A weird weekend

Well, this weekend was supposed to be a quiet one and it definitely was. Vanessa and I wanted to go to Cambridge on Saturday, but unfortunately my stomach did not agree with this and so I decided to stay at home. This was not too bad, I watched some DVDs and had time to relax for the first time since I arrived. But I soon started to get bored. I guess I need some action to feel good :-)

On Sunday Vanessa wanted to come around to spend the day with me in Ricky or maybe go to Harrow or Watford. We also wanted to plan our trip to Wales. But when I turned on my mobile this morning I got a text from her telling me that her cold got worse during her trip to Cambridge and that she wanted to stay in bed. Great. I cannot blame her, because I knew exactly how she felt. So I had to entertain myself which was quite hard because it was pouring down all day. Okay, I only wanted to go to Tesco to fill up my stock of food, but the rain did not subside. So I stayed inside, slept actually most of the time and watched "Walk The Line", which I really like. Maybe this is because I grew up with Johnny Cash's music, my father has all his albums. Anyway, finally at half past 4 the sun came out but it was too late for going to Tesco, it closes at 5 and it takes me 25 minutes to walk there!

So this weekend did not really go according to plan, but on the other hand I had time to prepare my classes for next week and so I can look forward to pick up Dana from the Tube Station on Wednesday. I have not seen her since our interrail trip through Eastern Europe in 2002. So I definitely will not get bored next weekend. Maybe Vanessa finds time to come out to Ricky and then there is only one more week to go till half-term, Christoph's arrival and our trip to Wales. Just guess folks who has to drive the car? Yes, the 'Reiseleitung' is doing her job again!

Hope at least you all had a great weekend! Big hug to all of you and an especially big hug to my mum because it is Mother's Day today in Germany!

Visitors Welcome

I am thrilled! You should not praise me like this, Christian, or I will not have a single weekend for myself....

No, it is really great to have friends coming over to visit, so I can show them where I have already spent more than a year and a half. Some people said that I have changed during my GAP year here at RMS and I think they are right. I became more mature and I am a lot more self-confident now and I do not regret that I went back.

Being back still causes some mixed feelings. On the one hand, nearly everything and everyone I still know is the same, but on the other hand, everything has changed. It is so hard to describe. Maybe because I am not a GAP-girl any longer and my status among the members of staff has changed. Some do have problems with that, as they cannot boss me around like they used to be (you all know who I mean...). In the classroom I am much more confident when "conducting" my classes, I feel at ease with most of the girls and it is fun - well, I get all the nice bits and I can try all sorts of thing and introduce new "classroom procedures."

I always knew I wanted to teach, but there is still the question on what level. Working in the prep department is a whole new experience and it does have its advantages. On the other hand especially in History it is a lot more fun with the older girls as you can discuss things with them in greater detail. Some of you know that I have problems with teaching English in Germany, as it is mainly teaching grammar. I prefer to do it here and I might even start to like Shakespeare. That reminds me that I have to write a post on my Shakespeare Class and on my German Club.

Now of course I did not spend my second weekend here on my own, I had a visitor from Bamberg: Jasmin. She arrived Friday night and stayed till Tuesday evening. We had a great weekend and as she had never been to London before I did the same sightseeing tour again and as a professional tourist guide I was able to show her all the nice places around the city. So Saturday we started in Notting Hill again, then did the sightseeing bit until I could not walk anymore. Unfortunately I was still having problems with my stomach, we spent nearly 2 hours at Starbucks, so I could stay close to a toilet :-(

In the evening I cooked again, this time a Bolognese with fresh mushrooms, courgette, sweetcorn and pepers. So at least she did not have to starve, because I was so hungry but did not dare to eat much.

The weather remained nice, even though it was not as warm as it used to be. We went to Piccadilly Circus to meet up with Vanessa. I won't tell anyone that she was late again, because of railreplacement :-) We paid a short visit to the tourist information to gather information for our trip to Wales, which is going to take place during half-term. From there we made our way to Petticoat Lane Market which has not changed since I last set foot there. We also went to the great market halls were we had our packed lunch.

And now quess where we went next: Camden Town of course! It is just great when people have the same kind of interest. Actually no one bought anything that day, even though we had spotted some jewellery we liked, but when we got back to the little stall it was already closed. This was due to the fact that we spent about three quarters of an hour in a shop to buy some bric-a-brac for 49 p each! So here are the precious things we bought! Well, we are just girls and could not resist - of course I bought some, too!

We had a meal at Camden and then Jasmin and I made our way to the Tower and the Tower Bridge. I took some great pictures there, but I will at some point write a whole post on London at night with pictures. We made our way along the Thames and it was nearly half past 2 when we finally went to bed - our feet were killing us, but this time it was not me who got blisters!

Monday (which was a Bank Holiday in Britain) we had a late breakfast. It was raining and we were not much looking forward to getting wet. This was the first time it really rained since I arrived! Anyway, we finally made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral and we got soaking wet as St. Paul's Station was closed and we had to walk from Chancery Lane. Anyway, we waited until it stopped again and then met up with Vanessa at Covent Garden. I absolutely love Covent Garden with its special flair. I also got to know all different kinds of toilets around this area :-(

We went to the Natural History Museum, just to look at the great architecture and then we headed for Camden again, to get our jewellery. We got there at quarter to 6 and this was again the only stall that had already closed. Great. So we had another meal for £1 and then walked along the canal towards Regent's Park. This is one of the most beautiful and quietest parts of London. I liked this stroll and surprisingly the weather had cleared up during the afternoon and we had blue sky again. We walked through Regent Park, even got to see one of the animals of London Zoo - you walk right through the Zoo down at the Canal. I think it was a fantastic day out and I am glad that Vanessa and Jasmin got along so well. I guess I just have nice friends then!!!!

Unfortunately I had to work on Tuesday, so Jasmin went to see Justin Timberlake at Mdm T. and she also made her way to the British Museum. It was a great weekend and I just hope the others as well. Next weekend it will be just Vanessa and me and we want to go to Cambridge, but I have to see how my stomach develops - Kathryn will make me go to see the doctor if it does not get better soon. I had sworn myself: never NHS again! Well, we will see.

Certification

Nadja asked me to write something about our stay in London, too. I confess it took me some time (like other things at the moment) but here is my contribution.

I think it's very important to tell you - especially those who are going to stay with Nadja in London as well - that you can trust Nadja as a travel agent. Let me tell you how she organised our trip and mastered every situation:

• She booked our flights only 3 weeks in advance and they weren't too expensive although many people used the bridge and the holiday in Germany to spend some days in London.
• She booked a lovely B&B with the cutest landlady I've ever seen. The B&B was like a big doll house with many doilies, family pictures on the walls etc. and the landlady was a bit confused ("Are you Tobias or Christian?" "This was your plate?" "Tomorrow I'll get that right.") but always more than friendly.
• She fetched us from the airport and managed to take the last train with us ("Don't hang behind, we have to get the last train.").
• Nadja showed us through the underground stations in no time. Even with replacement service by bus she always knew where to go next. We just followed her.
• Our tourist guide was always friendly although I guess we sometimes got on her nerves a bit;-) ("You said 'guard change' and I thought the horse guards.")
• She knew the best pubs to have dinner and a pint.
• Nadja even cooked for us und welcomed us in her flat at RMS. We could even stay long enough to let the security guy go away.
• She showed us great places in London... by day and by night!

I could add many more points but I think you got an impression how comfortable it is to travel with "Nadja Tours". Thanks very much for 4 great days!



Oh, I forgot to mention one point: Nadja always is on time! So never be late when you travel with her;-)

Sunset in London

Well, I am alone again after bringing my friends to the airport. The last 4 days were just great, having four of my best friends staying with me in London.

Vanessa, Hildegard, Tobias, Nadja, Christian

Everyvery year we meet once a year to see the sunrise at the Wasserkuppe near my home village in Germany. We even signed a contract 6 years ago that 'binds' us to be there, otherwise we have to invite the others to a dinner. There are still 2 meals we are looking forward to, as Christian and Vanessa already missed one meeting each :-)

The contract

Well, as two of our selected group are in London anyway - Vanessa is doing an internship at a company in the city centre and me being at RMS - we thought it might be a good idea to meet in London instead. So on Friday night I picked up Christian, Tobias and Hildgard from Heathrow Airport and brought them to the B&B here in Rickmansworth.

As Tobias and Hildegard had never been to London, we spent the Saturday with a trip to Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill, where we met up with Vanessa, and of course we also did some sightseeing (St. James Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Traffalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden,...) The weather was just perfect, sunny and very warm for this time of the year.

In the evening we went to a nice pub near Covent Garden, had a bit of good old Pubfood and I had my first pint of Cider, to which I became quite attached to during my time in Ireland.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliaments

The Thames with St. Paul's and the National Theatre

As it is tricky to see the sunrise in London, we decided to make it a sunset this year. Therefore we walked down to the Thames and watched it from there, which was pretty nice. I love London at night because it gives me a very special feeling and it is worth walking for an hour along the Thames, even though it got quite cold in the end.

We also became witness to a very nice fireworks display near St. Pauls. I know the picture is not too good, but I like it anyway!

On Sunday we wanted to see the change of the guards, which unfortunately did not take place that day! So we went to the Oxford Street and to Camden Town which is one of my favourite places here in the city. We had a good meal and hunted for some of the nice goods on offer there. I did not buy anything, as I am on a tight budget, but I can always come back when there is a bit left over at the end of my stay :-)

In the evening I gave them a tour of RMS and I cooked dinner for us in my flat in the Prep. Dept. I immensly enjoyed this evening and even though we were only playing ONE card game, it was nearly half past 2 when they left. I still do not know about RMS policy with friends visiting and so we were quite shocked when I wanted to let them out that one of the security guys was sitting on a bench right outside the Prep. Dept.! Okay, we waited until he was gone and everything was alright. It seems that we were a bit too loud and he heard us from outside.

Vanessa and I had to work on Monday, so Christian, Tobias and Hildegard were on their own in the city. They first went to the Tower, which I have not visited yet myself and later on the Tobias and Hilde visited Mdm. T. It is ridiculous because now the ticket for Mdm T. cost £25! I am so glad that I have been there twice already and did not have to go again. Anyway, we spent the last evening in the good old Pennsilvanian in Ricky and I had my beloved Reef Passionfruit! Surprisingly they are open till midnight now and they also serve food till 11, so good to know for all the others who are coming over!

To cut a long story short we went to the Aquadrome this morning and then I got them on the bus to the airport. The question that remains to be seen now is this:

WHERE DO WE MEET NEXT YEAR?

I guess some new ideas are already born...