So I blinked and realised that another week has disappeared right out from under my nose. Looking back on it all, I'm surprised that I haven't dropped dead from all the excitement that's been going on. This past week was pretty much "Nutmeg's Travelling Week," and it was most definitely filled with many, many adventures. I'll try and organise this post as best as I can, but I should warn you now, it's going to be a long one.
On Tuesday, Maggie and I went to the big and exciting city of London. It was my first time ever setting foot in the actual city, and I loved pretty much every step I took in it. We had a bit of a late start, so we didn't get to do everything that we planned on doing but we still had an absolutely wonderful time. We took the Underground ("Maggie, it's just like BART only with 70 extra stops." "I think it has more than 70 extra stops, Meg...") and ended up going to Camden (I think it's like a district in London?) at the advice of several friends, and I think it's one of the coolest places I've ever been to. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, actually. It was just really, really awesome. ^_^
I think Camden is well-known for its shopping, and shopping is what Maggie and I did. We ventured through Camden's Open Market, and it was a lot bigger than it seemed. We visited all kinds of stores from pretty lacy dress stores and fur shops (Maggie ended up buying a fur scarf thingy, and it looks wonderful on her) to a flashing lights and loud club music raver? store (which we were told we had to go to by Jonny and the "rock'n'roll" guy with the gags). Maggie almost had a panic attack in that store (don't worry, she came out physically unharmed), while I couldn't stop laughing at all the things in it because it reminded me so much of several friends back in SF. Anyway, I did a bit of my Christmas shopping at the Open Market, and I bought a couple dresses from the pretty lacy dress store, which I absolutely love. =D Most of the stores don't allow you to take pictures, so I only have a couple unfortunately...
Anyway, after all of our shopping, Maggie and I went looking for a goth club that the rock 'n' roll guy had told Maggie about. Apparently, this club's bouncers will not allow you to enter if you don't look alternative. (Maggie instructed me on what to wear, since I think my clothing style is more quirky and geeky than alternative) We failed in our search though, so we settled for this pub called At World's End, which looked like an old train station and had metal music blasting from the speakers. And Maggie and I fit right in. One guy had brought his friends up for a visit, and they even wanted to take a picture with me because I looked very Camden-ish, I guess. They said my bowler hat looked very "Mary Poppins," which I can't tell if that's a compliment or not... Well, certainly kudos to Maggie and her awesome styling tips. =D After the pub, we were starving, so we went in search of food and found this burger restaurant called Haiche. And the burgers here were absolutely fantastic. I had a turkey burger with all the trimmings, and it was probably one of the best burgers I've ever had. We agreed that we would definitely go back to that restaurant if we were in the neighbourhood again. By then, most things in Camden had closed (minus the pubs) so we hopped back on the Underground, caught our bus (after wandering around a little lost for a few minutes) back to "sleepy" Oxford. And so ends Nutmeg's first adventure to London.
Well, Port Meadow isn't actually outside of Oxford, but I'm putting it here because it was an adventure and it happened within last week. So Port Meadow is this meadow just past the Jericho neighbourhood of Oxford. On Wednesday, a group of us decided to take a walk out there and stop at one of the pubs called The Perch. It was a gorgeous walk, and we left during the late afternoon, so the sun was beginning to set. Part of the meadow was also frozen, so of course, we had to run around on it. And since I've never been on a frozen lake or meadow or pond or anything like that, I had an absolute blast slipping and sliding across the ice.
We eventually made it to The Perch and had a very late lunch/early dinner there. We also had honey mead wine, an incredibly delicious drink. I was able to finish my glass without grimacing once. ^_^ In short, The Perch is an adorable pub with yummy food, and I can't wait to go there again sometime.
On Thursday, Maggie, Jonny and I went to Bath for a very fun-filled (somewhat Jane Austen-y) day. And Bath was...amazing. Definitely, amazing. I probably felt a little like Austen's Catherine Morland when she sees Bath for the first time, and I was giddy with excitement the whole time. We packed lunches, because Jonny wanted to have that "school trip feeling," and I mention this because I want to ask, "Can you guess what my packed lunch was?" Answer: Spam musubi, sliced spam and onigiri. Basically, it was what my mom used to pack in my lunch all the time. =D I only ate the spam musubi though. Maggie ate my extra spam.
Anyway, Jonny acted as our excellent and wonderful tour guide. He took us to the Royal Crescent, Roman Baths, and the Pump Room. Basically, all the major Austen-y places. ^_^ We tried water from the Pump, and it didn't taste too bad, but I swear that that water made me use the restroom more times than normal throughout the day. Afterwards, we went through the Christmas Market in Bath and did some more Christmas shopping. After that, we went to a spa and "took the waters." We went into the Minerva Bath (a warm, sulphur-y pool), visited the steam room with MANY scented steams (I liked the frankincense one the best), and soaked in the Rooftop Pool while the sun went down. The last part was absolutely beautiful. Overall, the spa was really nice, but I think I like onsen in Japan better even if the onsen I went to wasn't nearly as luxurious.
After all that, we headed home via the train incredibly satisfied. And that's how Nutmeg's first Bath adventure ended.
So on Friday, Kate and I departed via train for Blackfriar's Reading Party. Basically, a Reading Party is a trip the students take at the end of term to start on assigned reading for the next term or read for fun. Usually, not a lot of reading gets done on these trips though. I brought only two books (Brideshead Revisted and Vanity Fair) thinking that I would get maybe half-way through one of them. This year's Reading Party was set at Boarbank Hall in the village of Allithwaite, which is on the southern edge of the Lake District. I had been looking forward to this trip, since most (if not all) the Romantic poets and novelists I had been studying this past term spent a lot of time in the Lake District, and I really wanted to see what their fuss was about. Well, I certainly did get to see what the fuss was about.
Boarbank Hall itself was gorgeous. When we arrived at the Hall, Kate and I ventured through the rooms (including an ACTUAL DRAWING ROOM), whispering excitedly to each other "It's just like Austen!" And we certainly felt like we were in an Austen novel throughout the trip. Our room was a little on the small side, but we liked it because it felt very "quaint." We didn't spent much time in it anyway. We spent most of our time curled up on the couches or armchairs in the TV lounge with the fake fireplace (the warmest room in the hall). In fact, we spent so much time curled up in those armchairs and couches that one of the friars who came with us (Father Michael) said, "Whenever I think of this year's Reading Party, I will always remember you two curled up in these armchairs with your books."
During the day, our little party would go on hikes or walks through the hills. The first hike we took was to a point called The Hospice, where you could see a full 360 degrees around and could see as far as Liverpool (across the Bay). I was deemed the Navigator, and I got us there in one piece. Except one person ended up slipping and falling into a rather muddy and sheep dungy spot. I don't take responsibility for that though. =P Anyway, it was a gorgeous walk. The scenery was spectacular. Kate and I kept thinking we had been transported to land around Wuthering Heights.
After our morning walk to The Hospice, we came back and another group decided to go out to Halfway Head? to watch the sun set. So we set out again, and again, it was gorgeous. Halfway Head? is a sort of cliff/peninsula that juts out into the bay. We trekked out to the tip of it and watched the sun set. Again, I can't stress how pretty of a walk it was. The walk back though was pretty painful. We had to trek up this steep hill, and it was seriously steeper than any hill I've encountered in San Francisco. And that is definitely saying something.
Another afternoon, a few of us drove up to Lake Windermere (one of the largest lakes in England). We didn't walk very much around it, because the lake's surrounded by mountains so the sun sets even earlier. But anyway, the lake was very pretty, and I can see why Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley and Byron liked spending time around lakes. There was some snow around the lake, and one of the guys ended up starting a snow ball fight, which was fun to watch. =D
In the evenings, after dinner, we would either read alone or get together in the drawing room for discussions (including topics such as "How Women Have Destroyed the Jane Austen Male") or read passages from certain novels or poems out loud to each other. Kate and I only participated in a couple of these evenings though, since we were usually exhausted by the end of the day.
Unfortunately, Kate and I came down with colds halfway through the trip, so we weren't able to do a whole lot after the second day. But we did get a lot of reading done, and we certainly felt pampered with our three delicious meals a day (two of which were usually three courses), along with afternoon tea.
In short, I think all the boys who went on the trip (Kate and I were the only girls there) decided that the word to describe the entire experience was "glorious." I would have to agree for the most part. The scenery was indescribable, and I guess because we were so far north, it seemed like we were in a perpetual sunset. Kate and I thought that time seemed to just halt there, and by the end of the trip, we were pretty confused about what day it was. And I actually finished a book (Brideshead Revisited, which generated a lot of discussion among people there, particularly a retired priest who even read a few pages to us). Even though I was nursing a cold through it, it was still an amazing experience with amazing people, and I would love to go back some day. So ends Nutmeg's Romantic adventure in the Lake District.
Well, that's pretty much where I've been the entire week, and looking back on it all, I am EXHAUSTED. And still nursing a cold. So lots of R'nR (rest and reading) for Nutmeg this week. However, once the weekend hits, I will be hitting the social scene again: the rock'n'roll guy's Christmas BBQ and a trip to visit my wonderful British pal Jonny's in his hometown of Cheltenham/Tewkesbury. Basically, since almost everyone has left for the holidays, this weekend is going to be spent with solely British people, which will certainly be an experience. I had thought Oxford was going to be very lonely during the holidays, but it's turning out not to be so far (thank goodness). However, the city does seem incredibly empty and a little spooky...
Until next time, Cheers!
<3 Nutmeg
P.S. There will be TONS of photos uploaded to flickr very soon! (If not already...)
1 comments:
I like the sound of this rock 'n' roll guy. One day I shall meet him...
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