Like the two past days I traveled to to another destination in England that I wanted to see before I left. I set off one last time to Victoria Train Station. I missed the 10:45 to Canterbury west and ended up having to wait another hour until the next one was ready to disembark. That gave me some time to burn. Luckily there was a pub in the train station I sat down for a full english breakfast. It’s got to be one of the weirdest things I have eaten here. It’s comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and get this, baked beans (not so bad), a grilled half tomato (um, no), and a cooked flat mushroom (seriously?). It was very good and very filling although a few things were left sitting on the plate when I was finished!
It neared time for my train to leave so I headed for the platform. I settled in for the hour and forty-five minute trek across the south eastern portion of England. I really enjoyed seeing the country side. It’s so very beautiful. Upon arrival I found Canterbury to be rather boring. I walked through some sections making my way to the centre of the city thinking, did I really just spend £20 and two hours of my time to see this? I made my way to the centre and wow was I surprised. There were small winding streets packed with people and shops. It was amazing! All of these people came out of nowhere. I walked around there for a while and sadly I missed a parade of some sort by just an hour. I meandered through a few more streets, had a gander at the cathedral.
I then made my way back to the train station in time to watch the train to London leaving the platform. Thankfully there was another in fifteen minutes. I jumped on that and head back into the city. Another item crossed off of what is becoming a very short list. Thanks Marian for the recommendation!
Might I also add that I have been very lucky these past three days. The sun has been out in full force and the temperature hasn’t been too bad either. I think it was a proper last weekend here!
Speaking of my list I will be visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum tomorrow morning before class. I’ve been meaning to get there since the beginning of the semester but just haven’t made the time to. Looks like I will have to squeeze it in! I’ll post details of that tomorrow.
Status Update
Five days, sixteen hours to go! Unbelievable! Like I Mentioned above my list has quickly shrunk down to a short list of things to do. There should be at least one update a night! Well, maybe not Thursday because CAPA is throwing us a going away party and we’re all celebrating!
Todd Second half, going way to fast Canterbury, London, Status Update, Victoria and Albert Museum
And Brighton got my shoes wet. The past two days I’ve been taking advantage of the rail system within the UK. It’s one aspect that I find truly amazing about this country. You can get from one point to another by train in a very short amount of time and it doesn’t cost a lot. Yesterday I made the journey to Oxford. I was actually very close to it when I went on my road trip. I figured it would be best to tackle the city without having to worry about a vehicle.
It definitely is a unique town. I quite enjoyed walking around it. I made sure to drop by Christchurch. It has some significance to Harry Potter. I’ll have to wait for a resident HP expert to chime in, Kim!! I ended up walking through a park and made it to out skirts of town. It was a long walk back in but I made it! At this point I was starting to really feel the effects of the cold that I was hoping was only a sore throat. Check out the Oxford album, there’s some good photos!
Today I boarded a train to Brighton. It’s on the southern coast of England. It is know for it’s rocky beaches. I didn’t quite know what to expect. The beach is completely covered with what we would call river rock. It’s much smaller, about an inch in diameter. It’s the weirdest thing! So I went down to the waters edge with a goal in mind. I wanted to touch the water!! This is when things went terribly wrong. I studied where the water would come up to and finally felt comfortable going near it. Well, one of those random large waves decided to rear it’s ugly head and before I knew it I was in water up to my ankles. OOPS! So I had some wet feet for the remainder of the day, great for being sick as well. I walked along the edge of the beach. They have a sort of board walk there. There is also Brighton Pier which is like an amusement park suspended over the sea.
Upon arriving back in London I made my way to Oxford Street. We Americans have Black Friday, Londoners have the first Saturday of December. Oxford Street and Regent Street is closed to traffic and as I found out people swarm the area. It was unbelievable the amount of people that were out. I also made what will probably be my last visit to the Regent Street Apple Store.
Tomorrow I’m heading to Canterbury. Check back tomorrow evening for those details. I have also dropped below a week remaining in London. I’m still in shock that this is my last Saturday in the city. Quite amazing! I can almost see home from this point!!
Todd Second half, going way to fast Brighton, Canterbury, London, Oxford, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Status Update
…next to last week. Yes, that is correct. I’m nearing the end of my time in London. Unbelievable!
Yesterday was the start of Advent. I was recommended by a wonderful couple that I met over break to view the services at either St. Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey. It was quite a decision of which to see but the candlelight service at Westminster Abbey won. The service was amazing. I recommend it to anyone who is here during the occasion. There’s nothing like being in Westminster Abbey, at night, only lit by candles. Thanks Bonnie for this wonderful idea!
My last weekend is quickly approaching and I have a few places to still visit. I want to visit Oxford, Brighton and Canterbury. In no specific order these are my last remaining goals while I’m still on this island. It’s rather ambitious but I will prevail! I still want to swing into the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum here in London. After that I will officially completed everything that I wanted to do while abroad. Next Friday, my last will be one last swoop around the city to see the great landmarks one last time. I can’t believe I’m actually thinking about this!!
Todd Second half, going way to fast Advent, Brighton, Canterbury, End of Semester, London, Natural History Museum, Oxford, St. Paul's Cathedral, Victoria and Albert Museum, Westminster Abbey
