I had a lovely time at the Cotswolds, which is an area of England about two hours away from London by coach (bus). The Cotswolds are a collection of very quaint villages that are known for their quaintness, shops and small town feel. It was certainly that. I went with my friend Linda with a tour group, which was good because I don't think the Cotswolds would have been something we could have done on our own due to the lack of trains and the fact that the tour took us to three villages in the Cotswolds.
We started at the village of Stow for about an hour, which was really all the time we needed to explore the one street that had stuff in the town. Linda and I actually managed to walk around the entire town, even down the little community areas in an hour. It was adorable.
We got back on the bus and went to the town of Burton-on-the-Water, which was what it sounds like. It's known as the Venice of England, and it certainly was. It had a gorgeous stream running through it and little bridges, so it did look remarkably like Venice. We loved it! It was also perfect weather outside, so we enjoyed eating at a little garden restaurant and having ice cream afterwards. The town was also adorable with tons of tea shops and little candy stores and a bunch of other little shops. Burton was definitely the liveliest town we saw, but it was perfect.
In all the three towns we went to it was amazing how non-commercial of a place the Cotswolds were. There was not one Starbucks or McDonalds. I don't know if I can honestly say I have ever been to a place like that before in my life. It was very refreshing.
Our last stop was Burford, which also had a little stream at the edge of town, which was beautiful. That town was cool because there were a lot of side streets with an air of mystique, in a good way, to them. We even stumbled across a really cute church yard cemetery, and ate a quick bite of tea and scones at one of the cute tea shops in the town. It was an enjoyable time.
We really enjoyed our day in the Cotswolds, although I was exhausted and slept very well that evening. The coach ride to and from the Cotswolds was also beautiful--it was the stereotype of what everyone thinks the English countryside should look like: rolling hills, sheep and lambs, and perfect country and farm houses. It was beautiful.
This week has been a kind of a crazy week at work with everything wrapping up and all my co-workers giving me work before they have no intern for a few weeks, which is good because I'm getting some more quality clips in. I've really loved my internship and was very sad to say goodbye to my boss, Colleen, who left for holiday yesterday. Tomorrow is my last day.
A perk of my entertainment work was being invited by Universal Studios to go to the world premiere of State Of Play with Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams. I was ecstatic to go and had an extra ticket so I invited Linda to go with me because she's possibly more movie obsessed than I am. We walked down the red carpet, carrying out tickets proudly, which was our pass to get through security and into the theatre.
The premiere, like all London premieres, took place in Leicester Square and there were a million screaming fans there looking enviously as we walked down the red carpet with all the other "normal" people who went. The theatre was huge, which prompted me to think of who gets invited to these premieres. The theatre must have had a least a thousand seats. There was also a water bottle and little chocolate bar on each seat, so that was a nice little perk.
Russell, Crowe, Helen Mirren and the director (who also directed the Last King of Scotland) were all there, so they all got up and introduced the film. Helen Mirren praised Russell Crowe for taking over the lead role at the last minute (Brad Pitt supposedly pulled out of the film at the last minute) and Russell Crowe just recited a short poem about his love for Australia and that was it. It was kind of weird, but we were excited to get sitting in the fourth row and getting to see them so up-close. It was a good film too. Very suspenseful and interesting. Also a good old-fashioned newspaper film, which made me happy, although I'm sure the cynics will say that it's unrealistic, which I suppose it kind of is.
Linda and I took advantage of eating dinner in Leicester Square and walking around Piccadilly at night. It was a nice evening, although in my opinion movie premieres are more hyped than they really are, although it was very exciting to go to one and be in the middle of all the action.
Today, Wednesday, as a day off for us, as all of our classes are officially over! We had a big journalism presentation Monday night, so I am very pleased that that is over. Now just one more day of work and then back in the States on Sunday.
I had yet to go shopping in London before today, to the shock of all my roommates who had wasted no time at stores like Primark and Top Shop, all on the glamorous Oxford and Regent Streets. I never went with them previous, but I suggested that it was time for some summer stuff for me, so we put off our sightseeing for a day and made our way to Oxford Circus.
I shopped...a lot. There is no other way to put it. Two blouses, two shirts, a skirt and a dress later I was exhausted and back in my flat. Shopping with my friends was, dare I say it, fun. For those of you who don't me know me that well, you will know that I hate clothes shopping. Hate, loath, there is no other way to put it. I go only because I need clothes and like looking presentable but usually I go kicking and screaming (many times quite literally), but usually enjoy the final product, and am thankful for a mother who puts up with my shopping drama. (Thanks, Mom!)
It was interesting to shop in London because the fact that London is an international city transcends into its clothing stores. There are stores that don't exist in America and are from all over the world--there were stores from Japan, Spain, here in England and, of course, America. Quite a diverse amount of clothes to sort through, but I enjoyed it. It's also interesting how some stores that aren't very high end at home are very high end here. Like Banana Republic, which sits next to Armani and across the street from Burberry, which was much more ritzy and expensive than at home. So shopping in London was an interesting experience, but I enjoyed myself and got to spend time that is running out quickly with my friends who I will not be seeing all summer.
Anyway, the reality of me leaving London is beginning to sink in. Last day of work and final drinks with my colleagues is tomorrow. Currently have no food left in the flat because I don't want to buy stuff and not eat it before I leave. I have really come to love London. It is such a diverse city with so many different things to do everyday. I've also come to find that there is always something to do in London because there are still places that people bring up that I'd never heard of before. It's the perfect place and I would recommend it to anyone. Anyway, going to the spend Friday and Saturday saying goodbye to all the places I've attached myself to and then am coming back to the States, as we call it here, on Sunday.
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