles! And "holy lots of bikes Batman!! Outside of the train station, along with a car park...there was a whole section reserved for bicycles! You could definitely tell it was a student town.
My favorite part of the tour was the King's College Chapel. It was huge from the outside...but I had no idea the sight that would swallow me the minute my eyes adjusted inside! Vibrant colors from massive stained glass windows on every wall combined with the magnificent decorated ceiling that towered above us...literally took my breath away!!! I was starstruck and found myself with my hand on my heart exclaiming "Oh my God!" (and believe me...it was said in awe of my Creator...not in vain). What a building to worship Him in!!
The center of the chapel held a giant organ and at the front altar there was a painting by Peter Paul Rubens called "Adoration of the Magi"...which was also cool to see considered I studied these types of painting in my Art History class this past semester.
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| That tree is hundreds of years old...! |
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| King's College |
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| Stunning!! |
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| Pictures do not do it justice whatsoever!!! |
After the tour we split up into groups. I went with Mary, Krystal, Kaylee, Steph, and Megan. Starving...we went in search for food. I don't remember what the name of the pub was, but I ordered my first real dish since being here. haha! It only took me two weeks!! MEAT!!! I've been realizing that I've been cooking like a vegetarian...so this was a real treat. It was delicious and filled every nook and cranny of my tummy. :) Yum!
Megan and I had a good laugh at the airdryers in the bathroom. haha! Her curly hair went flying! |
| Hunter's Chicken: Chicken Breast with cheese and bacon (the bacon here is divine!), chips (french fries), and salad |
After eating we went Punting!! What is punting, you ask? Well I will tell you. We sit in a boat, like this one:
Even though it was windy and a little chilly...we had blankets and coffee. It was lovely. :) Our "punter" was named Andrew and he told us some really great stories like how me met his fiance and is going to travel the world with her after they're married...so romantic! He was a champ for staying upright on the back of that boat with the strong winds. We loved him to say the least. We had some Chinese friends ride in the boat with us too. All in all...it was a fantastic way to tour the colleges and scenery. We want to go back in the spring when it's warmer!
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| My roommate Mary and I. Cute!! |
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| That's Andrew...telling stories I'm sure |
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| Andrew, Steph, Mary, and me |
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| purty |
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| twisting AND narrow (plus the creepy room with nooses hanging in it as an exhibit...*shudders*) |
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| St. Mary's from the bottom |
Sleepy train ride back. By the time we got to the Vandon House...I was occasionally getting waves of exhaustion that made me feel like I could pass out or something. I don't know how I did it...but I managed to push through my tiredness to watch Monty Python AND Prince of Egypt before going to bed. We think it would be funny to visit a castle in England and bring coconuts to reenact scenes. :)
Saturday:
Didn't do a whole lot.
Travel planning mostly...takes SO much time. meh!
Megan went with me on a search for cute boots. I'm been trying to find some since I've been here.
I'm picky about my shoes:
Reasonably priced (*cheap*)
Not flashy with buckles and other crappy glitz
comfortable (this usually means NO heel).
We went to at least three stores...no luck.
Then last night I looked on Overstock.com and found the perfect pair!...however I neglected to click "options" until I was about to buy them. Gar...they didn't have my size or the color I wanted.
So I've given up on finding boots. :(
Watch...I'll probably find some now that I've given up the fight. lol
[Oh dear, I'm sure you're all so thrilled to hear about my frustrations with finding boots.]
Sunday:
wonderful sleeping in...haven't been able to do that in ages!
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
We went to Trafalgar Square and Soho (the Chinatown area) to see the celebrations.
Was able to see and hear some Chinese opera (can't say I'm a fan. haha!), lots of hanging lanterns, people dressed like bunnies (year of the rabbit), and the sounds of kids throwing snaps on the ground.
It was SO crowded! Megan and I lost the rest of our group in the crowd and couldn't find them.
Here I was put into a pickle...Because I had planned on leaving to meet Waldina to go to church...but I couldn't leave Megan by herself...and I didn't want to wander around the crowds for 40 minutes alone. So I ended up missing the time to meet Waldina and didn't go to church. :( I felt really bad. Maybe another Sunday.
It's weird...the church services here are later. The one I was going to go to was at 4 in the afternoon!!
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| the goal, if you caught one of these bags, is to throw it into the tree. If it stayed, the wish written on the bag tag would come true. :) |
Made stir fry with the leftover veggies from my gourmet pizza. I'm finding that I really like to cook now that I am forced to do it! lol! It's an art in itself. I like getting colorful veggies. Plus, they taste good. :) I made fish tacos tonight..mmm!
Today I had my internship. He had me scan old photos for a lady who's friend had recently passed away...so these were photos for the funeral I'd imagine. Once the photos were scanned it was my job to clean up the scratches and such with Adobe Photoshop. Then we placed them onto a page with InDesign...like puzzle pieces trying to get as many on a page as possible. After they printed I cut them out with a scalpel. I really enjoyed this project. I love old black and white photos...so vintage! James has no idea the kinds of ideas that ran through my head about making vintage collages and recycling photos, or making a family photo project when I return home about our ancestry. lol! I was so inspired!
We spent awhile talking about "Etsy" too...and I would be interested in starting a website for my mom...or even for my own artwork someday. I'm learning so much about graphic design...I never realized how useful it is and how many things we see today use it. Websites, ads, logos, pictures, magazines...the list goes on. Someday when I write my young adult fantasy book I could totally use these Adobe programs to piece together my own illustrations.
Okay...so if this post wasn't long enough already...As an assignment for my BES class we were supposed to go to at least two markets and write about them. I already mentioned the ones I went to in previous posts...but I didn't go into detail about them. So excuse me while I finish my homework. ;)
Assignment 1: Street Life: London's Neighbourhoods and Markets
Assignment 1: Street Life: London's Neighbourhoods and Markets
Borough Market - We went here on the walking tour last Saturday. It was SO busy and cold that day...so I didn't spend a whole lot of time looking at the shops. The market was located under a bridge, I believe, and many of the booths/displays had foods and fresh produce. But like I said, it was so packed with people, I tried to pay more attention to our tour guide so I didn't get lost in the crowd.
Camden Market - I was able to explore this market much more. I went here to meet my friends from Wales, Molly and Shawn. We walked around the Stable Market nearby...with lots of quirky shops (some "gothic"...aimed at teenagers I think). This is where I found my Beatles record! We walked down the street and into Camden Market. So many clothes!! A lot of them were really cute, trendy, and vintage for a reasonable price. The stalls were very close together and once you were inside, it was kind of like a maze. My friends found a nice stall with a guy selling his photos of London for a really nice price! They bought some, and I almost got one...but then realized that I don't need photos...I'm a photographer myself! haha!
Cheers friends!!
~Merely Mortal~
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