Sunday, 14 September 2008
Thursday, 11 September 2008
What water?
It's Bourton-on-the-water (Botw), known as the "Little Venice" of Cotswold. I only heard about this place from a friend whose friends went there for a day trip. I thought why not since it's just 1 1/2 hours train ride. And so we managed to gather a group of people, booked the tickets (GBP17.50) yesterday and hopped on the train early this morning at 7.56am. While the trip itself is relatively short, the journey to the village is not as easy. From the Cheltenham Spa train station, we had to get to Royal Wells to catch a Pulham's bus to Botw, which comes every 1 1/2 hours (GBP1.80). The walk to Royal Wells takes 24 minutes, assuming we can navigate our way around. So, we opted for the wiser choice - a cab (since we missed the infrequent bus to city centre due to the 15-minute delayed train to Bristol) shared among 5 persons.
35 minutes later, we arrived in Botw. The journey to this charming village was a joy itself, passing through vast green and brown fields, dotted by white sheeps against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, decorated with fluffy clouds. But the village turned out to be even more enchanting than the ride. The first sight to greet us was the yellow Cotswold stone houses along the banks of river Windrush. I could not help but to keep marvelling at the possibility of the existence of such a heavenly land. Along the river are a total of 5 low bridges, the perfect spot for photography.
As we tried to navigate our way towards the tourist information centre (less than 10 minutes away from the bus stop), our pace was occasionally interrupted by the need to capture the beautiful scenery with our cameras. Sini, sana, sini, sana - that's how our photography steps looked like. Finally, one of us came to her senses and managed to shepherd everyone to the right path. But that was not before we stopped to contemplate entering a flea market. As the village is actually really, really tiny, it was not difficult for us to find the attractions.
Our first stop was the model village, featuring an excellent miniature of Botw in 1937. We had a great time pretending to be Gulliver. Too bad there wasn't any little people to accentuate our gigantism. Nevertheless, those little houses (at 1/9th scale) still managed to do wonders to my height. Some of the prominent buildings I could remember is the Edinburgh Woollen shop (which I think should be decorated with sales sign), post office and Llyod bank. There was also the church, from where we could hear the choir.
Soon it was lunch time. We stopped at Knightsbridge inn for a traditional meal. I ordered a Lanchashire hot pot (made of muttons and potatoes) served with vegetables and new potatoes (I never develop a taste for these). At the end of the meal, I discovered that the shop sells treacle pudding, a favourite English food in Enid Blyton's books. I wished I had room for dessert. Unfortunately, the hot pot was too heavy. I am not sure when and where I will be able to find a shop serving this old dessert.
With renewed strength, it was time for shopping. With good self-control, I constrained myself to a magnet and postcard. With much enthusiam, my friends ended up with some good and satisfying bargains.
We continued to stroll along the river as we headed towards the Dragonfly Maze (GBP2.50). There was a point when we got so distracted that we forgot where we were heading to. And we are talking about a village with less than 10 main attractions, all within walking distance (i.e. less than 20 minutes away).
The maze is not a normal maze. We had to solve a puzzle. According to the sign, the brainy ones will solve the puzzle within 20 minutes. So we had a benchmark. At the entrance, we were given a piece of paper with instructions and space to write down the answers. There were a total of 14 clues which will form into a 14-word sentence. Each clues were placed on flagstones, some pictorial, some words. In the beginning, we were pretty excited, stopping for photography once in awhile. However, after some time, we were turning round and round without any sign of the last two clues. I began to feel like we had been trapped there for more than an hour but of course, this was just an exaggeration. Finally we came to a little round house. We entered to find a frog in a mirrored cylinder in the middle of the house. Our answer was "Place your clock on the friar's keys and stare on the caterpillar and weight". Didn't make much sense to me. After staring at the frog for a good few minutes, we wanted to give up before someone finally spotted a white, miserable-looking dragonfly. We decided that was the answer and left.
At the exit (which was just a short distance away), we met the lady at the counter who helped us to correct the clue. So we returned to the house and tried again. Yet, we did not find anything additional. And so, we left again. The lady asked,"Did you press on the ******?" Oops. Returned to try again. This time, we found the real dragonfly. It was a pretty neat trick. Unfortunately, we were not brainy enough (:P) Paiser...took us an hour to complete this whole task.
We spent the last few minutes on more photographs of the wonderful river. How I love the name windrush. I could sit by the river bank a whole day, enjoying the breeze (if it happens to be a fine day like today) and listening to the water gushing down the river. Every nook and every corner of this village was a pleasure to the lens.
If I were an investment banker in London, I would buy a little cottage in this little village and come by every once in awhile to destress. I would watch the leaves changing colours throughout the different seasons. I would be able to see snow covering the banks, flowers blooming all over the place, ducklings playing on the water and leaves falling onto the ground.
35 minutes later, we arrived in Botw. The journey to this charming village was a joy itself, passing through vast green and brown fields, dotted by white sheeps against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, decorated with fluffy clouds. But the village turned out to be even more enchanting than the ride. The first sight to greet us was the yellow Cotswold stone houses along the banks of river Windrush. I could not help but to keep marvelling at the possibility of the existence of such a heavenly land. Along the river are a total of 5 low bridges, the perfect spot for photography.
As we tried to navigate our way towards the tourist information centre (less than 10 minutes away from the bus stop), our pace was occasionally interrupted by the need to capture the beautiful scenery with our cameras. Sini, sana, sini, sana - that's how our photography steps looked like. Finally, one of us came to her senses and managed to shepherd everyone to the right path. But that was not before we stopped to contemplate entering a flea market. As the village is actually really, really tiny, it was not difficult for us to find the attractions.
Our first stop was the model village, featuring an excellent miniature of Botw in 1937. We had a great time pretending to be Gulliver. Too bad there wasn't any little people to accentuate our gigantism. Nevertheless, those little houses (at 1/9th scale) still managed to do wonders to my height. Some of the prominent buildings I could remember is the Edinburgh Woollen shop (which I think should be decorated with sales sign), post office and Llyod bank. There was also the church, from where we could hear the choir.
Soon it was lunch time. We stopped at Knightsbridge inn for a traditional meal. I ordered a Lanchashire hot pot (made of muttons and potatoes) served with vegetables and new potatoes (I never develop a taste for these). At the end of the meal, I discovered that the shop sells treacle pudding, a favourite English food in Enid Blyton's books. I wished I had room for dessert. Unfortunately, the hot pot was too heavy. I am not sure when and where I will be able to find a shop serving this old dessert.
With renewed strength, it was time for shopping. With good self-control, I constrained myself to a magnet and postcard. With much enthusiam, my friends ended up with some good and satisfying bargains.
We continued to stroll along the river as we headed towards the Dragonfly Maze (GBP2.50). There was a point when we got so distracted that we forgot where we were heading to. And we are talking about a village with less than 10 main attractions, all within walking distance (i.e. less than 20 minutes away).
The maze is not a normal maze. We had to solve a puzzle. According to the sign, the brainy ones will solve the puzzle within 20 minutes. So we had a benchmark. At the entrance, we were given a piece of paper with instructions and space to write down the answers. There were a total of 14 clues which will form into a 14-word sentence. Each clues were placed on flagstones, some pictorial, some words. In the beginning, we were pretty excited, stopping for photography once in awhile. However, after some time, we were turning round and round without any sign of the last two clues. I began to feel like we had been trapped there for more than an hour but of course, this was just an exaggeration. Finally we came to a little round house. We entered to find a frog in a mirrored cylinder in the middle of the house. Our answer was "Place your clock on the friar's keys and stare on the caterpillar and weight". Didn't make much sense to me. After staring at the frog for a good few minutes, we wanted to give up before someone finally spotted a white, miserable-looking dragonfly. We decided that was the answer and left.
At the exit (which was just a short distance away), we met the lady at the counter who helped us to correct the clue. So we returned to the house and tried again. Yet, we did not find anything additional. And so, we left again. The lady asked,"Did you press on the ******?" Oops. Returned to try again. This time, we found the real dragonfly. It was a pretty neat trick. Unfortunately, we were not brainy enough (:P) Paiser...took us an hour to complete this whole task.
We spent the last few minutes on more photographs of the wonderful river. How I love the name windrush. I could sit by the river bank a whole day, enjoying the breeze (if it happens to be a fine day like today) and listening to the water gushing down the river. Every nook and every corner of this village was a pleasure to the lens.
If I were an investment banker in London, I would buy a little cottage in this little village and come by every once in awhile to destress. I would watch the leaves changing colours throughout the different seasons. I would be able to see snow covering the banks, flowers blooming all over the place, ducklings playing on the water and leaves falling onto the ground.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
An absent-minded friend
Farewell after farewell - that was the theme for the past few weeks. No one knows when our path will cross again. Memories are all that will be left.
Today, I had a farewell dinner with two friends, one of whom was my very first friend here. I still remember clearly the day we met. It was in the van, heading towards the SU. Initially, we were merely acquaintance with me being closer to another friend of hers. As time went by, our sharing of the same dialect brought us closer together.
I have always been impressed by her maturity at such a young age and her vast knowledge on topics outside her field. Her ability to confront conflict far exceeds mine. She has always complained of my inability to deal with annoying people around me. I think it must be a case of short-term memory.
Tonight's meal was amazingly heavy as my friends attempted to finish off all their food before leaving the next day - roast chicken, japanese curry vegetable, stir-fried long beans, eggs and onions (my dish), roast potatoes and roast corns. We almost had ice-cream for dessert till my friend discovered that the tub was missing from the freezer. What's new?
Later in the night, my friend came and looked for me in my room. We talked for awhile. Then she left. I went back to my laptop. Before long I heard a knock. It was my friend again. She forgot her room key. It was her second time coming back to my room. The first time, she forgot her camera case. And she was telling me how often she forgot to take her keys with her whenever she left a friend's room. I think this will be the final time she forgot her keys in Heronbank. We had a good laugh that night.
Then it was time to say "zhai jien"...
Today, I had a farewell dinner with two friends, one of whom was my very first friend here. I still remember clearly the day we met. It was in the van, heading towards the SU. Initially, we were merely acquaintance with me being closer to another friend of hers. As time went by, our sharing of the same dialect brought us closer together.
I have always been impressed by her maturity at such a young age and her vast knowledge on topics outside her field. Her ability to confront conflict far exceeds mine. She has always complained of my inability to deal with annoying people around me. I think it must be a case of short-term memory.
Tonight's meal was amazingly heavy as my friends attempted to finish off all their food before leaving the next day - roast chicken, japanese curry vegetable, stir-fried long beans, eggs and onions (my dish), roast potatoes and roast corns. We almost had ice-cream for dessert till my friend discovered that the tub was missing from the freezer. What's new?
Later in the night, my friend came and looked for me in my room. We talked for awhile. Then she left. I went back to my laptop. Before long I heard a knock. It was my friend again. She forgot her room key. It was her second time coming back to my room. The first time, she forgot her camera case. And she was telling me how often she forgot to take her keys with her whenever she left a friend's room. I think this will be the final time she forgot her keys in Heronbank. We had a good laugh that night.
Then it was time to say "zhai jien"...
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Boots, book, toys
I have finally come to the realisation that I am a shopaholic. I am not sure when it started but it did. Why else did I buy a pair of boots which I don't need but was the last available pair in my size? Or why would I be buying a signed book on Artemis Fowl even as I have never heard of the book? And how bout the little toy dog which bears no significance of UK nor the county I was visiting? Someone, stop me!!!!
Bright and sunny in York
After the horrible experience from LD, I was wary of travelling by train. However, one day later, I found myself on a train once again, heading up north to York to visit a friend. Surprisingly, the further up I went, the better the weather became. Soon, all that was left of the bad weather was drizzle with the sun peeping out from behind the clouds, occasionally. Unfortunately, for the passengers heading to Manchester airport, they were not so lucky as the track was flooded. From Manchester Piccadilly, I changed to another train to York.
At about 1.30pm, I arrived in a city I know nothing about (except that a friend did some charity work there). Very quickly, I got on the no. 10 bus (GBP1), heading towards the city centre. My stop was on Lawrence Street, close to Nicholas Street where my friend's place is. She came to pick me up from the stop and we left my bag in her house before heading out for lunch.
The walk to the city centre took about 10 - 15 minutes. The first sight to greet me was the city wall at Walmgate. We took a stroll on the wall (feels like Great Wall of China but of course this is just a miniature in comparison) and got down at another gate. We walked and walked and walked, aimlessly. There wasn't really much time for me to visit any of the attractions as most of them closed at around 5pm. The city was bustling with excitement - the traditional folk dance festival was on during this weekend. We passed by two groups of dancers, performing in two separate squares.
As none of us were really hungry, we just bought a steak pie from one of the sandwich shop. More time was spent on strolling around the city before we finally decided to stop for dinner at Betty's tea room, the oldest tea room in York (probably a hundred years old or so). The tea room was certainly popular as the crowd never seemed to cease. We had to queue up to get into the tea room. 15 minutes later, we were taken to our table. I ordered Yorkshire sausages and ice-cream milkshake (banana flavour) while my friend got the salmon dish of the day and tea. The food was pretty good but my favourite was really the ice-cream milkshake. Although we went in for dinner pretty early, we only left at past 8pm due to the long wait for the food. Can't be helped given the crowd.
Our final stop for the day was the University of York. Not that it was my intention to visit the campus, rather I required the use of a PC and internet to fulfill my promise to a friend to read her dissertation. We spent more than an hour there before heading back home.
The following day was a hectic day. Our original plan was to visit the York Maze. Unfortunately, the previous day was the final opening day of the year. So, I settled for the Clifford's Tower, Castle Museum and York Minster. My favourite place had to be the Castle Museum. Photography was allowed. Hence, I was able to take photos of the old Victorian street, where we got to experience day and night (with sound of raindrops) and walked into some of the stores (I should mention at this point that the actors here did a better job than the chit-chatting actors in Shakespeare's birthplace).
Once again, we paid a visit to Betty's tea room (I know I am a bit crazy about that place) to have tea. While my friend got the afternoon tea set (tea + scones), I opted for the Fat Rascal (house specialty - scones with raisins, nuts and cherries) and hot chocolate with cream. The meal cost me almost GBP7 (imagine that!). Due to the heaviness of the meal, both of us were unable to have dinner that day. We reached home rather early today and spent the night watching the "Big Bang Theory".
On my last day in York, we visited Jorvik, a viking centre. First, we had to get into a "time machine" where we attempted to go back to the year 866 till the machine went into the error and started shaking violently (actually not that violent, more like shaking thru and fro). Then, we got into a "car" which took us around the viking village. The faces of the mannequins in the village were all reconstructed based on the skulls found in this village (i.e. York). I thought the place was truly interesting. The only drawback was that no photography allowed.
By the time we left Jorvik, we still had another 2 hours to kill. So, we headed towards the Treasurer's house. And then, it happened. A simple window-shopping became a guilt trip. I bought stuffs which will be of no use in the immediate future. Great...whatever. We spent so much time shopping that we only had enough time to take lunch at La Vecchia, an Italian restaurant with a courtyard view of the Minster. We finished our meal at around 1pm and had to rush to the train station to catch my train at 1.25pm. Thankfully, we were on time. I bid my friend farewell, not knowing when will we meet again. It was a truly good trip except for a few hiccups.
At about 1.30pm, I arrived in a city I know nothing about (except that a friend did some charity work there). Very quickly, I got on the no. 10 bus (GBP1), heading towards the city centre. My stop was on Lawrence Street, close to Nicholas Street where my friend's place is. She came to pick me up from the stop and we left my bag in her house before heading out for lunch.
The walk to the city centre took about 10 - 15 minutes. The first sight to greet me was the city wall at Walmgate. We took a stroll on the wall (feels like Great Wall of China but of course this is just a miniature in comparison) and got down at another gate. We walked and walked and walked, aimlessly. There wasn't really much time for me to visit any of the attractions as most of them closed at around 5pm. The city was bustling with excitement - the traditional folk dance festival was on during this weekend. We passed by two groups of dancers, performing in two separate squares.
As none of us were really hungry, we just bought a steak pie from one of the sandwich shop. More time was spent on strolling around the city before we finally decided to stop for dinner at Betty's tea room, the oldest tea room in York (probably a hundred years old or so). The tea room was certainly popular as the crowd never seemed to cease. We had to queue up to get into the tea room. 15 minutes later, we were taken to our table. I ordered Yorkshire sausages and ice-cream milkshake (banana flavour) while my friend got the salmon dish of the day and tea. The food was pretty good but my favourite was really the ice-cream milkshake. Although we went in for dinner pretty early, we only left at past 8pm due to the long wait for the food. Can't be helped given the crowd.
Our final stop for the day was the University of York. Not that it was my intention to visit the campus, rather I required the use of a PC and internet to fulfill my promise to a friend to read her dissertation. We spent more than an hour there before heading back home.
The following day was a hectic day. Our original plan was to visit the York Maze. Unfortunately, the previous day was the final opening day of the year. So, I settled for the Clifford's Tower, Castle Museum and York Minster. My favourite place had to be the Castle Museum. Photography was allowed. Hence, I was able to take photos of the old Victorian street, where we got to experience day and night (with sound of raindrops) and walked into some of the stores (I should mention at this point that the actors here did a better job than the chit-chatting actors in Shakespeare's birthplace).
Once again, we paid a visit to Betty's tea room (I know I am a bit crazy about that place) to have tea. While my friend got the afternoon tea set (tea + scones), I opted for the Fat Rascal (house specialty - scones with raisins, nuts and cherries) and hot chocolate with cream. The meal cost me almost GBP7 (imagine that!). Due to the heaviness of the meal, both of us were unable to have dinner that day. We reached home rather early today and spent the night watching the "Big Bang Theory".
On my last day in York, we visited Jorvik, a viking centre. First, we had to get into a "time machine" where we attempted to go back to the year 866 till the machine went into the error and started shaking violently (actually not that violent, more like shaking thru and fro). Then, we got into a "car" which took us around the viking village. The faces of the mannequins in the village were all reconstructed based on the skulls found in this village (i.e. York). I thought the place was truly interesting. The only drawback was that no photography allowed.
By the time we left Jorvik, we still had another 2 hours to kill. So, we headed towards the Treasurer's house. And then, it happened. A simple window-shopping became a guilt trip. I bought stuffs which will be of no use in the immediate future. Great...whatever. We spent so much time shopping that we only had enough time to take lunch at La Vecchia, an Italian restaurant with a courtyard view of the Minster. We finished our meal at around 1pm and had to rush to the train station to catch my train at 1.25pm. Thankfully, we were on time. I bid my friend farewell, not knowing when will we meet again. It was a truly good trip except for a few hiccups.
Sunday, 7 September 2008
Friday, 5 September 2008
Rain, rain, go away
Unfortunately, the rain did not go away. And it nearly spoiled my first trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. I know it's hard to believe but it's true. After almost a year here, this is only my first trip there.
On Tuesday morning, I left for the town early in the morning (well, probably not that early but still earlier than my friends). The journey was supposed to be almost an hour ride but having to change bus in Leamington Spa managed to lengthen the trip by half an hour. As I got onto the bus, I realised that even though I know my stop is Bridge Street, I had no idea where the stop is! So, I sat in the bus quietly, hoping someone will stop at the same place. Luckily, it was not hard to spot. Once we pass the river Avon, we arrived on the main road, bustling with activites. I knew then that that was my stop.
I arrived in Stratford around noon. The first thing I did was to stop at the tourist information centre, before heading to High Street for some shopping. This marked the beginning of my guilt trip down the retail therapy lane. I am really not sure what had gotten into me. Anyway, enough said on this matter. Having made some quick satisfactory purchases, my friends finally arrived. Good timing I must say.
We began our trip by touring Shakespeare's birthplace. It was just a very old house in its original form. Still interesting to note the tininess of the one-bedroom house to fit the family, their apprentices and servants. When we left the house, it was pouring cats and dogs. We had no choice but to stop for lunch. Soon, the rain was reduced to drizzles and we were able to continue to our next destination - Anne Hathaway's cottage, 1 1/2 miles away from town. We walked and walked and walked. It felt neverending but it did. The thatched-roof cottage was set in the middle of a pretty, little garden. We were only allowed to take photos of the exterior but not the interior. What a pity!
While I think that Stratford is a beautiful town, the main reason for its attraction is Shakespeare. Without him, it will not be as popular as it is now. More effort needs to be poured into making the visit a memorable one.
The following day, my friends and i caught a train to Windermere, Lake District. We had to change train 3 times (Cov-Birmingham-Crewe-Windermere)! With the delay of our first train, the whole journey ended up being delayed by two hours. Two whole hours were wasted in the train stations. I began to question the efficiency of the UK's train system.
Upon arrival, we began to find a way to reach town. There were limited information available. Hence, we had to call the hotel to ask for direction. At that point, I realised my second mistake. I knew the name of the road we had to find but I did not know the direction! Luckily, the map navigator did a good job and we found the hotel even as we had to walk under the rain. Seriously bad weather. The owner of the hotel was a very friendly man. He chatted with us for awhile before taking us to our room. There were a double bed with two single beds in the room. The so-called ensuite bathroom was situated outside our room. The reason it is ensuite was because we were the only ones with the key to enter. Brilliant! We spent some time in the room waiting for the rain to subside while drying our jeans with the dryer. It didn't take that long though. Phew.
The walk to Bowness was about 30 - 45 minutes, depending on our pace. The plan was to catch a ferry to Ambleside. The journey took 30 minutes, during which we moved up and down to the open top of the ferry whenever the rain stopped. The view was breathtaking (If Botw is the epitome of sugar sweet beauty, then LD is the wild beauty) especially when we arrived at the pier of Ambleside. We spent so much time there that we were left with little time to reach the town. In the end, we never made it to the town centre and we were only two blocks away.
Dinner was at a restaurant recommended by the hotel owner - Carvery at GBP3.95, a good deal for students like us. Due to the wet weather condition, we were unable to get any sunset photos. I can only imagine how it will look like.
On the following day, we woke up early to take a walk around Windermere. The town was so small that it took us probably half an hour to finish the tour. So, we headed back to the hotel to take breakfast which was only ready at 8.30am. After that, we checked out and asked for permission to leave our bags at the guest living room as we wanted to head back to Bowness.
This time, our mission was to visit Beatix Potter's World of Peter Rabbit. It was the time to reignite any childhood dreams or perhaps to bring out the child in a person. Admission cost GBP6 but it was worth the price. We were able to snap loads of photos of the adventures of Peter Rabbit and his friends. It was a truly wonderful experience. Of course, the trip will not be complete without a purchase from the Peter Rabbit's shop. More time was spent around the pier, both to enjoy the wilderness and to take more photos.
And then it was time to leave. The trip was really too short. I didn't have enough time to digest the beauty of the place. We boarded the train at 1.24pm. While the trip began smoothly, soon we encountered some obstacles. At the stop in Lancaster, we were informed that the track between Lancaster and Preston was flooded, halting all train services using that track. The train we were on had to head back to Scotland. We waited and waited before a train finally arrived to bring us to Preston. Initially, we were informed of the possibility to stay overnight in Lancaster as the tickets remained valid for the next day travelling. Luckily the train came. From Preston, we had to figure another way to get back to Coventry. After awhile, bright light shone upon my friends as they were able to switch to the London Euston train with an additional GBP6.
I decided against following them to London due to my tight schedule in the next few days. With their departure, I found myself waiting hopefully for the Birmingham train alone. It was not a long wait. 10 minutes later, I found myself on my way to Birmingham New Street. The rest of the journey went smoothly. I was back in my room by 9pm.
Interestingly, a commotion caused by a drunkard in the London Euston train led the train to detour to Coventry. I believed both my friends' and my train stopped in Coventry at almost the same time. What a coincidence! It was a blessing that everything worked out fine for us in the end.
On Tuesday morning, I left for the town early in the morning (well, probably not that early but still earlier than my friends). The journey was supposed to be almost an hour ride but having to change bus in Leamington Spa managed to lengthen the trip by half an hour. As I got onto the bus, I realised that even though I know my stop is Bridge Street, I had no idea where the stop is! So, I sat in the bus quietly, hoping someone will stop at the same place. Luckily, it was not hard to spot. Once we pass the river Avon, we arrived on the main road, bustling with activites. I knew then that that was my stop.
I arrived in Stratford around noon. The first thing I did was to stop at the tourist information centre, before heading to High Street for some shopping. This marked the beginning of my guilt trip down the retail therapy lane. I am really not sure what had gotten into me. Anyway, enough said on this matter. Having made some quick satisfactory purchases, my friends finally arrived. Good timing I must say.
We began our trip by touring Shakespeare's birthplace. It was just a very old house in its original form. Still interesting to note the tininess of the one-bedroom house to fit the family, their apprentices and servants. When we left the house, it was pouring cats and dogs. We had no choice but to stop for lunch. Soon, the rain was reduced to drizzles and we were able to continue to our next destination - Anne Hathaway's cottage, 1 1/2 miles away from town. We walked and walked and walked. It felt neverending but it did. The thatched-roof cottage was set in the middle of a pretty, little garden. We were only allowed to take photos of the exterior but not the interior. What a pity!
While I think that Stratford is a beautiful town, the main reason for its attraction is Shakespeare. Without him, it will not be as popular as it is now. More effort needs to be poured into making the visit a memorable one.
The following day, my friends and i caught a train to Windermere, Lake District. We had to change train 3 times (Cov-Birmingham-Crewe-Windermere)! With the delay of our first train, the whole journey ended up being delayed by two hours. Two whole hours were wasted in the train stations. I began to question the efficiency of the UK's train system.
Upon arrival, we began to find a way to reach town. There were limited information available. Hence, we had to call the hotel to ask for direction. At that point, I realised my second mistake. I knew the name of the road we had to find but I did not know the direction! Luckily, the map navigator did a good job and we found the hotel even as we had to walk under the rain. Seriously bad weather. The owner of the hotel was a very friendly man. He chatted with us for awhile before taking us to our room. There were a double bed with two single beds in the room. The so-called ensuite bathroom was situated outside our room. The reason it is ensuite was because we were the only ones with the key to enter. Brilliant! We spent some time in the room waiting for the rain to subside while drying our jeans with the dryer. It didn't take that long though. Phew.
The walk to Bowness was about 30 - 45 minutes, depending on our pace. The plan was to catch a ferry to Ambleside. The journey took 30 minutes, during which we moved up and down to the open top of the ferry whenever the rain stopped. The view was breathtaking (If Botw is the epitome of sugar sweet beauty, then LD is the wild beauty) especially when we arrived at the pier of Ambleside. We spent so much time there that we were left with little time to reach the town. In the end, we never made it to the town centre and we were only two blocks away.
Dinner was at a restaurant recommended by the hotel owner - Carvery at GBP3.95, a good deal for students like us. Due to the wet weather condition, we were unable to get any sunset photos. I can only imagine how it will look like.
On the following day, we woke up early to take a walk around Windermere. The town was so small that it took us probably half an hour to finish the tour. So, we headed back to the hotel to take breakfast which was only ready at 8.30am. After that, we checked out and asked for permission to leave our bags at the guest living room as we wanted to head back to Bowness.
This time, our mission was to visit Beatix Potter's World of Peter Rabbit. It was the time to reignite any childhood dreams or perhaps to bring out the child in a person. Admission cost GBP6 but it was worth the price. We were able to snap loads of photos of the adventures of Peter Rabbit and his friends. It was a truly wonderful experience. Of course, the trip will not be complete without a purchase from the Peter Rabbit's shop. More time was spent around the pier, both to enjoy the wilderness and to take more photos.
And then it was time to leave. The trip was really too short. I didn't have enough time to digest the beauty of the place. We boarded the train at 1.24pm. While the trip began smoothly, soon we encountered some obstacles. At the stop in Lancaster, we were informed that the track between Lancaster and Preston was flooded, halting all train services using that track. The train we were on had to head back to Scotland. We waited and waited before a train finally arrived to bring us to Preston. Initially, we were informed of the possibility to stay overnight in Lancaster as the tickets remained valid for the next day travelling. Luckily the train came. From Preston, we had to figure another way to get back to Coventry. After awhile, bright light shone upon my friends as they were able to switch to the London Euston train with an additional GBP6.
I decided against following them to London due to my tight schedule in the next few days. With their departure, I found myself waiting hopefully for the Birmingham train alone. It was not a long wait. 10 minutes later, I found myself on my way to Birmingham New Street. The rest of the journey went smoothly. I was back in my room by 9pm.
Interestingly, a commotion caused by a drunkard in the London Euston train led the train to detour to Coventry. I believed both my friends' and my train stopped in Coventry at almost the same time. What a coincidence! It was a blessing that everything worked out fine for us in the end.
Monday, 1 September 2008
This is how the end looks like
RED!
I discover a disadvantage of staying on-campus. Binding takes longer than usual! If it takes only 15 minutes outside, on-campus binding takes a minimum of 5 hours. Today took 7 hours because of high demand. Good thing I did it a few days before deadline.
I discover a disadvantage of staying on-campus. Binding takes longer than usual! If it takes only 15 minutes outside, on-campus binding takes a minimum of 5 hours. Today took 7 hours because of high demand. Good thing I did it a few days before deadline.
Merdeka! Merdeka!
Today marks my country's 51 years of independence. Being away from home means there will be no national holiday. But since it falls on a Sunday and I am a student completing her dissertation, it does not actually make a difference to me. Nevertheless, it is still a special day.
A Malaysian friend called me yesterday to invite me to a small, informal gathering. I was told to dress down. Little did I know that when I turned up, they were in their baju kurung, batik and qipao. The lunch spread consists of nasi lemak, sambal ikan bilis, prawn sambal and roast chicken (courtesy of a Taiwanese friend) contributed by various chefs. I know I will be going home soon but it still feels nice to have these food on a national day.
For a moment, it felt strange. All those years in Malaysia, I can't remember celebrating national day like today. To me, it means holiday. Holiday means either stay at home to watch tv or to go out shopping. But today is different. With the efforts of several friends, we had a great time.
A Malaysian friend called me yesterday to invite me to a small, informal gathering. I was told to dress down. Little did I know that when I turned up, they were in their baju kurung, batik and qipao. The lunch spread consists of nasi lemak, sambal ikan bilis, prawn sambal and roast chicken (courtesy of a Taiwanese friend) contributed by various chefs. I know I will be going home soon but it still feels nice to have these food on a national day.
For a moment, it felt strange. All those years in Malaysia, I can't remember celebrating national day like today. To me, it means holiday. Holiday means either stay at home to watch tv or to go out shopping. But today is different. With the efforts of several friends, we had a great time.
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