If you have never been to a country before you don't know what to expect. What will the country be like? What will the people be like? I'm visiting the United Kingdom, or just England as we Dutch people call it, in May 2010 for the first time. Another country after the USA last year to explore. We will be staying in Flatford for a few days and then we will move on to London, a city which is much bigger than the Dutch capital Amsterdam. We will stay there for a few days before we will leave for home on Wednesday evening. The day before I leave for England I'm done packing: I'm ready to go.
We leave on Friday May 14th. Its going to be a long trip. Firstly, we will go by bus to the harbor in Hoek van Holland, where we will take the ferry to Harwich. From there we will take the train to Manningtree Station and from there we will go to our accommodation in Flatford. We will stay in Willy Lott's House. The building is famous as it was painted by the famous English painter John Constable in the beginning of the 18th Century. The building can be found on his painting called the Hay Wain.
Leaving the Netherlands for England
From Hoek van Holland to Harwich was a 7 hours' boat trip. We were enjoying ourselves in the beginning: just walking around on board, checking the stuff they were selling in the shop and sitting down outside on the top deck, enjoying the sun. But after an hour or two we started to get bored. There was not much to do on board, except of going to the cinema, but that didn't play any good movies. We decided to buy some playing cards and had some games, we just kept walking around and watching Discovery Channel as we had nothing else to do. I wished I had taken some books with me to read. After dinner things got better: we had funny playing games and some of us went to see a movie in the cinema. After the movie we all went to top deck to see the first sights of England (or the UK as you might prefer). We were finally approaching England.
After getting off the ferry we took the train from Harwich Int. Station to Manningtree station. When I arrived on the platform I immediately noticed some differences to the platforms on Dutch stations. Like the TV screens with the journey details and the huge clock (like a timer), where we just have regular clocks.
From Manningtree Station we were transported by small buses to Flatford. Quite an experience for us as the driver's seat is at the right side and they drive at the left side of the road. That was weird for us Dutch people to see as we are used to the opposite. In Flatford we were shown the important places and then it was time to settle down in Willy Lott's House, getting ready for our first night there. It turned out to be a night with only a few hours of sleep for me. It kept being busy in our room and in the living room, which was next to ours.
Willy Lott's House
The next morning I had for the first time a typical English breakfast with beacon, toast and more stuff of which I can't remember the names. I should probably have written it down. It was some kind of potatoes. Anyway, I felt kind of sick after it. I guess I am just not used to this kind of breakfast.
I was looking forward to the activities that had been planned for this day. We would meet some students from the Colchester Sixth Form College. They would show us around Colchester, a "city" that can be compared to Dordrecht in Holland. We were divided in small groups. Every group was joined by a few students from the college who would accompany the rest of the day.
Together with three of my mates we went with Bradd and Lindsey into the city. There we had to make some exercises. It was a bit awkward in the beginning as we all had to overcome our shyness. It was of course for us not very common to speak English, but we did get better along as time passed while making the exercises. It was interesting to see an English city and lots of English people, including peers. It is funny that when you compare things to how they are like in the Netherlands, you see quite many differences. I am not going to name them all, but to give one example: they way many girls dress here is really different to the way they do in the Netherlands. I cannot remember having ever seen so many short skirts and people who dyed their hair. It is just an example of the things we noticed that day. After finishing the exercises we went to Colchester Castle where all groups would meet again. Obviously, everyone had enjoyed this day: both we and the students. After exchanging email addresses, taking lots of photos, we finally had to see goodbye.
Colchester
We went back to Colchester Station and while we were walking down a hill, one of my mates fell twice. It was obvious that she had a lot of pain and wasn't able to walk anymore. They took her to hospital where it turned out that she had broken her ankle and that she had to undergo a surgery, which she would have the next day. Her trip was abruptly over within one day. A shame for her.
The others of the group went back to Flatford where we had dinner, which I didn't really like to be honest. I did only like the brownie! After we had given presentations about today's experiences we went in the evening to something we should really have seen according to our teachers: a real English pub. We went to one that was on a short distance from Flatford and which was called the Kings Head. Some started to play the piano, a few immediately went to get something to drink and others had a few pool games. Not everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were glad that we left around 11 o'clock. When we got back in Flatford I decided to call it night early as I needed some sleep after the first night, which was a short one for me.
The second day started again with a typical English breakfast and again at 8.15 AM, which was way too early for those who had stayed up till late at night. After breakfast we got ready for our walk with Steve Flowerday, who we had already met in Colchester the day before. He teaches Environmental Science to the students we had hang around with on the same day as we had met Steve. During our walk we visited various places related to the famous John Constable. Mainly places where had made some of his paintings. Other than that we went to the towns of East Bergholt and Dedham. In Dedham we were finally allowed some time for lunch and to buy some food at the local shop.
Dedham
Both places were by the way related to John Constable. In East Bergholt he bought his first studios and he went to Grammar School in Dedham. I have to say that I did enjoy the walk more than I thought I would do on forehand. However, I didn?t really like the drawing as I am a very bad drawer. Some of the others reckoned my talent for drawing or actually the lack of it.
After hours of walking we came back in Flatford, where we were allowed to have a break, before we had to work on our presentations on English newspapers and the differences with Dutch papers. The presentations were give after dinner which was better than the one we had the day before. Our presentation went pretty well and after the presentations it was time to say goodbye to Steve, who thanked us for being such good company and hoped that he would meet us again when he and the group of students who we met the day before would come over to the Netherlands in upcoming October. After the presentations we were given the rest of the evening off. Some decided to go to the pub again and other stayed at Willy Lott?s House. I decided to start working on the report of this trip. It is the last night in Flatford. Tomorrow, on Monday, we will leave for London. The big, busy city will completely be the opposite of the small, quiet Flatford on the countryside. I am not completely sure what to expect of the city.
After we had our last English breakfast we walked to Manningtree Station where we took the train to Liverpool Street Station. Most of us were impressed by the hugeness of this station, which can be compared to Utrecht Central station in the Netherlands. Liverpool Street Station is probably even bigger if you take in consideration that it is also a metro station. We went to the Hostel near Kings Cross via the Underground. The Underground is probably one of the many things that are typical for London. As our rooms werenīt ready yet, we left our luggage in the hostel and decided to go out to explore the city.
I actually immediately noticed that everyone seems to be in a hurry here in London. Trains in the Underground move on within a minute or so, you are asked to stand at the right side of the escalators in order to make it possible for people to run upstairs at the left side and people donīt have got the patience to wait for the traffic lights to turn green. Itīs funny by the way that on the streets have been written down to which side you have to look at before crossing the street. Itīs useful as there is lots of traffic in London all day and night long.
When you walk around in London you will find everywhere the famous red double-decker busses and many cabs. There seemed to be more of these buses and cabs than or normal cars. Itīs understandable though if you consider much traffic there is in London every day and the availability of good public transport services like the Underground, which takes you to any place in London. The Underground system appears to be hard to understand with all its different lines, but when you get to know the system, it probably is the best way to travel through London.
The famous Tower Bridge in London
Our first walk through London started at Tower Hill. I cannot actually remember what we have seen there, but I guess it was the Tower of London. Then we went on to the Tower Bridge, which was much bigger than we had expected. Of course many of us took many pictures. We continued our trip to a. o. things to the Globe, Millenium Bridge, St. Paulīs Cathedral and many other places. From a distance we were able to see the London Eye and the Big Ben. We would take a closer look at both the day after.
After we had been walking through the city, we went to Piccadilly Circus, known from the big screens with advertisements of brands like Coca Cola and McDonalds. We were allowed to walk around in the Piccadilly Circus area to have dinner and to check the shops in the area. The decision where we would eat was quickly made: McDonalds. I thought that I had seen many fast food restaurants in the United States, but they can be find everywhere in London too. After we had had dinner it was time to go to the shops to buy souvenirs and presents for our families. Funny thing with souvenirs is that you always buy lots of them, but they are actually everything but useful. Oh well. After we had done some shopping we decided to go to Starbucks. Some of us didnīt actually even like coffee, but having coffee at Starbuck is something that you should have done at least once in your life. If I did like it? Let?s say I have tasted better stuff in my life.
Piccadilly Circus
After 4 hours of drinking, eating and shopping we went back to the group at Piccadilly Circus. It was time to get back to our hostel. We were tired and our feet were killing as we had been walking for almost 8 hours. Of course we took the Underground again. Back at the hostel we got ready for the night. I think I went to bed at midnight, but it took me hours to fall asleep as it kept being noisy for a long time.
Next morning I woke up early due to the noise of traffic passing by. For your information: our room was next to the road and London is a city that never sleeps. So my first night in London was not really a good one. Found myself an empty shower on the top floor with boiling water. Well ok, it seemed to be boiling that hot was the water. Just after leaving the shower room the fire alarm was set off. It turned out to be a false alarm, caused by the steam of the hot showers on the top floor. So the same showers as I used. Anyway, time for breakfast. No typical English breakfast anymore. All we could get was some toast and cereals. I just had two toast with cereals.
A few things had been planned for today. In the morning we were allowed to do things and visit sights that we liked. My group had already ordered tickets for the London Eye before we left for England, so that we went to the London Eye first. It was there that I found out that I had forgotten to bring my camera with me. So I couldnīt take any photos of neither the London Eye nor the Big Ben, which is close to the London Eye. I bought a single use camera so that I would be able to take some photos, but I actually ended up taking photos with my mobile. The weather was great so we had a great view in the London Eye. London is such a big city that even in the London Eye you canīt see the edges of the city.
The question after we had been to the London Eye was: what to do next? I intended to go to the Imperial War Museum, which has exhibits about both World Wars, but as I had forgotten my camera, I didnīt feel like going. So I decided to go to the hostel first to get my camera and then we would go to the Arsenal Stadium.
Big Ben
After a quick visit to the stadium it was time to meet with the group again at Piccadilly Circus. With the group we again made a walk through the city, visiting places like Trafalqar Square and the National Gallery there. In this museum paintings can be found from John Constable and the famous Dutch painter Van Gogh. We continued our walk and passed a.o. things the heavily guarded Downing Street and the Big Ben. As I had this time my camera with me, I finally could take photos of it. Next stop was Covent Garden. It was there where we had dinner at the Pizzahut. After that there was enough time to see the market stands and to take a look at/listen to the many street artists.
Convent Garden
From Covent Garden it was a short walk to the Dominion Theater. There we would see that night the musical We Will Rock You. The musical has been based on the songs of Queen. The plot is about a world that is being ruled by the Globe or actually Killer Queen and is set in the future. Music is controlled by the state and thus making music on your own is forbidden. However, there are people who are longing back to music from artists like Elvis Presley and Madonna and who want to make music again. Sometimes it was hard to understand what was being said or sung, but it was definitely a good show and the audience, including me, thoroughly enjoyed it. We Will Rock You just is one of the many musicals that play in London. At almost every street corner you can buy tickets for musicals like Chicago, Mamma Mia, Wicked and more for half the original price.
When we came back in the hostel after a long day in the hostel there was an unpleasant surprise for us. When I opened my suitcase I had the feeling that some of my clothes were missing. I actually was sure about it. One of my mates noticed that someone had been messing around in his bag too. We reported this to the supervisor of our hostel, but he didnīt seem like that he was going to investigate it, although he had said he would. Then, when the other guys checked their bags, it turned out that more clothes were missing. Again, we reported to the supervisor, but again very little seemed to going to be done. Only after he had talked to our teachers, he promised to check the surveillance cameras and would check back with us tomorrow.
Next morning I had again been awaken by the traffic early so I decided to get up early to get ready and to pack my stuff as we would leave for home that evening. Like a saying says: time flies when you are having fun. Still we had got some things for today scheduled. Before we left we were told that nothing on the surveillance camera in our hallway could be seen, because it wasnīt set up properly. Or at least that was what they said. To be honest I didnīt believe them. They promised use to do some more investigation and get back to us later that day, but we were already sure that it wouldnīt make any difference and that we just would have to get money back from the insurance.
First thing we would do in London on our last day, Wednesday, was visiting the National History Museum. It is in my opinion not a properly chosen name as the exhibits are mainly about animals, including Dinosaurs, elephants, whales and so on, and for example about volcanoes and earthquakes. However, I thought it was a good museum. We were not given much time to visit the museum, which was a bit of a shame as we could only see a small part of the museum now. Probably, some of the others didnīt mind at all.
Camden Market
We spent the afternoon at Camden Market/Town, a neighborhood where many shops can be found. They were different from the shops at the other places we had seen in London so far. If you need a tattoo, piercing or some spikey clothes, you can find it all there. Our teachers recommended to get something for lunch at one of the many small food shops from various countries instead of McDonalds (we couldnīt find one anyway) or a regular restaurant. When we were walking through the streets with these food shops, almost every owner tried to make us buy something. They started to talk to you, asked were you did come from and they offered free samples. This probably is why it is called a market. We bought something to eat at a shop with food from Thailand. After that It was time to check the many small stands/shops. Various stuff was being sold there: clothes, souvenirs, hats, photos, CD?s and a lot of crap. Name it and you can probably buy it there. The big variety of shops probably explains too why itīs called Camden Market.
After we had been walking around for hours it was time to pick up our luggage at the hostel and to go via the Underground to the train station at Liverpool Street. I didnīt think that the Underground had been designed for people travelling with luggage. Firstly, it is too busy in the Underground and secondly, getting down and up the stairs with your luggage? Letīs just say it is not the best place.
Stena Hollandica
At Liverpool Street Station we got ourselves something for dinner and then we took the train to Harwich Int. Station. From there we departed with the new Stena Hollandica. The ship was brand new and much bigger than the one with which we went on our way to England. Some went to bed early as we had cabins this time and others stayed up for a few hours or even all night long. After I had been working for a while on this report, I decided to call it night early too, as we would have to get up early next morning. I was lucky to have a 2 persons cabin for my own.
For breakfast I decided to have some English stuff for the last time like beacon and has brown. Normally, at home I always had cereals with yoghurt for breakfast and I have to say that I probably prefer that above the English breakfast, although I liked that too. Then it was time to get off the ship and get back to school via a bus, where my dad would pick me up. The 6-day trip to England, or actually Flatford and London, had come to an end.
Looking back at the trip all that I can say is that I had an amazing time and I think everyone else had as well, despite the fact that the one of the group broke her ankle and that some of our stuff got stolen in the hostel. During our trip we had the possibility to meet with English peers and have a chat with them. We've seen some small towns like Dedham and East Bergholt and so we got to see in what kind of houses people in England live. So actually we got to learn something about the daily life in England, the common things. I guess English people like to have regularly a few beers if you consider that everyone town has at least one pub. What did we learn more? We did learn about John Constable, a famous English painter about whom we had never heard before. We actually slept in one of the house he had painted: Willy Lottīs House.
Telephone
We learned something about English values, like saying ?please? when you buy or order something. This was all in the Flatford area and is in contrast with London, a busy city where about 10 million people live. Itīs hard to find there a real Englishman as there are so many tourists and people with other nationalities living there. In the same city we have seen many famous sights like the Tower Bridge, the Big Ben, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus and much more. We have seen the famous red double-decker busses and we travelled via the Underground, not forgetting to mention the red Telephone booths. We have probably seen and done almost everything you should do and see in London.
All in all, it can be said that it has been an amazing experience with a great group and staff. Time flied and I wished we would have stayed a few days longer, even though my feet were killing. Hopefully, I will be back soon in England.
[i]More photos can be found on: [url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastiaancollectie/sets/72157623983548861/]Flickr (c
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