Tag: UK

By bmlee18

Last week, I had a friend take the morning Eurostar train from Paris to visit me for the day at Cambridge. It still baffles me how easy and painless traveling from one country to another can be here. Within 2 to 3 hours, you can find yourself picking up a baguette and a cup of coffee at a Parisian boulangerie to being served a steaming pot of aromatic tea and buttery scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam at a London cafe (add another hour to your journey, and you can find yourself at Cambridge).

Together, my friend and I were able to explore and visit the main attractions of Cambridge, and I thought that I would relay some of what we did that largely exemplifies what one should do when visiting this historic college town.

1. Grab a Chelsea bun and a cup of cappuccino at Fitzbillies. The signature pastry at this famous cafe would certainly be the Chelsea bun, which basically tastes and looks like a fancier version of a cinnamon roll. Who doesn't love a hot cinnamon roll to start off the morning? If you're wanting something less sweet, go for a scone, which couples very nicely with the cafe's excellent and rich cappuccino and/or latte. If you come later in the day, why not think about going through the whole ritual of afternoon tea (tea, scones, cakes, and finger sandwiches galore)?

2. Get lost at the Fitzwilliam Museum. This museum has a fantastic collection of art, ranging anywhere from ancient Egyptian and Roman sculptures to medieval European paintings to contemporary antiquities. In addition, my friend and I visited the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which similarly had a very fascinating and wide array of artefacts from all around the world. What I thought was really unique was how numerous faculties had their own museums to exhibit research conducted and discoveries made thus far.

3. Marvel at the King's College Chapel. The chapel can easily be called one of the finest examples of Gothic English architecture and a symbol of the city of Cambridge. It's truly amazing to think of how the chapel continues to be a place of worship to this day, having been constructed approximately 500 years ago. While we were unable to attend King's Evensong, a sung chapel service particularly famous for its renowned choir, we were nevertheless lost for words as we walked around and marvelled at the beautiful architecture.

...continue reading "Visiting Cambridge? Try these things."

By bmlee18

Ely. This small English city not too far from Cambridge probably doesn't strike you as familiar. I know that for me, I was so unfamiliar with Ely that I (and some of the other visiting students whom I went on the trip with) had trouble deciding how to even pronounce its name, only being sure of myself when I finally found myself within the city grounds. I wasn't really sure of what to expect from this city that I had never heard of before, but perhaps this lack of expectations and knowledge was precisely what allowed me to be so astounded by the beauty of the place.

Now, I know that there are some unbelievably amazing architecture throughout the UK. Cambridge, my host city, alone features some of the most remarkable structures dating back to hundreds of years before America's founding. King's College Chapel, built in the 1400s, stands as one of the finest examples of Gothic English architecture, and I have the great privilege of walking past (and gaping at) the beautiful church everyday. As much as I was fascinated by King's College Chapel and other buildings throughout England, my visit to Ely Cathedral left me utterly speechless - especially after a tour of the Cathedral's Octagon Tower.

I am by no means an expert on architecture, although I did have a brief phase as a fourth grader when I was an avid viewer of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and wanted to be a cool carpenter building homes for others like the show's personalities. However, I know when to be marvelled at a great feat of architectural design and engineering - and Ely Cathedral was precisely this.

First of all, to see such a massive cathedral at the centre of a small town astounded me. The Cathedral was really the beating heart of Ely, and it was clear that around this place of worship, shops began to open and homes were constructed. Once I walked past the heavy wooden doors of the church, I was dazzled by the beautiful design of the walls and the stained glasses. But the true highlight of my visit was the tour of the Octagon Tower. To reach the tower, we took a set of spiral staircases - quite steep and dizzying - to reach the roof of the transept. From here, we had the most remarkable view of the city and the river, and despite the cold wind striking our faces, we could only stand gawking as we stood between the cathedral chancel and the Lady Chapel.

...continue reading "A City of Surprises"

By bmlee18

This past weekend, I took a short day trip to the city of Salisbury, and from there, visited the world famous prehistoric monument we all know as Stonehenge.

Prior to embarking on this little adventure, many past visitors whom I'd spoken to had expressed mixed feelings about Stonehenge - that their actual visit fell short of their high expectations. Despite these reservations, I have to say that my trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge was very gratifying and would recommend to all as definitely worth taking. Stonehenge has been regarded as an amazing feat for our Neolithic ancestors, and I was undoubtedly fascinated by how they were able to so masterfully transport enormous stones and erect such site of worship and burial.

Aside from Stonehenge, the city of Salisbury has much to offer, from Old Sarum (the earliest settlement of Salisbury) to Salisbury Cathedral (which houses one of four original copies of the Magna Carta and features England's tallest spire). If Stonehenge alone does not excite you, then Old Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral should be convincing enough for you to plan your next trip there!

To guide your next outing away from the hustle and bustle of London, or wherever you call home, I'll be providing a few tips on how to get there and what to do, all within a modest budget (at least according to UK standards). As I did not get to visit places other than Stonehenge due to time constraints, I will be focusing on how to get to Stonehenge and what you should do at this iconic landmark.

...continue reading "Visiting Stonehenge"

By bmlee18

Waking up at 6 o'clock in the morning... you could definitely call that a challenge. After futilely trying to dismiss the notion that my clock actually displayed "6:00," I pulled myself out of bed to get ready for the day. I hurriedly put on my long-sleeved training clothes, slipped on my green sneakers, and grabbed a banana to munch on for breakfast on my way to the boathouse.

This was my first day of rowing (crew) - a sport that seems to be a quintessential part of Cambridge. I had never done anything remotely close to rowing, never used an ergometer (rowing machine), and never personally witnessed a rowing race. But given the overwhelming popularity of the sport here (rowing seemed to be the focus of perhaps half of the conversations British students had), as well as my desire to experience something new and understand Cambridge's culture better, I signed myself up and somehow found myself walking through eerie alleys and splashing through muddy puddles at an ungodly hour of the morning.

The town was still deep asleep, shrouded by a pitch black veil. I trekked to the boathouse for a good 30 minutes, accompanied by my friend (another GW student), who was an experienced rower and thankfully gifted with an excellent sense of direction that guided us to the boathouse.

Soon after our arrival, we spent the next half an hour or so trying the ergs (short for ergometers), which was possibly the most confusing thing. You apparently needed to separate the movement of your arms, back, and legs to properly row, and consciously thinking about how my body should move only made me look all the more clumsy and awkward. "Legs, back, arms. Arms, back, legs. Now repeat. Ok... Why is my brain thinking one thing and my body doing another?"

...continue reading ""Row, row, row your boat, gently down the Cam…""

By bmlee18

Recently, I joined my college's soccer team, and quickly realized a few things:

1. My body has rusted after years of limited physical exercise, mostly contained to short, breathless sprints to lectures and heavy lifting of groceries. This probably explains the soreness that permeated my body and the injury to my ankle that I sustained after the very first match.
2. Despite this, the pure joy of challenging my stamina, celebrating the spirit of teamwork, and participating in what may very well be the greatest game ever invented.
3. The ample differences between British and American terminologies regarding the game, which I explain below.

Football vs. Soccer

Undoubtedly, the most conspicuous difference between the American and British understanding of the sport would be what constitutes its legitimate name. Is it soccer? Or is it football? I would have to say that the latter probably makes more sense, given that the entirety of the world knows the sport to be football. And as someone originally from outside of the US and the UK and fully cognisant of what makes sense when learning English as a second language, putting "foot" and "ball" together far outweighs "soccer" in simplicity and logic. Ironically, you can't really blame the Americans for refusing to call the game anything other than soccer, since the origins of the word points to the Brits as the perpetrators. The Brits had coined the term "association rules football" (which evolved to be "soccer") to distinguish from other forms of the game such as "rugby rules football." They later abandoned the term as it became too "American," and now the Americans think of football as a game requiring heavy padding and bulgy helmets, and an essential element to making legendary movies like Remember the Titans and The Blindside.

...continue reading "The Real Debate: Soccer or Football?"

By bmlee18

Right now, I find myself over at Cambridge, a quaint college town with breathtaking architecture, a deep history, and a multitude of traditions that date back to hundreds of years ago. And during my very short time here thus far, I thought that I could relay some of the observations that I made.

1. The magical world of Hogwarts may very well exist. This place makes me feel like a muggle who has somehow been miraculously transported to the magical world of Harry Potter. It's almost as if the train that I took from London King's Cross Station was like hopping on the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4. Perhaps last night was the best reflection of this sentiment. I attended a beautiful candlelit dinner at my college's dining hall, donning a black cocktail dress and a black robe that all students are required to wear. The only thing we were missing were our wands. We were served a delicious three course dinner, with a palate cleanser between our appetiser and main course, as well as drinks. The night was marked with a few quirky traditions unique to this experience, and I have to say that I fully enjoyed the excellent meal and the lively environment, surrounded by good company.

...continue reading "My Initial Observations"