Last Wednesday, my flatmates and I decided it was time for us to explore our new town more thoroughly. After finding out how close the Colchester Castle was to my school, I couldn't wait to get out on the town. There were a few things I knew I wanted to do while I was in town: 1. Tea Time - I hadn't had tea yet and I had been in England for four days. (It may be stereotypical of me but I was expecting to have tea time everyday). 2. See the Colchester Castle - When you think of England the first thing that pops into your head is tea (stereotyping again, oops), red buses, old telephone booths, ancient cobble stone pathways, and of course, castles. Therefore, I absolutely couldn't leave town until I saw it. 3. Find the Three Wise Monkey's Pup and have a beer - I had been told by some fellow beer lovers that this place has some great craft brews and for a decent price, as well as delicious lunches. I knew it would be a hard sell to my friends, as one of them is allergic to wheat and the others are vodka cranberry girls, but I figured I'd give it my best shot. The first thing we did was figure out the correct bus to take and return on. It looked cold and windy out so I layered up on the warm clothes, even going as far as putting leggings under my pants (big mistake). With our bus tickets in hand we headed to town. Looking out window of the bus, I tried to pick things out that were the most different than the US. To start, there were no trucks anywhere. Coming from a family that owns trucks and being a truck owner myself, I found it to be so interesting that there were none on the road. After thinking about it, I assumed with the narrow roadways and many buses that travel the streets 24/7 that it wouldn't make sense to own trucks here. The next difference was if you were parked on the street, you parked half on the sidewalk (pathway, in British terminology). Again, probably because of the buses (the bus drivers here are ruthless). I also noticed how small the houses were and the amount of land the houses had. All of the buildings were pretty much built connected, and if they weren't connected, there were just inches separating the houses. Front lawns and backyards are pretty much nonexistent here in Colchester. Once we arrived into town, the first place we saw was an old cemetery. The only people in our group that were interested in walking around there was Liv and I. These grave stones were over hundreds of years old. On some of the stones you could make out the years, and I found one that was buried in the 1800s. Once we were done squinting at gravestones, we headed up the hill to Colchester Castle... CLICK THE READ MORE BUTTON :) Colchester CastleThe castle itself definitely looked bigger online, nonetheless, it was still beautiful. The landscape around it and the lush park behind it made for a great spot for lots of pictures. Anyone that knows me knows I am not the most comfortable letting people take selfie pictures of me, but I mean... I was at a castle in England so I had to give it a go. Below are the pictures of my friends and I exploring the outskirts of the castle and its park! My favorite part of being at Castle Park was how green everything was. It wasn't super crowded anywhere and the atmosphere was just peaceful. Its the kind of place I could see myself with some hot coffee, a blanket, and a good book on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I have yet to be back there, but I know I will visit again soon. Once we were done at the castle we made our way back into the downtown area where we walked the narrow cobblestone alleyways and went into some shops. I am very proud of myself for not buying anything, although I can't say the same for my friends. They might be bigger shopaholics than me! There isn't a used store like "Good Will" here but they have stores they call "Charity Shops". You can find used clothing, shoes, jewelry, etc at any of these places. It differs from Good Will because each shop is directly linked with a charity. Ex. "The British Heart Foundation Shop" "The Cat Foundation Shop". There are tons of charity shops all over downtown and are quite fun to look in! *hint hint, just look* After walking in and out of stores for an hour or so we magically appeared at The Three Wise Monkey's Pup. Total coincidence? I think not! Some hems and haws and a little bit of a beg later, they agreed to eat there for lunch. WOOO! Winner! It was at this lunch spot that I found my new love for halloumi cheese... they have it everywhere here and I have never heard of it. They grill it like meat and put it on kababs, sandwiches, anything. I ordered a halloumi sandwich with a half pint beer and was a happy camper. *Sadly I don't have a picture of the sandwich, it was that * That sums up my adventure in Colchester. So far I love the town, the campus and the people I have been spending time with. The atmosphere on campus is always lively and welcoming and that helps when I start to miss my friends and family. Homesickness hasn't been hitting me too hard, just little spurts here and there (one specially yesterday), but I just booked my first trip for next month to Copenhagen, Denmark so I have that to look forward to! After next week of classes I will only have school Thursdays and Fridays, so I plan to start doing some England trips during the week once I get a feel for my coursework. I'll be sure to post about my classes next time!
That wasn't a very exciting read I'm sure, however, for those of you that want to know everything I am doing, thinking, feeling and seeing, I am writing this for you. Thanks again for visiting and check back again soon!
4 Comments
Aunt Mary
11/10/2017 20:59:34
I'm one of "those people" and I'm looooving every word! You did a great job describing your adventures! I felt like I was right by your side!
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Aunt Hope
13/10/2017 23:38:48
I loved reading about your wonderful adventures! The castle looked amazing! Keep writing and having fun!😍😘
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Pat Denton
14/10/2017 22:56:52
I am so happy for you! Do you have a mailing address yet? Keep sending the blogs. I am sharing them! I love you dearly!!
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MadeleineMy name is Madeleine Sarner, and I am an American student living in Britain's oldest recorded town, Colchester. After many months of saving, extensive planning, and a few break downs along the way, I have finally started my journey of living abroad. On this blog you can keep up with my adventures, my culture shock, and my new and exciting experiences! Archives
December 2017
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