Cheers from the Cafe/Student Lounge at Birkbeck College.
Friday night Marisa and I stayed in and relaxed. We wanted to get a good night sleep before our day out in HORSHAM :)
Saturday: Marisa and I willingly got up wayyyy to early for a Saturday morning (6:15 AM), got ready, had some breakfast, and headed for the Circle line to take us to Charing Cross Train Station. Once at Charing Cross we were able to purchase our round trip ticket to Horsham (with a transfer stop at London Bridge). Once again London's public transportation system succeeded in putting Septa to shame. First, when you purchase a train ticket, you do not purchase for a specific time. As long as you have your return ticket (with the date you plan to leave) you can take any train at any time that you know will get you to your destination. Because we knew we needed to get to London Bridge train station first we realized we could take any of the trains headed South, they all stopped at London Bridge. Plus, all of the trains we could choose from left within minutes of the other (same kind of mentality of coming often and on time like the tube). I'm beginning to think of London's transportation as the equivalent to Monorail at Disney. Personnel updates on how all the tube trains and trains at the rail station are announced every two minutes or so. So I basically believe London Transportation is the Disney of transportation systems. This might be a stretch but in having dealt with Septa my entire life (and coming to expect delays and disappoints) this effectiveness is entirely new to be.
Marisa and I picked the train leaving from Platform 6 at 9:00 am. As we left Charing Cross station we drove right next to the River Thames and a BEAUTIFUL view of the London Eye, Big Ben, and Houses of Parliament being lit up by the rising sun. It all happened so fast and I was so enthralled I forgot to take out my camera for a picture. But let me assure you all it was gorgeous.
After getting on our transfer train at London Bridge I started to get really excited - we were really on our way to Horsham :) The ride was about an hour and twenty minutes and I was able to get a lot of reading done for my classes. Soon enough we arrived in Horsham :) I stepped off the train onto the platform, saw the Horsham sign, and for a moment, truly felt like I was home again. What's in a name, right?
Now it may seem odd how excited I was to take this day trip but there was something about being across the Atlantic in a different country but in the "same" town as mine that felt great! Knowing this is where the place I call home her name was so fascinating to me and I couldn't wait to check out the Museum to find out more about the history of Horsham, UK. Horsham is the capital of West Sussex.
Horsham is a lot like what one might expect of a small(er) English country town. It has it's quaint shops and pubs with a lovely home town feel. Marisa and I started our day walking around the town. The town's slogan is "Time Well Spent"; I like to think that is how Horsham, PA, USA is too! And Horsham, UK did not disappoint. We found this nice charity shop next to, where else, a store with the name Mayfair, where I found the most adorable black sweater. I have been searching for a black sweater since we got here. I bought it and am currently wearing it as I type this post. We asked a vendor of the local market how to get to the Museum but he wasn't sure, aside from a general direction. He talked to us for a few moments and asked us where we were from and what we were doing in Horsham. He thought it was great that I was from Horsham, USA and asked how I was liking my time in "this Horsham?" I told him I was having a great day. He told us that in Horsham, London is refer to as "the town" (though they live in the town). He told us if we wanted to truly fit in we should say we are studying at University, "up in town."
Next we headed to the Horsham Library to ask for further directions on how to get to the Horsham Museum. The woman at the front desk was very helpful. She gave us a map and added her own little landmark drawings to help us find our way. We found the museum in no time thanks to her great artwork. The museum was a great testament to the spirit of the town. The artifacts kept there are very well preserved. Walking through the Museum I learned Horsham as a place existed since around 900 AD but did not receive her name until closer to Tudor times. She was always a distinctive placed and became the center of the borough that was created but the few wealthy families that owned property in the area. Horsham was not greatly affected in any way by the English Civil Wars and has retained, more or less, the same land boundaries over the years. In different rooms of the Museum you could see Horsham, through the decades. The decade that was "on display"so to speak this month was the 1950s. So of course Marisa and I, having taken a US 1950s Seminar together in the fall, couldn't wait to take pictures and send them to our professor. I also found a room entitled "Horsham's
In addition to the Museum we got to walk around the art gallery and saw the works of Claire Phillips. She is a Contemporary Portrait painter. The exhibition we saw dealt with paintings of Americans affected, in some way by death penalty. The death penalty/capital punishment was abolished in Great Britain in 1967. Many British people are intrigued as to how and why America still allows for this kind of occurrence to take place. Through her paintings, Claire Phillips, hoped to illustrate to humanity of the death penalty as a means to reconsider it. Her pieces were amazing! Her website is: http://www.clairephillips.com/.
After walking around some more we got lunch a cute little breakfast and lunch some that had, what we believe, as a "Now That's What I Call Music" CD playing from the late 90s/early 2000s (the BSB song that played was "I want it that way" so that most definitely places us in the year 1999).
Lunch was very good and very filling. It was getting later in the day so we decided to check out a park before, which was on our way back to the train station, heading home.
The park was very green and spacious and had something in it for all ages. I came to the conclusion it must be a Horsham thing ;). We walked through a maze that was set up for children and took pictures of everyone enjoying their afternoon. The weather on Saturday was beautiful. Cold but the sun was out all day. We came across the manor, Horsham's first proper name was Horsham Manor, and felt like we in "The Secret Garden." Marisa has pictures on her camera. Sadly, my camera lost battery power when we were in the park.
After enjoying some tea we hopped back on a train headed for London.
Overall, I had a great time in Horsham and was very happy I went (and thankful Marisa came with me). There was just something about the place that made me feel....well...right at home :)
We got home to everyone watching "Million Dollar Baby" so we sat and watched it til the end. Such a sad movie. I quickly ate dinner before heading out with some of the flat mates to a place called the Bar 17 in Camden. Basically it was a huge building with bars/clubs on every floor and you could wonder from one part to the other. It was really cool.
We got home some time late and went to sleep.
Sunday: We all slept in until about 11 am (still close to 10:30 am). Our mission for Sunday was simple: Laundry day. Marisa and I took the first "shift" and headed for the Laundry mat that is around the corner from our house. It was not too much of a hassle. The only annoying element was waiting the hour and half time period it took for the clothes to wash and dry; it wasn't even that expensive. I brought a book I had to read for class to pass the time. The greatest struggle though was trying to read that book while sitting on a small wounded bench with no back. It was very uncomfortable. Soon enough we were set to go back to the house. Liz P and Beth went after us. Marisa and I ate dinner and then a bunch of us watched Friends (do I really even have to say that at this point) and a film called Temple Grandin. The film is about Dr. Temple Grandin, an autistic woman, who earned her B.A., Master's and Ph.D. She created a dip that humanized the way cows are slaughter in the US by showing them respect in their final moments of life. She is also an advocate for Autism and Asperger's; she speaks at many Autism conferences and conventions. The film was inspiring and definitely made you think.
After the movie was over I had a simple dinner and got ready to skype my family. I was able to talk to me Mom, Dad, Eddie, and Grandmom on skype and it was really nice. After that I watched some "Boy Meets World" before heading to bed.
HORSHAM, time well spent :)
livin' the Horsham kinda life
Horsham Park, Horsham, West Sussex, UK
Cheers,
MK
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