My Birthday & Southend-on-Sea
I think the most exciting thing this week (besides what I'll get to later) was the little surprise birthday gathering that my colleagues at the DRC had for me on Thursday. I really was surprised. They had a cake and a card and a gift for me too, which was a book on Shakespeare. It's actually much more than a book. It has a DVD inside and all of these cool little bits and pieces in it. Lots of stuff to read and learn--such an appropriate present! It was very thoughtful of them to do anything for me. We're also going for drinks after work tomorrow. They're so sweet to me, even though I'm only a very temporary intern.
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| Me at my desk! |
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| The cake Carrie made me |
This weekend was really the last one that I could make it to the coast and luckily, the weather forecast was perfect to be at the beach. Carrie and Ian had tried talking me into going to Brighton and I pondered over it for quite awhile, but decided the travel was just too complicated--I would've had to switch trains twice in London. So... I was searching the internet for a coastal town that had a train or coach route straight from and to Cambridge and I happened to come across Southend-on-Sea. I asked Carrie about Southend and she didn't seem too keen about it; both she and Ian said that Brighton is better. But when it came down to it, I just wanted a smooth trip where I could relax and a beach that I could lay on. So... Southend is where I came this weekend.
Friday I walked myself to Parker's Piece and waited for the National Express coach. The ride was smooth and I had time to work on homework, but about 20 minutes prior to our arrival in Southend, I realized that I left my directions at home--the ones that were going to tell me how to get to my guesthouse from the bus stop. Luckily, there was a map nearby (as there usually is) and with a little help from a gentleman at a restaurant, I soon found the cute B&B where I had made a reservation for myself.
My first impression of Southend-on-Sea (besides the cute B&B) was that it was a ghost town. I arrived there at 7:45 pm on Friday and the place was deserted. After checking into the guesthouse, I went for a walk on the boardwalk and there was hardly anyone around. The amusement parks that I expected to be packed and illuminated were dead. All of the cafes and restaurants were closed; I was lucky to find a little walk-up chip shop still serving food. Also, I was completely thrown off by the beach/water. It was totally ugly and I figured it was because of the low tide, but I was pretty disappointed and wished that I would've just made the transportation hassle and gone to Brighton instead.
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| Pretty much what Southend looked like when I arrived... |
Yesterday, though, Southend redeemed itself. The day was perfect weather-wise and the town was hopping. I decided not to get up and have breakfast at the B&B--too early for me and I'm not really a breakfast person anyway. Instead, I slept in and got ready with leisure. I went to High Street, which was just around the corner and had a look at the shops. I got some new sunglasses (mine broke on the plane!) and some sunscreen (forgot that essential at "home" in Cambridge).
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| The high street in Southend |
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| Looking up the hill at the beach to my B&B above |
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| The cute outside of my B&B |
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| The busy beach at Southend |
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| The foyer at the B&B |
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| The breakfast room at the B&B |
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| An arty picture--looking through to my neighbor's door |
After a few hours of shopping, I came back to my room and switched gears to lay out. Made my way down to the beach, nabbed a deck chair (that I later had to pay three pounds for), and basked in the sunshine for about 4 hours. It was lovely.
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| From the window of my room |
I wasn't really sure what to do when I was tired of being in the sun, so I went back to the guesthouse and just relaxed indoors for awhile. I figured out the wifi and checked up on all of my internet business (email, facebook). I changed out of my beach gear back into normal clothing and headed out to look for dinner. Although the amusement parks were still going, none of the cafes and restaurants were open again! I can't believe that these businesses don't stay open later--they're losing so many customers--but I also think it's nice that the employees are able to have a life in the evenings. So after searching and searching... I ended up choosing McDonald's from the vast array of options, which also included Burger King, KFC, and Subway. I took my little American meal to a bench with a view and ate it while feeling somewhat lonely. (PDA is on steroids here.) I went for a walk on a route that I hadn't traveled yet and found little to nothing but sad ships that were victims to the low tide.
Feeling bored, I headed back to the room and just chilled for the evening. Once it got dark out, I decided to see if the amusement parks were lit up--this is what I was expecting when I had researched Southend-on-Sea and was hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed. It was actually really cool.
So this morning I woke up bright and early to catch my coach back to Cambridge. The ride seemed to take for... ev... er, but we finally arrived and I walked back home.
Today was my birthday and I wasn't sure if anything was going on. I had previously asked Carrie and Ian if they wanted to go to dinner (my treat), but Ian had other plans. So instead, Becky (Carrie and Ian's daughter) asked if I wanted to go to a local pub and watch the England v Germany football game. Since I didn't have anything else going on, I decided to go. It was fun being there and experiencing this game, since the rivalry between England and Germany is so crazy. Unfortunately, England lost and it was sad to witness that. I so wish they would've won because they are all so passionate about it. On the way back from the pub, we made a pit stop at what I think was Becky's friend's friend's house--a fellow American and Midwesterner from Ohio. Once we returned, Carrie made the three of us dinner and it was fantastic.
Overall, my birthday didn't feel like a birthday at all. I'm grateful for what I have and I am blessed, but it kinda sucks when things are underwhelming. I don't expect to be overwhelmed on my birthday and I didn't really even expect anything today--I'm away from my family; what can I expect?--but it was... different... to say the least. I had fun today, though. I can't believe I'm 26. Too old.
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| The cake I got myself from Patisserie Valerie |
Back to the office tomorrow. Only two weeks left. I'm glad about that. I'm happy that I'm on the homestretch with this project, though I still feel like I have plenty to do.
Also... I'm ready to see my aunt.