- Went to the nightclub on campus with some friends
- Indulged in a full English Breakfast (vegetarian of course)
- Played my first game of squash (my new favorite activity)
Cheers to new experiences!
Cheers to new experiences!
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After my family left London, I traveled to the southern coast of England to visit Brighton. Liam's friend invited us to a New Year's Eve party there, so we decided to make a little trip out of it. Unfortunately, there were terrible wind and rain storms during much of the time we were in Brighton. The city is a seaside getaway for many Brits. It must be quite nice in the summer.
The storms were so bad I couldn't really get any decent photos of the beach and pier. However, I did take some photos of the Royal Pavilion (below). The royal residence was built in a style that was prevalent in India during the 19th century for King George IV. It definitely looked out of place! My family came to London for a week, and we stayed in a lovely flat in the city. The first day my family arrived we braved the rain and wind storms and shopped around the famous department store, Harrods and went for Afternoon Tea. The next day we began Christmas Eve with a ride on the London Eye. We walked through some Christmas markets and sampled roasted chestnuts and mulled wine and crossed the Thames River just in time to see the sunset. We continued through the city to some shopping areas. After stopping into a pub for some traditional food we kept admiring the Christmas displays until we reached Hyde Park. The annual Hyde Park Winter Wonderland was in full swing. I don't have any photos, but it was a huge Christmas carnival! Soon after we arrived it started to rain quite heavily, so we called it a day and headed back to the flat to spend Christmas Eve in front of the fire. Our Christmas Day began with mass at Westminster Cathedral. Then we began the trek across London to visit Charles Dickens' house and museum since it is open on Christmas Day! We listened to a reading of A Christmas Carol and enjoyed some mince pies (a staple during Christmas here) at the museum. We found a nice Thai restaurant that was open and then made our way across London back to the flat. We spent Boxing Day at a football (soccer) game! Boxing Day is a big day for going to watch your favorite football team here. We had a nice walk to the stadium through Chelsea, a very posh area of London, and spent the day at the stadium getting a tour and enjoying a Premier League game between Chelsea and Swansea. The next day we took the train to Colchester, so I could show the family around the university and town. We met up with Liam and his mom and we all had a nice dinner at a local pub. The last few days of the trip were spent sightseeing all around the city, below is a slideshow! The week before my family arrived, I spent some time in London with Liam while he studied at the Archives in the city. I spent most of my time in the free museums! Below is a slideshow of some of the sights. Hello, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I just returned to university after being away for the holidays. I will be updating my blog with pictures from my family visiting, New Year's Eve in Brighton, etc. I have one more week left of Christmas break, which I will be spending doing essays… I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
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