Weekend Trip to the South of England

This last weekend, Matt and I went to visit his aunt and her boyfriend down in southern England. We took the train down to Exeter and arrived just in time for a late dinner. They took us to an Indian restaurant (those are REALLY popular here) and we had so much food, we had to get the rest of it to go! It was pretty good, though I have had better chicken kormas. Before heading down to the town they live in, we walked over to Exeter Cathedral, which was completed in 1400!! It is one of the oldest cathedrals in England. Then, we saw a pub down an alleyway that was supposedly Sir Frances Drake's local pub.



Then we drove down to Teignmouth, which is farther south than Exeter. It is right by the ocean and was beautiful! The first picture below is the view I had outside my window in the morning- rolling hills of houses. We woke up a bit late, after having finally gotten there past midnight at least. The first thing we did on Saturday was 'crazy golf' aka our mini golf- right by the ocean. It was pretty fun and I nearly got a hole in one on one of the courses. After that, we walked by the water some. The tide was out, so a lot of people were playing out on the sand banks in what appeared to be the middle of the ocean! Later on, the tide came back in and the muddy sand banks were covered and it looked like a bay once again. So then we drove over to Shaldon, the town across the bay and walked around the village- and found what we think might just be the smallest house we've ever seen! All of the houses were so full of character and were so different than anything we have in America. We hiked up to the top of the ledge that overlooks Teignmouth and then down through a creepy tunnel to a red sand beach. And...I touched the Atlantic Ocean for the first time!!! It was really exciting :-)





















On our way back down the hill, it was starting to get dark and so all the lights in Teignmouth were turned on and the entire hillside was lit up! It was a really pretty view next to the ocean.

As we walked back to the car, we happened upon a tearoom, which is a little place that serves tea and biscuits, etc. It was almost 5pm, so we were all getting a little hungry and Matt's aunt and uncle told me we had to try "cream tea", which is English tea with biscuits that you cover in cream and jam. It was soooo good! I loved it and Matt even tried some tea (he still doesn't like it though!)

After going back to get ready for dinner, we went to dinner at this posh pub/restaurant right on the water in Shaldon. The inside of it was really nice and had a wonderful atmosphere. I decided to be a vegetarian for the weekend and ordered a roasted bell pepper with other vegetables inside- it was delicious!

On Sunday, we drove to Dartmoor, a National Park, and home to the moors- which are large, empty fields. We hiked up to a tor, which looked like a giant's foot poking upwards! There were some cows and I heard there were wild "Dartmoor ponies" around, but I didn't see them until we were driving away later on. So, once we hiked up to the tor, Matt and I tried to climb up part of it. After getting up to the top of one of the toes, we attempted climbing to the next highest toe, but the wind was so strong I could barely stand up!! We came down and walked a bit more around part of the moor and I learned that the conditions are so harsh in the moors, people sometimes die by getting lost in the fog and then getting worn down by the extreme winds. Pretty scary! Needless to say, we left the moors as the fog was coming in!









While we were still in the National Park, we went to a small village for Sunday lunch/dinner. I ate some sort of baked vegetable soup thing, which was pretty good. I definitely got my veggies in for the whole week!
We walked around the village before leaving to catch our train in Exeter back to London and happened upon a fairy tale-like house that was HUGE!!
Then, we road first class back to London :-) It paid off too- our train was delayed an hour, which wasn't as been sitting in larger, comfier seats!

A Day in My Life in London

This past Tuesday, I documented what a regular week day in London is like for me. So here it goes... I rolled out of bed... and looked out the window to find that it was a wonderfully sunny day outside! I walked the few steps outside my room to take a shower and get ready for my day. I walked into my flat's kitchen to grab a bite for breakfast... and then got all dressed and ready for class. This is me outside my room wearing a poppy- which is a symbol of rememberance on Veteran's Day. I usually take the lift (we say elevator) down to the '0' floor because it's such a long ways down/up! Then I start my walk to the tube. First I pass by other housing... And then by the businesses... Then I look to my left to find Westminster Cathedral... And walk down the sidewalk.. with Victoria Street on my right... I get to the main road crossing and wait for the light to turn green... While I wait, I look at the Victoria Palace Theater across the road... And after crossing the road, Victoria Station is right in front of me! That's a symbol for the underground (tube)... I follow the signs to the Victoria Line (the line I take to get to class on Regent Street)... This is the inside of the tube station- showing all the barriers... After tapping my Oyster Card through, I get on the escalator down to the platform I need to be on... And then wait for the next tube on the platform- there's an electronic sign that tells you when the next tube will be there and its destination. Then the tube arrives. See the yellow line on the pavement floor- it says 'Mind the Gap'- the famous London tube phrase which means 'Watch your step', as sometimes there is a large gap between the train and the platform. I got a seat on the tube! Sometimes, mostly during rush hour, the tubes are so crowded that you can't even fit on one standing up and have to wait for another! I scan my Oyster Card to get out and move through the barriers... I get out at Oxford Circus tube station, which is right on Oxford Street- the street famous for shopping. and then I walk along Regent Street to get to class... And then I arrive at The University of Westminster's Regent Street Campus... This is what my classroom looks like for my Art and Society class... And here is my classroom for my 19th Century London class... I took a picture while our tutor (another word for teacher) was presenting a powerpoint- which I also have printed out in front of me... Then, after class it's a bit later and the free afternoon newspapers are being handed out- The London Lite and The London Paper are the most common. The Metro is given out in the mornings... Right before I head down into the tube station, I see the Christmas lights already up on Regent Street! The lights hadn't been turned on on Oxford Street yet... Then I head back down the escalator- the walls are always lined with ads, usually for various plays and musicals. Back to Victoria Station...getting ready to cross the main road again... All the buildings lit up at night... And passing Westminster Cathedral in the dark.... Past other buildings of residence... And finally back to Wigram House! I look in my food cabinet to see what I have and what I might need... And then in the fridge... And the freezer.... And read the free newspapers in the kitchen... And look over the money I took out from Barclays- exchange rate getting better for me! And decided that I needed to do my laundry. This is our building's laundry room. It costs 2 pounds per wash and 1 pound to dry- quite expensive! I fold all my clean clothes on my bed before stowing them away in my closet... And any of my clothes that aren't completely dry, I hang over my heater! And then I decide to head to the grocery store- the nearest and largest being a Sainsburys. This is the entire Mexican food section. This is where I bought a box of tortillas and fajita seasoning to cook for Matt one night- which was a wonderful success! YUM!! I look over my receipt as I leave the store- In general, food can be pretty cheap here if you look for the cheaper options. Then I started to make my dinner. First, I poured some squash into my glass (squash is a concentrated juice that is really cheap!!). You only have to pour a bit into your glass and then fill the rest of the glass up with water and enjoy! A cheap juice option that lasts a long time! Then I made a quesadilla , full of chicken and cheddar cheese, with some peas on the side :-)Later that evening, I had a cup of tea with some yummy biscuits and little brownies. Tea really is that popular here! I LOVE IT!
And then some weeknights when there's a big student night, I go out with other people in my halls to a pub or a club. That night, we went to Pacha- a club on Victoria Street. And we're doing something that happens every time we go out- queuing (which means waiting in line to get inside)!!


And then after getting back, it was time to brush my teeth and go to bed...just to wake up and start the London day all over again in the morning!