First weekend in Cambridge

Today was our first Saturday in Cambridge. We were originally supposed to go to London today but were invited to a soccer match by Janine so we went to London yesterday and opted to stay in Cambridge for the weekend.

We woke up late - 9am. I was slowly going about my dressing and brushing regime when I got Razia online and we started having a Google-chat. I ended up running late and we had to hightail it to the high street shortly after.

We popped into a few shops to try to find ski-gear. We eventually bought ski-pants from a place called Milletts. They were the cheapest we could find at about £25 each. To get a pair that fit right, Sameer ended up buying the same pair I did - a ladies size 14. Hopefully no-one will be able to tell the difference on the slopes! I freaked him out a bit when I said I saw a flower but it ended up being a fairly nondescript snowflake shape. :P

Then we went off to find the Tattie's that I'd eaten at the first day. We got a bit lost, and found another Tattie's that was on a much more boring street and that didn't have quite the same feeling of coziness. So we wandered around a bit more till we found the right one. But I bet the next time I try to find it, I'll get lost again.

Oh, and I also took the opportunity to take some pictures with our new camera. Here's one of the town, taken from just outside Tattie's. Note how there's loads of people walking along the cobbled street, no cars, a cyclist just past, a couple with their kid in a pram, some people with shopping bags, a tourist with his backpack, little shops on the sides, and the spires of a college in the background. Typical Cambridge! (I'm in love with it.)

Then we went back to Sainsbury's to get sugar and powdered milk since we forgot to get those when we got our coffee the other day. And we went to Marks & Spencers to buy some mugs (50pence each!) because the cups in our room are too small for us mug-people.

And then we cycled back home again. We took the opportunity to take a picture of me cycling. Note how I'm balancing three packets there between my basket and my little rear attachment thingy that I don't know what they call. :P Maybe I'm just not that experienced at it yet but I say carrying all that stuff makes you a lot more wobbly on the bike!

So we came back home and had coffee and biscuits (yay!) while I updated the blog and checked mail etc. Then we got a call from Mervin, Janine's husband, and heard some shocking news. Apparently Janine fell ill very suddenly last night and had to be taken to hospital. They took her to hospital and ran a battery of tests with no result. She was sent home with morphine! We felt awful but Mervin said they were optimistic as the tests at least ruled out anything obviously damaging. Perhaps it's an ulcer or something like that. We hope.

So Mervin said we should go off to the soccer match after all. Janine actually wanted him to go as well but he said he wasn't in a spectatorly mood. Mervin came to fetch us and dropped us at the football stadium which was on the other end of town. We were introduced to some of Janine's MBA peeps, barring another guy, Tim who had broken his arm this morning in another football game. But we didn't end up chatting to them much after.

We sat in the stadium and watched Cambridge United play Altrincham FC. Not the most exciting game in the world but still fun. We could totally understand how people become wrapped up in sports this way. There was cheering, jeering, and chanting. Altrincham played poorly and Cambridge were always in control of the game. The scored once in the first half, and then in the second half Altrincham pulled even after a shocking error on the part of the Cambridge goalie. There were some poor tackles, high boots, and outright fouls. Sameer almost got hit in the head with a football that got knocked into the stands but the guy standing next to him deflected it at the last moment. Our lives flashed before our eyes. Then one of the linesman got hit in the head with a ball. The crowd teased him relentlessly, as they did an Altrincham player who ran into one of the uprights. With moments to spare, Cambridge turned up the heat and scored the winning goal. The crowd went wild. The players piled into a heap on top of the goalscorer. My comment at the time - Whoopee-lê. By the time the match ended, the sun was setting and the sky was on fire. We took a bus back into town, and started the long walk back to Wolfson.