Home Sweet Chelsea Flat--Day 33 (Monday, Oct 3)

We had to wake up early again this morning so we could head "home" (pardon the usage), but it really wasn't so bad. Actually, we ended up making great time, which was just as well because I needed to buy groceries this evening. First of all, breakfast was specially prepared for us at 6:30 instead of the usually 7:00 time. I thought it was really nice of the hotel to do that for us. I was so grateful for another free meal: with a student budget and my mother's penny-pinching attitude, I'll take whatever I can get). Secondly, we were treated to a lovely sunrise in the early minutes of our drive. The sky glowed spectacular shades of pink, orange, and yellow, and the clouds were arranged in such a way as to suggest flowing lava. Unfortunately, my little digital camera could never hope to capture the splendor of so beautiful a sky as that. It's one of those things you have to experience firsthand to truly appreciate.

The morning drive went pretty fast, and we were in Lancaster by 10:15. We walked quickly up to the castle, which was really cool. Lancaster Castle was most recently a prison. My friends thought it was safe, but you never know...those could have been our last words...But in reality, we got some great views of Lancaster from the hill on which the castle sits and also got to see Lancaster Priory. Again, we didn't go inside, but I think the exterior speaks for itself. After taking some photos, we decided to go partway down the hill on the backside of the castle to see what we could see. As I was following my friend Amanda, I started going too quickly and slipped on a wet patch of grass...well, wet and muddy. I got very dirty, and I was extremely embarrassed. However, the coach was a short walk away, so we bought sandwiches, drinks, and chips from Sainsbury's and then jogged over to the bus so I could change and eat my lunch. I felt much better after that, but let this be a lesson to you: NEVER jog down a muddy English hill.

The front of Lancaster Castle.

The side of Lancaster Castle.

The clock tower of Lancaster Priory.

A nice view of Lancaster from the street between the castle and the priory.

A view of Lancaster from the back of the castle.

A view of the countryside beyond Lancaster from the hill at the back of the castle.

We made a second stop about an hour outside of London, and by this time in the trip, the sun had come out, and it was actually quite warm. My friends and I sat outside and talked, glad for the opportunity to stretch our legs and soak up some rays. We got back to London around 6 PM, and about half an hour later, Amanda and I went to Tesco to buy our weekly groceries. I cooked myself my first homemade meal since Wednesday, which was very delicious and budget-conscious. I don't think I need to tell you that I made another successful trip and was again under budget (but I just did!). I am pretty tired right now, so I will wrap up this blog post since all of us are now caught up in some way or another. I have a full day of class tomorrow, so it's right back to my regular routine. Hopefully, my friends will have posted their Scotland photos by then so I can add them to tomorrow's post (which probably won't be too exciting in itself). Thanks for your patience in waiting for these posts! I hope you enjoy them!

Also, if you wanted to know, my cold is almost gone now. I should be right as rain in a day or two. Gotta love that strong English tea!