All packed and ready to go...

... The problem is that I don't want to go!

Tonight I will be out late, having fun with my mates all over Cambridge... And tomorrow morning, at seven thirty, a taxi will come and pick me up from this host family.

I'll write a longer entry Saturday evening when I'm home. Right now I don't really feel like writing, I'm too sad. T.T

Day 11 - leaving blues

Today we got our certificates from school. But I still can't get my head around the fact that I'm going to leave... I don't want to leave!

After school we had a walk to Grantchester, on the countryside. We walked through a park - a very lush park - and on the paddies with some cows. They were so cute!

We had tea at a pavilion there - there was a plaque near the door that Virginia Woolf (among others) had been one of their customers.

Need to find a recipe to scones. These were delicious!

Good tea in good company! <3

I'll seriously miss the nature here - and those roses! They're huge and everywhere! I want!

Day 10 - some me time

The Grafton Centre - a cheaper shopping centre.

A view from a park on the way back to the centre of the city.

Not much to tell about today...

Had debates at school... it was surprisingly fun, especially as me and Richard agreed on most points. XD

Which reminds me, I have to do my homework.

After school we caught a bus to the Grafton Centre and to Primark. I bought myself sweat pants and a matching top, for only eight pounds. Then I walked back to the centre and went browsing to the market place; bought some nice bracelets for myself and then went to Starbucks.

There I sat, reading Dorian Gray and sipping my coffee, until I had to come back home for dinner. Nice day!

And I already packed, so I could be sure that my suitcase isn't over-weight and it isn't. Only 16 kg and we're allowed something like 20 kg. \o/

Off to take a shower now and to watch a film after that.

Punting and more pubs

Yeah, the sore throat turned into a proper cold. Oh well, I've got medicine, so I'll be fine, it'll be over in a few days anyway. XP

Today me and a couple of others had been moved from the group to another, because there were so many of us. This new teacher, Ray, was brilliant! He's funny and we really get to talk in his classes. And he really pays attention on what's happening.

After school - and lunch - we went punting.

The boats are really steady.

The Mill Pond and one of the punters.

We had our own "punter" - or whatever they're called and he was a real Prince Charming. Funny, nice and good looking, too.

As you can see, it wasn't that warm a day. XP Or didn't feel like one, anyway.

King's College. View from the river.

Punt traffic.

The Bridge of Sighs. A copy of the one in Venice.

The Bridge of Sighs from the other side.

After finishing the tour on Cam - that's what the river is called - we had a little time to ourselves. I bought rest of my souvenirs; I'll just have to buy some tea for myself tomorrow and then I'm ready. ^^ And I bought this Ghosts caught on film book from the Haunted Bookshop.

And then we went to listen to the Evensong to the King's College chapel; it was so beautiful I had shivers running down my spine the whole time. Then we went to eat at the Avery - yet another pub.

And on my way to home, when I sneezed at the bus, this one woman just called "Bless you!" from the other side of the corridor. I love the people here!

I think the politeness is one of the things I'll miss, when I come home.

Day 8 - dead tired

I've been dead tired today, so no photographs. -.-

I think I'm also coming down with a cold. So not nice.
Can't really remember much about school, but after it I went to buy postcards and on the way back I bought a Tron DVD-box. It has both of the films in it.

At he moment, I'm watching the original Tron and writing the cards. I'll soon go to bed. Hope I'll feel better in the morning. -.-

Stratford-upon-Avon & Warwick Castle

You wouldn't think that after three and a half hours of sleep you'd be as good as new and ready for a new day. But there I was! Woke up before my alarm went off and was in perfect condition to take off again.

We left for Stratford at ten from our school and the trip there took us about two hours by coach (bus). I think I slept most of the drive, 'cause I can't remember anything about it.

This is my first view of the old centre of Stratford.

We were there for a couple of hours, did a bit of shopping and acted like tourists - polite ones, that is. I bought myself Shakespeare's sonnets and Much ado about nothing DVD and some souvenirs.

The river Avon. There were a lot of swans there.

Now that's one big tree!

Holy Trinity Church, the place where the Bard is buried.

From upper left: Shakespeare's birth home, the garden of the same house, the Eagle pub (a crooked house) where he probably spent time and Shakespeare's grave in the church.

Shakespeare's school; the King Edward VI School.

The main door of the school. It's still a school, by the way.

Then back to bus and on to Warwick Castle. I had high hopes for the place and really, I wasn't disappointed. I would've wanted to be there longer, though.

Midlands' landscapes. Just beautiful.

First view of the Castle. I was speechless.

I think some of Merlin has been filmed here, because part of  the castle seem familiar to me.

The mandatory tourist shot. XP

The Mound. Probably the most beautiful part of the Castle.

First stop for me was of course the Castle Dungeon. The tour was exiting, and a bit scary. There were all these actors in costumes and they guided us from room to room by inviting us in and showing us different things.

The Black Jester.

That guy was our first guide, who led us into the first chamber. Then there was this monk who preached us about the plague, after that the Castle's cook was doing an autopsy on the recently dead doctor. XD She was hilarious, pulling out his organs - she liked to talk about "losing your bits" - and spilling the inside of his bladder all over us.

After that it was off to the torture chamber, where this torturer locked one girl in a cage and picked a volunteer to show off what he could do. After that we went to court. And were sentenced. Then a labyrinth and then to the execution ground.

One man was selected as the traitor and he was to be beheaded, but the poor executioner missed and the man "lost" an ear. XD

The people on the tour were really nice and not very scared - except one little girl (who was too young to be there anyway) - and played along very well with the actors, especially at the court room scene.

Anyway, after that I went through the Kingmaker exhibition and then to the tallest tower - Guy's tower.

Some of the dolls in there. They're Tussaud's, by the way.

I can't invent anything to say about those pictures I took in the Guy's tower. I was so stunned myself.

After climbing down my legs wouldn't stop shaking, so I had to leave to the café outside. It was half an hour before we had agreed to meet our guide.

Again I slept most of the way back to Cambridge and now I'm off to bed. And if I do anything tomorrow - other than go to school - you can call me crazy! I'm beat.

London - Wicked

First of all, ended up not going to Tussaud's. It would've simply taken too much time. XP

But no worries, I'm already planning a long weekend in London in the autumn.

The sky looks very different here and the clouds seem to be lower. I've fallen in love.

Arriving to London.

That big stadium is for the Olympics.

This post will probably be mostly pictures and captions as it's already three in the morning and I should already be sleeping. ^^'

So, our first stop after arriving at Embankment was to Baker street; by Tube, of course. And it really wasn't that difficult!

The statue on Baker Street. You know who it is. ^^

Then, seeing the line at Madame Tussaud's we decided that we can do better things with the day than just stand in line. So, off to the British Museum.

There's Venus, someone, a mourning woman, Alexander the Great, Antinous and again someone

A statue of a cat and cat mummies - at some point they were used as fertilizer.

Stone of Rosetta.

After one and a half hours we left for Covent Garden and did some shopping - I just bought a caricature of myself. XD

I got a kiss from a statue on the way. XD

Yeah, that's me... ^^''

From Covent Garden we walked to the Houses of Parliament, through St. James' Park, by Buckingham Palace to Victoria. There we went to see Wicked.

Trafalgar Square. Packed with people and the traffic's crazy.

Street views.

The Black building you can see is 10 Downing Street. A very important home.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

Westminster Abbey. <3

At St. James'

Buckingham Palace.

Last view of St. James'

And now, pardon the pun: It was wicked! Maybe more about that later.

And then back home, to Cambridge, by bus. Now I can only hope everyone got home safely, because the cab driver didn't actually seem that clever. We had quite an adventure. -.- Oh, well, I'll know in the morning when we go to Stratford.

Good Night! (at 3.21)