The UK. England. Leeds. I love it.
I've now explored a number of different cities and countries while I've been here. I've been on tons of tours and have spent hours walking around museums, but one place I have yet explored thoroughly is my own backyard: Leeds.
It might seem a bit ridiculous that the bus stop I get off at stops directly in front of Leeds Art Gallery, yet I've never been in. Or that I live a 15 minute walk away from a mostly intact monastery near the river--heck!--I haven't even seen the river while I've been here. But now that my time in Leeds is running out, I'm learning to appreciate it more, and going beyond the limits of City Centre.
This previous Sunday, Maggie and I went to IronCupcake Leeds: the cupcake competition held monthly at the Adelphi hotel (conveniently located near Leeds' abysmally small gay bar area). We have been wanting to attend literally for months, but have always been busy/traveling/studying. But last Sunday, we finally got there, and it was A-MAZING! That was (coincidentally) the first time I saw the Leeds River in the five months that I've been here.
The theme for this month's Iron Cupcake event was Flower Power.
The bakers came with all of these beautifully crafted cupcakes that made you almost not want to destroy them by eating them.
They were cut into fourths and the judges (amongst them me!) got to go around to each table and try a bit, ranking them from 1-5 on appearance, and 1-10 on taste.
The absolute BEST cupcake in my opinion was one decorated with Sunflowers, that had chocolate chips in the bottom and chocolate icing on top!!
Maggie and I left giggly and sugar-high, and walked through the nearly empty streets of city centre. Everything closes around 5 on a Sunday, and it felt as though we were trespassing, or breaking the sanctity of Sunday Silence.
It was an awesome event, though I'm pretty sure I haven't that much sugar in one sitting in a very long time.
Another new thing I'm experiencing: the Edge facility.
The Edge is our gym with a high-tech computerized system that keeps track of your workouts.
All students that live in the dorms get basic membership, which means I can go from 6am-12Pm and 2PM-4PM Monday through Friday. I've recently begun working out (including the weight lifting machines!) and although I have to force myself to get up and go in the mornings (yesterday, laziness prevailed and I skipped) I always feel better after a workout.
My new plan, therefore, is to work out in the mornings, come back to Grayson Heights, eat lunch, and then go out to explore some new part of Leeds.
Today it was Kirkstall Abbey (that monastery I mentioned earlier).
This place was absolutely beautiful! I don't know what it is about old buildings, I'm obsessed. Churches, Monasteries, Chapels, Castles, whether still standing or in ruins, I love walking around them. Kirkstall Abbey is massive and falling apart in many areas so you can see through it. It was gated off so that you couldn't enter. I don't know if it's like that permanently or if you have to book a tour or something in advance, but it was something out of a book, and I was tempted to hop the gate (damn that CCTV!).
I also got to get up close to the river, which surprised me with how rapid it's current is.
The day was gorgeous, and I'd have loved to lay out and do my reading (Henry V) for my final, but one of the biggest drawbacks on England stopped me: the wind!
My GOD the wind is a freaking bastard over here! When it's strong, it pierces through your jacket and shirts with it's icy fingers and makes walking against it near impossible!! I don't know if this is just a Leeds thing, or all of England, but seriously! The wind! Nightmare.
I spent around an hour at the abbey and the Kirkstall Abbey Park that surrounds it, managed to get in ten minutes of reading on a park bench before the cold of the wind forced me to get up and begin my trek back to Grayson.
It was a really nice experience though, so I consider it time well spent.
Tomorrow, after lunch (and hopefully, the gym, if I can rouse myself) I plan to return to city centre and go explore the Art Gallery (I mean, really, it's FREE, how lazy am I?).
Friday I'm going to see some art installations around the city and then dinner at Nando's!! I've been trying to limit myself to eating meat once a week, but this is testing my strength, I might not be able to do it much longer, I'm a happy carnivore and it would only take cutting out yogurt and milk from my diet now to make me a vegan! (shudder)
My final exam is next Wednesday and after that things really start to pick up!
I'm going to London for a few days with some of my friends, during which, I will go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour!!! Be jealous!!! I also hope to see if I can get cheap day-of tickets to Wicked.
Then possibly a trip to Cambridge with Maggie.
Then (and I'm very excited about this!) BZ has decided to come visit me my last week!!!! She'll be here from June 9th-15th and we'll be doing a couple of days in Leeds, where I will get to show her the FABULOUS shop: Cupcakes by Charley, as well as bring her to my very last Iron Cupcake event! Then we'll be down in London for the remainder of her stay, hopefully seeing Henry V (see how these things happen?) at the Globe theatre!!!!
I've loved my time here, and I'm really thrilled that I get to share it with somebody from home. Although BZ is a world traveler and has been to London before, it'll be nice to be able to show somebody how I've been living and the country that I love so much.
And I'm not gonna lie, the fact that she's bringing a second suitcase ROCKS because now I don't have to throw away as many things as I thought I was going to have to and will make my life so much easier when going back home!
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