Cambridge

Today I woke up sick. Why does my body hate me? I went on the Cambridge trip anyway, just to spite it.

Cambridge is about an hour and a half away from Colchester. It's a pretty old town, with lots of nice architecture and stuff. After telling us where to meet for the tour, and informing us that if we got left behind at the end of the day, the best way back to Colchester is by train via London, we were let loose to do whatever. Mostly find food and look at shops. I wandered around mostly with the girls I went to Tesco with, plus a few others, but we eventually split off into much smaller groups for convenience. None of the stores were closed, despite it being Sunday. In fact, there was sort of a market day happening, with lots of stalls set up in the town square.

Like this.

These are the girls I was wandering around with. Their names, from the left: Alice (Italy), Segolene (France), Valeria (Italy), Iwona (Poland), Julia (Denmark), Aino (Finland).

I get along better with the Europeans than with the Americans. Go figure. Anyway, we shopped a bit before we had to meet back at

for the tour.

There's a lot of great architecture in the town, so much that they didn't explain it all.

This is an unidentified pretty building.

Here is a street in Cambridge.

Here's a very old church. We were standing in the graveyard in front of it, listening to the tourguide. What you can't see is a water pump. A well in a graveyard. This is brilliant.

A tomb.... of a pirate???

This is a pub called The Eagle. This is where the guys who figured out DNA went to tell everyone how awesome they were. During theSecond World War, this is also where American troops liked to hang out. They wrote their names and divisions and stuff all over the ceiling of the pub, but it's really hard to make out now because of all the smoking that used to happen in pubs (Stephanie will be glad to hear that smoking is not allowed in most public buildings anymore!)

This is apparantly the brand of alcohol they serve in The Eagle. I took a picture of it because it's a green king...

This is the impressive King's College of Cambridge. It's pretty, but I wouldn't want to go to school here... they still believe in hierarchy very much. There's still a "high table" where important professors and favored students sit, and you're not allowed to walk on the grass unless an older student gives you permission. Crazy.

Here's some of the grass you're not allowed to walk on. Those are the classrooms of King's College.

And a better shot of the fountain... statue... thing in front.

Here we are inside the King's Chapel. It's more like a cathedral, it's so big... I didn't take a lot of pictures inside because... well, it's a church... but this is me standing in the middle and taking a picture of the back. This place is huge.

This is a shot of the front of King's College: the entranceway across from the classrooms, on the other side of the sacred grass. Keeps the college nice and protected from the commoners...

A pretty bridge. Oh, and the river. If it was warm out, there would probably be punting happening, or so I'm told.

After the tour, Iwona, Aino and I went back the The Eagle because they were hungry (again. Seriously, they had just eaten.) I got some water, they got beer and chips, and we sat around and talked. Aino says that the government pays for college education in Finland. I asked her if everyone goes to college then, but she said no. 2/3 of the people don't pass the entrance exams. No wonder the government can afford to pay for education. It's the opposite in America, where if someone doesn't attend college it's generally for monetary reasons.

Then we went back to University of Essex. I signed on, ate some cold Macaroni and Cheese, and wrote this blog.

Classes start tomorrow, and i'm very very very very nervous. I have no idea what to expect. It has just occured to me that I am taking a film studies class, wherein we watch films, presumably without subtitles. If I have trouble following the film tomorrow, I may drop the class and have to find a different one. Who knows what's still available? Well, I will have to find out tomorrow.

As for now... it is 8 o clock and i am out of things to do... when i have tons of homework, i will look back on these days with longing. maybe.