May 30, 2010

May 30, 2010

Today was an early start as we woke up to a continental breakfast and beautiful Oxford.  We loaded the bus at 7:45 am and headed towards Cambridge for that day.  After a 2 hour bus ride in which everyone eventually fell asleep in their lovely bus chairs that actually lounge, we looked out our window to the wonderful stone buildings of Cambridge in which scholars of all over come to study and enjoy this place.  I have heard so much about the history of this little town but could never picture it in my mind because frankly, I just did not believe it existed.  It is crazy to think that so much comes from such a little area and that the people walking around me probably know more than I could ever try and learn!  I also saw alot of just normal local people walking around with their little bikes with baskets and their sweaters.  We went to the Cambridge Presbyterian Church this morning and worshipped with, in my opinion, some of the most polite people we have been around this entire trip!  They were so welcoming to have a group of 30 or so students walk in unannounced and greet us with such pleasant smiles and telling us just how much they enjoyed us being there.  It was an amazing picture of Christ and so refreshing to know that there are still true loving Christians like that all over the world.  It was especially neat to hear the scripture reading mention people from all nations will join to worship Him and fitting, I thought for that particular day.  The church was traditionally built like the cathedrals in London and I just wished that every church back home was also just as beautiful.  I don't know, I just think there something about stained glass windows and tall steeples that make me feel like I am closer to God while worshipping.  Silly, and not true but I just feel differently in a cathedral than in a modern looking church.
Apparently, you should spot alot of famous people in this area, however, I did not get to see anyone that I recognized.  I don't know who I was expecting? haha We were set free after church to roam on our own and so the 3 musketeers went to a place called Tattie's where I enjoyed a nice warm panini.  Dannah said the burgers are not quite to her liking and we can't figure out if it's because they are better or worse for you than in America.  I have found that the sandwiches here are absolutely amazing!  I think it is because they have great cheese and so everytime I get one with cheese it makes it all the better.  The boys have hit up pizza hut almost every place we go and that doesn't surprise me one bit haha because here we are, girls, wanting to eat at the cutest local place ever and they just don't care but would rather go some place they know serves good food and at some points I cannot blame them.  After lunch we headed to the King's College Chapel which, according to C.S. Lewis claims is the most beautiful in the world.  The weather was definitely one of the coldest days we have ran into so far and so I was quite excited to be in doors for a little while.  The King's College Chapel was absolutely beautiful and HUGE.  I wish our chapel looked something like this!  You just felt smarter walking on that campus and then you looked up and felt like an ant because just the ceiling there weighed 1,875 tons. It was built from 1512-1515 and was just magnificent.  I think we are too impatient to take that long on one building and that is why all ours are square and shoot up every other month!  The sun shining through the stained glass windows inside was perfect, especially since we could finally use cameras inside!  The wind caught us again after we left the chapel and you would hurry to find the next sun spot for hopes of a quick warm up before the wind got you again.  The town was rather swanky and very high end, which I suppose is because there are alot of weatlhy people living in this area and attending the colleges.
We just HAD to have afternoon tea in Cambridge somewhere and of course, saw multiple spots on the way to the chapel, but accidentally took a wrong turn and basically saw blank walls on the way back.  We even stopped and asked a man working in a shoe store where we could get tea and he looked at us like we were the biggest idiots in the world! haha I guess it is odd to have someone walk up and ask for tea because it is so common here, but he responded with, "Like, you want a drink of tea?"  "Um... anywhere I guess, there is a place right there" and pointed us to a place similar to a CK's coffee shop.  Stupid Americans!.  After walking to the moon and back, which is what we usually do on this trip so my jeans are getting looser =), we saw a pretty hoppin place called "Pattisserie Valerie" and decided to go in and enjoy.  We must have said "take away" on accident because after getting our goodies, we tried to find a place to sit and the woman working there let us know that "take away" people are not allowed to sit inside since they did not need a waitress.  HMPH I say! haha so we, being the smart ones we are, took our accidental to go teas and pastries back towards our bus stop and sat outside on the front walkway of a small college.  The short walls we sat on, however, were pointed and so it was a little uneven when we would set our cups down..... RED FLAG.  All of a sudden we look over and Dannah has completely knocked her tea while trying to add milk and looks like she could use a napkin.  Kelsey and I thought it was so funny until I look down at our milk wrapper falling off and Kelsey swiftly going to catch it.  Along with trying to grab the wrapper, she successfully manages to knock my tea on the ground as well as my 1/3 eaten chocolate croissant.  I was so cold I could not do anything but laugh, pick up the stuff and finish my croissant.  I have enjoyed all this tea and even more enjoy the creme and milk they put in it!  I have never had it in there before but now I am addicted!  We decided we should use the toilet before we got back on the bus for two hours (and you can't say bathroom or they laugh at you because the bath and toilet are in two separate rooms usually).  So we headed over to these public toilets we saw earlier and saw that there were only mens and unisex ones... not fair? haha but never the less we needed  to go so we waited on the FOREVER "engaged" toilets to open... they never did.  We thought they might say engaged until you payed the 20p so I shoved my coin in the slot and .. yes.. being the stupid American I am.. lost 20p that day.  Since those were closed we had to go somewhere! And Kelsey always says, "I think I remember seeing a place back that way," so we followed her to this bar and upon walking in we asked no questions and gave no answers, but walked straight up the stairs and used their facilities and left.  It was pretty funny and odd though when you went in their toilet because they had a foggy window behind you, being the only thing separating you from the teenage party going on outside.  I still enjoyed listening to the accents... even on the toilet. After all of that we headed back to the bus to enjoy our last night in Oxford.