I was so excited to arrive in a country where I spoke the language, it made getting around much easier. From the airport in Luton I had to take a 2 hour bus into Oxford where Katie Sheridan met me. It was so good to see her standing there waiting for me!! I was so happy to see her. Katie and I went to her place to get showered and ready for dinner at Worcester College. Oxford is one big university but has many smaller colleges within it. Katie goes to Exeter College but her boyfriend and the majority of her friend go to Worcester. We had a wonderful dinner of artichoke, ham, peppers, and broccoli quiche, an apricot and brie dip thing, and an espresso almond cake for dessert. The night continued with hanging out with Katies friends eating every last bit of food and I finally got to meet Dan, the boyfriend. Friday was Oxford tour day. I was able to see all of Exeter, Christ Church Meadows, many of the other colleges in the area, mainly it was a tour and picture taking of beautiful old buildings, castles and churches still standing from the 12th century. One fun thing we did see what the room used for the infirmary in Harry Potter. I didn't really recognize it but any HP fans able to imagine it??? The circular building to the left is a library at Exeter College were very old books are kept. You need special clearance to get in (which Katie has because of the wonderful historian she is) and every book printed in England during a certain time period, I forget which it is, is kept here. The picture with the immaculate greens is oh just the quad at the entrance to Exeter. Dad, you should have been the mowing jobs they had done. The lawns were perfect and so beautiful. For dinner we went to an Indian restaurant where I got chicken saag (spinach) which was the best curry I had ever had. That night we were planning on going out to a "Bop", basically clubbing but everyone was so tired from a long week of work that we all decided to stay in and call it an early night. Saturday was a more relaxing day. Katie and I did a little shopping where I got a sweater for $4 and tights for $1, got to love Primark (kind of like an H&M). After walking around all day we stopped in at Katies favorite coffee shop, Combibos, and relaxed for a bit. We headed back to Exeter to get ready for dinner and decided to try and make some Mama Sheridan cookies. I know most of you have had some of Mrs. Sheridan's chocolate chip cookies and let me tell you Katie and I failed miserably at trying to make them. We failed at the whole milliliters to cups thing. You would think since I am the math person we would be able to figure it out but nope, we just kept adding things until it tasted good and the consistency was right, the process was quite comical. They came out terrible and didn't taste great at all, you can see the disgrace to the We brought them anyway to Worcester and people were VERY nice about eating them. Sunday was a very lazy/work day. We laid in bed for about a half an hour at 8am debating whether to go to London Sunday or Monday. We ended up falling back asleep for 3 more hours so the decision was made for us that we would go Monday. After a late start we headed to a coffee shop closer to Katies house and she did some work and I did some reading. We headed back to Worcester around dinner time and had dinner there again. We went back early to Exeter to be able to get up early for London Monday morning. We didn't get to London until about 1pm because of a huge accident on the M40 and we sat dead stopped for about an hour. We had to leave by 6pm in order for Katie to get back for water polo practice. I saw everything I wanted to see in 5 hours and got to do a tour of Tower Bridge. I was able to see Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye, the lions outside the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Millenium Bridge, Tower of London, and finally the site I had been waiting to see, Tower Bridge.I took a tour of Tower Bridge and got to go up on the walk way above the roadway and see London at night. I also got to tour the engine room of the bridge and see how the bridge opens for large ships. The steam and hydraulic power apparatuses were so cool and I am so happy I paid the money to see it. I debated it for a while but this is the one thing in London I really wanted to see and be a part of, all for the engineering, I am such a nerd. We got back in time for me to get dinner and Kait to get to water polo. We slept at Worcester that night since the bus station I needed to be at at 6am was right next to their house. I got to the airport and the only flight out at 11:15am (the time I was supposed to depart) was to Madrid!!! There was no Prague anywhere....oops. Well we should have gone to London on Sunday becasue my flight was Monday, not Tuesday. Everything worked out okay though. I was able to get a seat on the Wednesday flight and just went back to Oxford for the night again. Turned out to be a great night and we had a fabulous dinner again of pasta and this sausage sauce that was to die for! We ended up going out to an old English pub which was actually the same pub where Bill Clinton tried weed for the first time. He smoked but did not inhale. The pub has a sign to show where he sat, kind of corny but a little fun fact. I also got to try Old Rosy which is an old old cider recipe that has been served here for many years. It was not that tasty but glad I got to try what I had been hearing about all weekend. I finally got back to Prague Wednesday afternoon. I was very lucky about not missing classes becasue I conveniently planned the trip around dean's days and holidays so I didn't miss any class time. I am so happy I was able to visit my oldest friend in the world in England. It was so fun to be there with Katie and I am so glad I got to see her. She also says hello to everyone back home!!
ows, many of the other colleges in the area, mainly it was a tour and picture taking of beautiful old buildings, castles and churches still standing from the 12th century. One fun thing we did see what the room used for the infirmary in Harry Potter. I didn't really recognize it but any HP fans able to imagine it??? 
The circular building to the left is a library at Exeter College were very old books are kept. You need special clearance to get in (which Katie has because of the wonderful historian she is) and every book printed in England during a certain time period, I forget which it is, is kept here. The picture with the immaculate greens is oh just the quad at the entrance to Exeter. Dad, you should have been the mowing jobs they had done. The lawns were perfect and so beautiful. 
For dinner we went to an Indian restaurant where I got chicken saag (spinach) which was the best curry I had ever had. That night we were planning on going out to a "Bop", basically clubbing but everyone was so tired from a long week of work that we all decided to stay in and call it an early night. Saturday was a more relaxing day. Katie and I did a little shopping where I got a sweater for $4 and tights for $1, got to love Primark (kind of like an H&M). After walking around all day we stopped in at Katies favorite coffee shop, Combibos, and relaxed for a bit. We headed back to Exeter to get ready for dinner and dec
ided to try and make some Mama Sheridan cookies. I know most of you have had some of Mrs. Sheridan's chocolate chip cookies and let me tell you Katie and I failed miserably at trying to make them. We failed at the whole milliliters to cups thing. You would think since I am the math person we would be able to figure it out but nope, we just kept adding things until it tasted good and the consistency was right, the process was quite comical. They came out terrible and didn't taste great at all, you can see the disgrace to the We brought them anyway to Worcester and people were VERY nice about eating them. Sunday was a very lazy/work day. We laid in bed for about a half an hour at 8am debating whether to go to London Sunday or Monday. We ended up falling back asleep for 3 more hours so the decision was made for us that we would go Monday. After a late start we headed to a coffee shop closer to Katies house and she did some work and I did some reading. We headed back to Worcester around dinner time and had dinner there again. We went back early to Exeter to be able to get up early for London Monday morning. We didn't get to London until about 1pm because of a huge accident on the M40 and we sat dead stopped for about an hour. We had to leave by 6pm in order for Katie to get back for water polo practice. I saw everything I wanted to see in 5 hours and got to do a tour of Tower Bridge. I was able to see Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye, the lions outside the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Millenium Bridge, Tower of London, and finally the site I had been waiting to see, Tower Bridge.
I took a tour of Tower Bridge and got to go up on the walk way above the roadway and see London at night. I also got to tour the engine room of the bridge and see how the bridge opens for large ships. The steam and hydraulic power apparatuses were so cool and I am so happy I paid the money to see it. 
I debated it for a while but this is the one thing in London I really wanted to see and be a part of, all for the engineering, I am such a nerd. We got back in time for me to get dinner and Kait to get to water polo. We slept at Worcester that night since the bus station I needed to be at at 6am was right next to their house. I got to the airport and the only flight out at 11:15am (the time I was supposed to depart) was to Madrid!!! There was no Prague anywhere....oops. Well we should have gone to London on Sunday becasue my flight was Monday, not Tuesday. Everything worked out okay though. I was able to get a seat on the Wednesday flight and just went back to Oxford for the night again. Turned out to be a great night and we had a fabulous dinner again of pasta and this sausage sauce that was to die for! We ended up going out to an old English pub which was actually the same pub where Bill Clinton tried weed for the first time. He smoked but did not inhale. The pub has a sign to show where he sat, kind of corny but a little fun fact. I also got to try Old Rosy which is an old old cider recipe that has been served here for many years. It was not that tasty but glad I got to try what I had been hearing about all weekend. I finally got back to Prague Wednesday afternoon. I was very lucky about not missing classes becasue I conveniently planned the trip around dean's days and holidays so I didn't miss any class time. I am so happy I was able to visit my oldest friend in the world in England. It was so fun to be there with Katie and I am so glad I got to see her. She also says hello to everyone back home!!
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