Iltaa hyvät lukijat,
taas on viikko vierähtänyt vieraalla maalla. Eilen olimme siis Lontoossa. Matkaan lähdettiin klo 7 aamulla muutama tunti nukuttuna, kun kaiffarit riehuivat kolmeen tai neljään asti (en viitsinyt enää katsoa kelloakaan, kun tiesin, että se on paljon..) pihalla huutaen, laulaen ja tapellen. Kolmen tunnin bussimatkan aikana otimme kunnon nokoset ja olimme valmiit kohtaamaan pääkaupungin.
Kylmä, sateinen ja harmaa.
Kyllä se oli Lontoo :D Aloitimme päivän metroajelulla, jonka aikana oppaamme Sarah ajatti meidän yhden pysäkin väärään suuntaan. Ohjeet 'hop off at Bank, B-A-N-K, Bank', 'Just one stop', 'UCB, UCB, UCB' ovat kyllä pureutuneet tajuntaan ikuisiksi ajoiksi :D
Bussikierroksen sijaan saimme siis päivän metroliput, mikä oli sinänsä oikein mukava vaihtoehto kylmässä ja märässä 'open top'-bussissa istumiselle.
Suuntasimme siis mutkan kautta Tower of Londoniin, jossa tutustuimme linnoituksen eri osiin ja tietysti kruunun jalokiviin. Nähtävää oli paljon, joten aikaakin kului runsaasti. Ehdimme kuitenkin loistavassa välissä katsomaan perhekalleuksia, ja vältyimme jonottamiselta. Ulostultuamme huomasimme hurjan jonon, jossa ihmiset värjöttelivät sateenvarjojensa kanssa. Kruunun jalokivet olivat tietysti ylimalkaiset ja hyvinkin turhamaiset - tämä tyttö ei niitä oikein osannut arvostaa :D Voin kuitenkin sanoa, että olen ne nähnyt kaikessa komeudessaan. Muutaman tunnin kierreltyämme vatsa alkoi kurnia ja suuntasimme lähimpään pubiin lounaalle. Luulin ostavani ensimmäiset 'fish-and-chips'ini, mutta todellisuudessa sainkin vain ranskalaisia, leivitetyn turskafileen, muussattuja herneitä ja tartar-kastiketta. Onneksi lähipubista B-hamissa saa sentään Guinnesissä paistettua oikeaa tavaraa, joten se on vielä edessä.
Jatkoimme matkaa Westministeriin töllistelemään Big Beniä, Westminister Abbeyta ja London Eye:ta. Otimme tietysti paljon kuvia todistusaineistoksi, että paikan päällä on käyty ja hauskaa oli sateesta ja kylmyydestä huolimatta. Ehdimme vielä tekemään yhden pysähdyksen ennen kotiin paluuta klo 17 ja sehän oli tietysti...rumpujen pärinäääää!!! BUCKINGHAM PALACEKuningatar oli kotona, muttei jostain syystä tullut vilkuttamaan takaisin vaikka kuinka koputeltiin portilla ja huiskuteltiin.. Aika epäkohteliasta sanoisin! Väsyneet matkalaiset nukkuivat tulomatkan bussissa, jotta jaksoivat vielä laittaa ruokaa kämpillä. Yhdistimme voimamme ja laitoimme Lisan ja Lauran kanssa ruokaa. Oli ihan kivaa vaihtelua syödä yhdessä kuin yksin huoneessa tietokoneen ääressä.
Minun kämpillä oli käynnissä bileet, kun kämppis Stephane täytti vuosia. Pakottauduin siis vaihtamaan vaatteet ja olemaan mukava hänen vierailleen muutaman tunnin, ja odotin heidän lähtemistä baariin. Syntymäpäivä lahjaksi siivosin Stephanen puolesta keittiön heti heidän lähdettyä ja kaaduin sänkyyn.
I-HA-NAA! Ensimmäistä kertaa tällä viikolla sain nukkua ilman häiriköintiä aamuun asti.
Tänään korvasimme aliravitsemustilaamme sunnuntaibrunssilla! NAM! Kävimme ensin tyttöjen kanssa kaupassa ja noin viidellä punnalla per naama loihdimme pöydän täyteen hedelmiä, leipää, leikkelettä, hilloja, muroja, mysliä, munakokkelia, pannukakkuja jne. Seurueeseemme kuului tänään neljä saksalaista, kaksi suomalaista ja yksi slovenialainen. Kokkasimme Lauran kämpillä, sillä hänellä on siistein keittiö ja hiljaisimmat kämppikset. Eräs Lauran kämppis yritti kavereineen tulla tekemään lounasta keittiöön, mutta tunnin odottelun jälkeen he lannistuivat ja lähtivät muualle :D Syömingit kestivät siis kutakuinkin kolmisen tuntia ja oli kerrankin täysi olo. Itse asiassa ruokaa jäi niin paljon yli, että "joudumme" uusimaan brunssimme huomisaamuna - hieman supistettuna kuitenkin.
Yritimme pestä pyykkiä brunssin jälkeen, mutta koneet eivät halunneet tehdä yhteistyötä kanssamme. Saimme yhden koneen pyörimään, mutta loput eivät hyväksyneet korttejamme - itse asiassa koneet tyhjensivät pesulakortit, mutteivat käynnistyneet... Ruma sana. Odottelen siis tälläkin hetkellä lakanoideni kuivumista, jotta voisin kääriytyä peiton alle. Taidanpa siis huomenna suunnata kauppaan ostamaan varasetin tällaisia tilanteita varten.
Illan päätteeksi suuntasimme lähipubiin kuuntelemaan jazzia tai niin ainakin luulimme... Mitään jazziahan ei siis ollut vaikka seinällä niin mainostettiin. Käytimme kuitenkin tilaisuuden hyväksi tehdä matkasuunnitelmia ympäri Englantia. Ennen pääsiäislomaa olisi tarkoitus valloittaa mm. Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester ja Liverpool. Pitänee tiukentaa ruokabudjettia, jotta kaikkeen riittää rahat. Kaurapuurohan on hyvää ja ravitsevaa :D
Nyt nukkumaan. Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite you!
**
Good evening dear readers,
another week has passed in a foreign country. So yesterday we were in London. The trip started at 7 am for after a few hours sleep due to my fellow students, who raged until three or four (I was no longer bothered to look at time, when I knew that it is a lot anyways) in the yard, shouting, singing and fighting. So during the three-hour bus ride I took a good nap and was ready to face the capital.
Cold, rainy and gray.
Yes it was in London :D We started the day with a ride in the undergrounf, during which our guide Sarah got us lost for a while when taking us one stop in the wrong direction. Our guides directions: "hop off at the Bank, B-A-N-K, the Bank ',' Just one-stop ',' UCB, UCB, UCB" are probably staying in my head forever :D
Thanks to the rain and cold weather we got underground tickets, which were actually a very nice alternative to the sitting on the cold and wet open-top-bus.
So we headed through the bend in the Tower of London, where we visited different parts of the fortress, and of course went to see the crown jewel. Having a lot to see, time passed really quickly. We managed to head for the crown jewel just on a right moment since there was no queue. As we came out we saw a people standing in line in the rain with their umbrellas. Crown jewels were, of course, grand and very vain - this girl does not know how to really appreciate jewels :D But at least I can say that I've seen them in all their glory. After a few hours strolling through the fortress our stomachs’ began to rumble and we headed for the nearest pub for lunch. I thought I would buy my first "fish-and-chips', but in fact I got only the French fries, breaded cod fillet, mashed peas and tartar sauce. Fortunately, the neighboring pub in B-ham at least serves the “right stuff”, so it is yet to come and to experience.
We continued our journey Westminster to gawk Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. Of course we took lots of pictures as proof that we had been there and had fun despite the rain and cold. After that we had time yet to make one stop before returning home at 17 and that was obviously ... the drums prrr…! the Buckingham Palace.
The queen was at home, but for some reason no matter how much we waved towards the windows and knocked at the gate she didn’t come to the balcony to wave back to us. Quite impolite I’d say!
another week has passed in a foreign country. So yesterday we were in London. The trip started at 7 am for after a few hours sleep due to my fellow students, who raged until three or four (I was no longer bothered to look at time, when I knew that it is a lot anyways) in the yard, shouting, singing and fighting. So during the three-hour bus ride I took a good nap and was ready to face the capital.
Cold, rainy and gray.
Yes it was in London :D We started the day with a ride in the undergrounf, during which our guide Sarah got us lost for a while when taking us one stop in the wrong direction. Our guides directions: "hop off at the Bank, B-A-N-K, the Bank ',' Just one-stop ',' UCB, UCB, UCB" are probably staying in my head forever :D
Thanks to the rain and cold weather we got underground tickets, which were actually a very nice alternative to the sitting on the cold and wet open-top-bus.
So we headed through the bend in the Tower of London, where we visited different parts of the fortress, and of course went to see the crown jewel. Having a lot to see, time passed really quickly. We managed to head for the crown jewel just on a right moment since there was no queue. As we came out we saw a people standing in line in the rain with their umbrellas. Crown jewels were, of course, grand and very vain - this girl does not know how to really appreciate jewels :D But at least I can say that I've seen them in all their glory. After a few hours strolling through the fortress our stomachs’ began to rumble and we headed for the nearest pub for lunch. I thought I would buy my first "fish-and-chips', but in fact I got only the French fries, breaded cod fillet, mashed peas and tartar sauce. Fortunately, the neighboring pub in B-ham at least serves the “right stuff”, so it is yet to come and to experience.
We continued our journey Westminster to gawk Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. Of course we took lots of pictures as proof that we had been there and had fun despite the rain and cold. After that we had time yet to make one stop before returning home at 17 and that was obviously ... the drums prrr…! the Buckingham Palace.
The queen was at home, but for some reason no matter how much we waved towards the windows and knocked at the gate she didn’t come to the balcony to wave back to us. Quite impolite I’d say!
When we arrived back to B-ham I joined forces with Lisa and Laura to cook us some dinner. It was really nice change to eat together rather than alone in your room accompanied by the computer.
After having dinner with the girls I went to my appartment where a party was in progress as my flat mate Stephane celebrated his b-day. So I forced myself to change clothes and socialize with his guests for a few hours. As a birthday gift for Stephane I cleaned the kitchen as soon as they left and then I fell into my bed.
HOW WONDERFUL! For the first time this week I got to sleep without any interruption until the morning.
Today we had a Sunday brunch with the girls! YUM! We went to the store with the girls, and about with five pounds per head we could get table full of fruits, breads, meats, jams, cereals, muesli, scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc. Our party consisted today four Germans, two Finns and a Slovenian. We made the dinner at Laura’s place, because she has the cleanest kitchen :D One of Laura's roommates was trying to come with her friends to make lunch in the kitchen, but after waiting an hour, they became discouraged and left :D So our feast lasted roughly three hours and you can imagine how we looked after that. In fact, there was so much food left over that, "we have to" renew the brunch tomorrow morning – however in a slightly reduced form.
In the evening we headed to closest the pub to listen to jazz or so at least we thought ... No jazz - even though it had been advertised. However, we used this opportunity to make travel plans across England. Before Easter we’re planning to conquer e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester and Liverpool. I might have to tighten up my food budget, so I can afford everything. But oat porridge is good and nourishing, isn’t it :D
Now off to bed. Good night, sleep tight. Do not let the bedbugs bite you!
After having dinner with the girls I went to my appartment where a party was in progress as my flat mate Stephane celebrated his b-day. So I forced myself to change clothes and socialize with his guests for a few hours. As a birthday gift for Stephane I cleaned the kitchen as soon as they left and then I fell into my bed.
HOW WONDERFUL! For the first time this week I got to sleep without any interruption until the morning.
Today we had a Sunday brunch with the girls! YUM! We went to the store with the girls, and about with five pounds per head we could get table full of fruits, breads, meats, jams, cereals, muesli, scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc. Our party consisted today four Germans, two Finns and a Slovenian. We made the dinner at Laura’s place, because she has the cleanest kitchen :D One of Laura's roommates was trying to come with her friends to make lunch in the kitchen, but after waiting an hour, they became discouraged and left :D So our feast lasted roughly three hours and you can imagine how we looked after that. In fact, there was so much food left over that, "we have to" renew the brunch tomorrow morning – however in a slightly reduced form.
In the evening we headed to closest the pub to listen to jazz or so at least we thought ... No jazz - even though it had been advertised. However, we used this opportunity to make travel plans across England. Before Easter we’re planning to conquer e.g. Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester and Liverpool. I might have to tighten up my food budget, so I can afford everything. But oat porridge is good and nourishing, isn’t it :D
Now off to bed. Good night, sleep tight. Do not let the bedbugs bite you!
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