My day with the Soukup Family

Yesterday (Wednesday) I spend the day away from the city and with family friends Alison and Joel. I took the tube all the way to Epping where Alison picked me up - in a car! She then drove me, on the left/wrong side of the road to Bury St. Edmonds. At Bury we met Joel and their cute kids - Taylor and Tessa. Driving on the wrong side of the road wasn't as weird as I thought it would be, it was the round-a-bouts that freaked me out a little, and they are everywhere. Once in Bury, we went to a tea cafe/restaurant where we ate a lunch consisting of yummy sandwiches, tea, and scones. After lunch we were going to look at the gardens in Bury, but the Queen is there today which unfortunately meant the gardens were closed yesterday when I was in town. As a lady on the street said, "How dare that Queen." Although I didn't get to see the gardens in Bury, I did get to experience walking around a smaller English town. The market was going on so we wandered about that, we saw the smallest pub in England which only holds about five or six customers and the brewery in that area.

After Bury, the five of us got in their car and headed for Cambridge. It was so nice to just get in a car and go, not having to worry about bus or train times. It's sort of sad that I miss being in cars, especially since I never really enjoyed it when I was home. The drive to Cambridge was really pretty because everything is becoming green and the sun was shining. I learned that new drivers have to have a big sticker on the back of their vehicle that is just a big L - for learner. Apparently it is harder to get your licence over here, or you are just supposed to watch out for new drivers more. There are also not many police on their main roads because they have speed cameras set up along the roadways and if your speeding you get a ticket in the mail, if all goes as planned. The squiggly lines mean something along the lines of - there may be pedestrians crossing and you are coming up to a stoplight. Alison said that it was a little weird driving at first, but no round-a-bouts are wonderful things.

Once in Cambridge, we walked to the area where the majority of the college buildings are located. Then we went punting on the CAM river. A punt is a little boat that they just use a long stick to move it along the river. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon. Our guy that was steering the boat told us a little about the college buildings along the river, he grew up in Cambridge but home on holiday from Uni just outside of London. Cambridge is a really pretty town as well, I'm glad I got the chance to see both Oxford and Cambridge. After our punting trip, we walked around the town a bit more and then went to La Tasca (a Spanish restaurant) for dinner. I'm glad Joel and Alison knew what they were doing because I definitely didn't. We got a couple tapas and then paella as the main part of our meal. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. There is a La Tasca on Victoria Street so I may have to go again before the term is over! I took a train back to London from Cambridge which took me to King's Cross Station. I had a really great time with Alison and her family, it was nice to see some familiar faces from home.

Today I have a lot on my 'to-do' list. I leave for Italy on spring break very early tomorrow morning. I am excited for traveling around Italy, I just hope everything falls into place. I will be very behind on my blog when I get back to London after 9 days away! Happy Easter everyone!