Sleeping in a little this morning was wonderful. Since our host families aren't required to feed us on the weekend, I took my time getting ready and headed to school to meet the other girls for breakfast. It was beautiful out, and we all wished that we'd been fortunate enough to have this weather yesterday for our day in London.
We decided to walk around campus a little to take advantage of the gorgeous weather, & I was able to snap some good shots of the campus. We also looked up our classrooms where our classes would start on Monday so that we aren't totally lost. Kim wanted to check out the fitness facilities, so we did that. They have a very basic weight room with very little cardio equipment, and a room for aerobics/fitness classes, etc. It's an additional fee, & considering that I don't take advantage of the free equipment at High Point (which I should), I decided to pass on the facilities here. I guess I can always run if the mood strikes me.
We walked to Twickenham after, getting distracted by a lovely little park on the way. It had a really nice playground, and I was kind of jealous for my childhood self that kids here can basically play year around, although it's still a little chilly. The park runs right up to the Thames, so we walked along that and took some nice shots up and down the river. There's also a WWII memorial right in the middle of the park, as well as a nice cricket pitch, & a large, open, grassy field. It'll be interesting to see how it's used in the nicer weather.
Once we got into Twickenham, we walked down a cute little side street that I'd noticed the other night as being closed off to traffic. It has lights strung over it, giving it a nice, cozy, fun feel. Today was a Sunday, so not much was open, but we did find a really cute boutique-like shop with cards & other interesting, unique things. Kaitiln & I got some cute little planners.
We continued down the street, and once we got to the end, noticed a sign for a Twickenham Museum that we decided to check out. It's located in a little house down by the river, and is pretty much just a bunch of pictures hung on the walls, but it talks about how the river was a hot spot back in the day with lots of clubs and activity, & the woman working the front desk was very nice and helpful in answering our questions and pointing out things of interest. Everyone here that meets us instantly wants to know what we're studying. I've found that to be very interesting. We probably spent maybe half an hour in the museum, but when we came out, the river had risen & flooded the street below it. Apparently this happens on a daily basis, & the citizens just know not to use the street after 3:30-ish. We checked out the church that was across the street from the museum, & admired the old, beautiful gravestones that littered the yard.
On our walk back to the school, we passed a little milkshake bar, & decided to stop in and give it a try. You start with a basic vanilla milkshake, then you can add in any candy bar or toppings that you want. They had some signature shakes, all named after people, so I got the one named after me, "Katie." It was very chocolately, but still very good. The "barista" was very friendly, & talked to us about the area a little bit. Most people we've encountered have been very friendly and helpful to us. As we continued our walk back to the school, we realized that the streets weren't the only thing flooded - the park had about half-flooded as well.
We killed some time at the internet cafe before dinner, then ate again. If we stick around on the weekends, we get plenty to eat - 18 points worth. However, with our plans coming up, we're going to be forced to miss out on food sometimes, so I try to take advantage of it as much as I can.
It was really odd to think that classes start tomorrow. I really had no idea what to expect, or how to prepare. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.
And so ends Day 6.
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