The Bikram Experience

Cash is tight as I seem to be booking and paying for a trip every week now.  Just booked a trip to Prague for the long weekend coming up.  We get a bank holiday the first Monday of May here (there are only a couple bank holidays a year over here, not what feels like one a month back home!). This weekend was further extended because they actually created another bank holiday for - you guessed it- the Royal Wedding! Thanks Will... Not good for the 'bank' (I'm so funny), but good for another weekend get away.
That being said, even when saving pennies, a girl can't resist a bargain! I was browsing through the Wimbledon Leisure magazine and came across an ad for a Bikram yoga studio in Wimbledon. This is what is often called hot yoga. The intro offer was 10 consecutive days for 15 quid! Good deal, especially when I looked up the studio online and it costs 14 for a single drop in. So yesterday I got on my blackest workout gear and tried my hand at it. 
I was sure glad that I have been doing some yoga classes recently at my gym, this definitely helped. But man is it hot in there! Let's just say that we were still on the breathing exercises and I had sweat dripping from my elbows. By the time the class was over, the instructor - who wasn't even doing the poses, but just saying that we should do - was dripping, shorts soaked and everything. Everyone looked like they had just run a marathon in Mexico in July.  Basically, the class involves a series of yoga poses held for a short time with recovery between each one. You do two sets of each pose then move on to the next pose.  Just the exertion from holding the pose for 30-45 seconds in that heat gets your heart pumping, so you do a little recovery after each one, probably to avoid having most of the class pass out.
But I survived day one and plan to go back for more punishment tonight.  We will see how I feel after 10 days, if I can hack it that long.

Land of Castles and Dragons

Made it through another work week, which means only two more to go before our two week term break. Friday night Christine and Josephine had some people over for a games night. We had a great game of Taboo.  Some very funny moments!

Cardiff Castle

Saturday we were up early. Andi came up from Plymouth and we went on a day trip to Wales by coach.  It was a very nice trip.  Our coach, however, was not full of the most intelligent or considerate people, and we seemed to get further and further behind schedule as people showed up late to
each meeting time, which meant that our free time at each stop kept getting cut.

Unofficial Wales supporters

Wales supporters

Our first stop was Cardiff, the capital of Wales.  This is a place with more castles per square mile than anywhere else in Europe. We got in to Cardiff just after lunch time and it was a zoo! There was traffic and people everywhere. Turns out it was game day. England v Wales meant that Cardiff looked like Vancouver during the Olympics, but this was just a regular weekend football match.  Fans were strutting the colours of Wales, kiosks were set up selling game gear, roads were closed off, big screens were set up and pubs had queues running out onto the streets.  The other noticeable difference, once again, is that public drinking is allowed.  So fans are wandering down the streets beers in hand.  Which may seem practical, since everyone wants a brewsky on game day, but it becomes quickly apparent why we do not allow this in Canada when a group of England supporters strut by and suddenly curses are being shouted, and beers are being thrown.

Caerphilly Castle

We wandered around town for about an hour, our allotted free time, then made our way back to the coach and were off to Caerphilly Castle.  This is the second largest fortress in the UK, outsized only by Windsor Castle. It was beautiful.  As we were gawking around like tourists a very high class (and pricey, I'm sure!) wedding was being held at the castle.

After the castle, we made our way back to London and got home exhausted from the long day.  Our trip was enjoyable, but I would say that Wales might be just too far for this kind of day trip.  If you wanted to feel less rushed go it on your own with a very early train/bus and expect to get home late.

Daffodils, national flower of Wales

Sunday Josephine and Andi and I went to Camden Market, as neither of them had been yet.  We wandered around the stalls, had a cheap and delicious lunch, tried out best to resist all the delicious treats and finally said goodbye to Andi who had to head to her home far far away. Josephine and I caught a matinee of Limitless to cap off another great weekend.

Like I mentioned before, two more weeks until term break when my cousin is coming to visit me and we will be exploring Amsterdam and Edinburgh during her visit.

Whisper Words of Wisdom, Let it Be

Another great week full of work and thus moolah! This weekend Christine and Josephine had cousins come visit from home. They arrived late Friday night and Saturday we took them into the city to see some highlights. Walked past Buckingham Palace, through Hyde Park, and took a trip up to Abbey Road.  I hadn't been there yet and it was pretty funny. It is a random cross walk in the middle of nowhere with a dozen or so tourists standing around, running across, standing in the middle and taking photos as cars and buses wait in annoyance. Eventually they honk and start driving at those who are taking too long to 'cross' this infamous zebra crossing (as they are called here). Down the road a little bit is the recording studio, again a tiny building barely even noticeable.

Saturday evening, we had all our teacher friends, mostly Canadian and an Aussie, gather together in Wimbbledon and then we headed to a pub for some dancing. It was a fun night!



Sunday, we dragged ourselves out of bed (some earlier than others, I had done 2 loads of laundry and gone for a run before some people were dressed!) and we went back in to the city for more sightseeing. This time highlights were the Eye, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, and of course a good old English pub lunch! Deeeelicious.

Friday at work I had gotten a text from my agency asking if I was good to teach Spanish on Monday because they had a day of secondary for me. I replied, sure I've done it before. Then I got the phone call "So, how fluent is your Spanish?" ... "Well, it isn't. But Spanish is close enough to French that when the kids are doing worksheets etc. I can figure out what it is asking them"... "Ok, we will get back to you, but right now you are our best bet". So I was booked in. When I looked up the school online, not only is it in Chelsea - mega fancy - but it is also called a language college. Oh dear, they are going to find me out fast!!  Needless to say, I laid awake early this morning a little nervous.  I got off the tube and strolled past Tiffany's, and other high end stores trying to find this school.  Turns out the rich kids aren't much different than any other kids in this country. They weren't outright rude and no one swore at me, but they still didn't listen to a word I said nor did they do any work... ah well, another day another dollar.  This week is shaping up quite nice work-wise, already have something booked every day. Next weekend it is off to Wales!