Last weekend I decided to visit the tutor for one of my bachelor theses. She now lives in Cambridge with her partner and is currently pregnant.
As usual, I took the bus up to Cambridge, although my tutor, my host mum and pretty much everyone else told me to take the train because it is so much easier (and more expensive). However, I feel like I have established some sort of relationship with National Express and don't want to hurt their feelings, so I decided for the cheaper, longer, more exhausting version of a trip. Here I have to insert a little rant and rave and if you feel as if your're having a far too positive day to bother with my negativity, feel free to jump to the paragraph after the next. My anger aims at girls to put on makeup in public. I HATE THAT!!! Don't you have bathrooms? I had to wait an hour before I could board the bus (as usual I was overly punctual because I was too stressed about missing my bus) and decided to try a Chai Latte in Starbucks (I was so embarrassed when I ordered it, I could as well have pulled out my selfie stick and have taken a selfie with my Chai Latte, or written MAINSTREAM on my forehead...) Anyway, I sat down and a table further there were three French girls sitting, sipping their coffee. After about five minutes, the first pulled out her makeup bag and started applying powder, mascara etc. Soon after that the second followed. First of all, they were all gorgeous (after all, they were French) and secondly, honestly I don't bring a little tub to Starbucks and suddenly start washing my hair in public...get yourself a bathroom or have the decency to use the facility's bathroom. These were my thoughts when I was watching them, demonstratively rolling my eyes. However, soon I would forget about the three French girls because someone else garnered my wrath, someone who probably could hear my previous thoughts. Before I left, I decided to use the bathroom and this stupid Starbucks at Victoria bus station only has one greasy, disgusting backroom, which they sell off as a bathroom. I have been there now three times and every time there people were so long at the toilet that I started to believe it actually served as a secret drug ring and they had to deposit their shit somewhere completely out of reach. But it turned out it was just stupid, egotistical, self-centred girls who decided to use this ONE toilet for their extensive makeup sessions. As was this one. I was nearly weeing myself already and considered banging at the door until an overly make-upped girl came out, with all peace and calmness, her shitty makeup bag under her arm. I could have screamed at her if that hadn't meant peeing into my pants. So, dear girls. Here are the rules. Do your makeup at home. If you have to reapply it during the day, find a facility with more than one bathroom and use their mirror to do it. If there is only one bathroom, do it in public but make sure that everyone around can see how completely unwell and embarrassed you feel by doing it. Honestly, we are trying to make people believe this is how we actually look like and you have to destroy the vision by doing it IN PUBLIC!!! Alright, back to the actual topic. As it was only Cambridge, it was still only two hours and I arrived in Cambridge fresh and eager to explore the city. And what a beautiful city it is! You feel as if you had made a time travel rather than a distance travel. All the old wonderful houses and colleges! It was awesome. Furthermore, due to my tutor's partner's relations (he works at Cambridge university) I could enter all the colleges without paying and could also sneak-peek into areas which no visitors are allowed in. I felt so important and cool. Also because I lived at Madeleine's College, as tutor's partner organised a room for me there. The room was just beyond cool. It was an old chamber with two cosy armchairs, two beds and just a bathtub. Honestly, what's wrong with some people? Again, just a bathtub, no shower...but as I was there for only a weekend, it was ok (the bathroom, I mean, as already said, the rest was so cool!). My tutor and her partner showed me the wonderful city and I was amazed by the huge cathedrals, colleges and a huge Cath Kidston shop, where I bought a dress and felt terribly ashamed of my money saving abilities (honestly, I am not good with money, not at all). We saw the Bridge of Sighs, St. John's College, Trinity College, Christ Church College, Fitzpatrick Gallery and much more. I had dinner at an Italian place called "Margaritas", opposite Madeleine's College and I must say it was best Italian food and I would highly recommend it for dinner if you ever visit Cambridge because the atmosphere is nice, too and the waiters chatty and funny
0 Comments
There are reasons why you live in a city like London and the party I attended last Saturday together with N. was just one of these reasons. When she filled me in about it, I first thought she was pulling my leg.
It was just a party featuring children-appropriate entertaining for adults! How awesome is that????? Ok, after all, it turned out to be a disco with a giant bouncy castle, a giant ball pit and space hoppers (can anyone remember?) It was hosted by the Fire in Perry Street, just around the corner of Vauxhall Station. We were there very early and later on, we were really happy about it because when we left, there was a queue about a mile long in front of the club. But more about the party itself. We entered and saw...nothing. Because they kind of exaggerated the use of the fog machine to an extent that you could not see your own hand anymore (literally, not joking here, I'm still coughing my innards out). The funny thing was that we had already become part of a group. That is so great about England, people just come and talk to you. A bunch of young party people asked where we were from and we complained about the weather (I think the English invented complaining about the weather, but who can blame them???) With our group, we finally entered (being a German and an Austrian, we were ten minutes to early for the party and they decided to open it at half past ten, so we were standing in the cold rain for more than half an hour...) everyone was like "oh, god this is so embarrassing", but soon we all loosened up and I can say that I have never felt so happy and equally ashamed on the bouncy castle as ever. Happy because it is so much fun and ashamed because after five minutes I was literally out of breath. But N. and I had a lot of fun and soon started doing fancy stuff like "ninja saltos". However, the best part was the ball pit. Actually, you would think that diving into a pit of balls would be boring, but it just isn't. It was like a funny massage and we couldn't stop laughing. I would recommend anyone to lie down in a ball pit whenever you get the chance, simply because it's worth it! There was also a face painter and a balloon modeller but we didn't get any face painting (after all, we still had to take the train home afterwards); however, we both got fancy balloon head covers (namely a crown and a minion) and we were kind of ridiculed for that on the train as well (no, just kidding, but people had a good stare...) Anyway, it was one of the funniest nights out in a long time and I remembered that doing stuff that is claimed to be "childish" is actually the best! So, be childish, stop caring what others think and enjoy! Another pointless task for today, page 20:
Currently I am: Reading: Famous Five by Enid Blyton Watching: Once Upon a Time, Season 5 Singing: Kate Rusby and medieval tunes Thinking: too much Eating: lots of Spaghetti and too many sweets Wishing: for my man to be with me Wanting: my man Needing: my man Texting: not so much, mainly skyping with my man Drinking: Tea, tea and tea Tweeting: I don't tweet Writing: my horror story about a ghost that haunts an English manor (yes, I know it sounds cliche, but hey there is a reason why people use this set-up so often). Learning: how to take life easier Hoping: I will be truly happy one day Calling: my friends Page 21 Don't break the chain: Let's play a game of word association. Match the word to the previous one without stopping. (The first five were suggested by the book). red-rose-scent-candle-room-sofa-cushion-cosy-puppy-adorable-baby-tiny-bathroom-dirty-house-family-warmth-summer-breeze-good smell-lilies-Harry Potter-childhood-forest-refuge-crisis-fear-darkness-night... And that is it for today. Thank you for reading. Christmas is officially over (sniff, sniff) and we have to embrace bleak, dark, depressing January. I returned to England on Thursday and was welcomed with rainy weather (I immediately felt welcomed by England, I must say...) and springy weather (not that the weather jumped up and down, it was just like spring). The funniest thing was that all the British people complained about how cold it was and I could only smirk at that because - forgive me - I don't think you can call twelve degrees in January really cold...
Anyway, let's talk about the New Year's slide from 2015 to 2016: I have to say that as much as I love Christmas as much I despise New Year's Eve. And here are the reasons why: 1) Everyone thinks there's a compulsory need to get seriously wasted on New Year's Eve. 2) Everyone thinks it's ok to behave like an idiot, go out until the wee morning hours and get seriously wasted. 3) People want to drag you into the city "because it's New Year's Eve and we HAVE to get wasted", although going out is ok on 364 days a year but JUST NOT at New Year's Eve because clubs suddenly ask for horrendous entry fees for their shitty, crammed clubs and a beer costs about 30 Euros. Furthermore, everyone has this compulsory need to get seriously wasted... 4) You realise that you have wasted another year of your life achieving nothing and getting no inch closer to your goals, you've gained another five kilos (or more) and people ask you to celebrate your year, which makes you depressed and frustrated so you actually want to seriously get wasted. 5) Everyone shoots fireworks and you feel like in war but when you cover your ears with your hands, you get laughed at. 6) You have to stay up until twelve although you start yawning at about seven o'clock. 7) You start all these new New Year's promises to yourself and then get frustrated because the second of January finds you sitting in front of the TV with a fat piece of cake in one hand and a bottle of coke in the other... Enough reasons to despise this special day in the year. This year I fled to my parents' house and we had a lovely family party with relatives, so it was ok. Three years ago I spent NYE in London, which was kind of cool, but crammed as hell. In London, there is only this one firework around the London Eye and you can only watch it if you're interested in getting squeezed between drunk tourists and drunk British (whereas the latter are admittedly worse). I spent this NYE in London with A. and we had quite a nice time except for embarrassing ourselves to the bones assuming that no one on the crowd would speak English. We had to wait around quite a lot before it was midnight and so we started a game in which everyone had to contribute a sentence to the previous sentence said by the other. Two girls in front of us started turning around and soon I began guessing the worst. After summoning enough courage, I eventually asked them whether they spoke German and they admitted they did (though, at first - to spare us the embarrassment - I had a feeling they wanted to say no, just to be polite). They were actually from Germany and we ended up celebrating the New Year with them before we finally went to bed. Anyway, this year I decided to not make any promises to myself and spare me the disappointment. Accordingly, I am going to post a feature called a "perception of beauty", so probably you can agree that beauty is as diverse as un-achievable. But before you read that, I have another piece of information for you. Today I went to Kingston and visited the "Montezuma's" which claims to have "award-winning British Hot Chocolate". It is a lovely shop in the lower floor and upstairs is a nice café and they have many different types of Hot Chocolate. I, for instance, had "Spiced Orange Hot Chocolate", which had a fantastic taste and I am looking forward to going back there and try out different variations. The café is in Kingston in 4 Fife Road just one side street of Clarence Street. For fans of Hot Chocolate and curious people, this is definitely a nice place to visit...and for the others, they also have a nice selection of cold beverages such as berry juices or the traditional ones like orange- or apple juice. |
AuthorIn September 2015 I started a new chapter of my life by moving (temporarily or permanently, not yet decided) to England where I work and socialise now. Archives
December 2017
Categories |