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Showing posts with label durham cathedral. Show all posts
Showing posts with label durham cathedral. Show all posts

Monday, 11 November 2013

The Durham Colleges Bar Crawl

Outside Trevs - our first bar
 If you weren't aware that Durham University had colleges, think again. We're just like Oxford and Cambridge, only 10 degrees colder and less up ourselves (well, most people). 

There are 16 college in Durham University, I won't name them all, but I am in George Stephenson college to give it its correct full title or "Stevo" to the local inmates. 

So it was time for a Rep social - the right picture shows the cool kids that actually turned up. Admitted there was every sports' social under the sun taking place on Saturday evening, for example the Football initiation had to dress up as a female singer and sing one of their songs - there was a Miley Cyrus, with a grey fitness ball, I thought that was a good effort. Regardless of whatever socials were on, the rep team consists of nearly 50 people, there were 6 of us. Not the best turn out, but at least its over 10%!

The full social actually started at 1pm in Stevo bar, the idea being to go round all other 13 bars (minus John Snow because, well, its John Snow and their igloo is tiny and seriously lacking in polar bears and Grey's was closed due to the fireworks...) by 11:30pm when they all closed - this involved a one hour bus journey and stopping to eat... anyway... 

With our cocktails in Trev's
It was 18:30 and we (myself and Natalie Brown - thats Brown like the colour) went to catch the X1- now the X1 to non Durham-ers is a bus, not a very good bus as it is never on time, always full, always too hot and the driver is like some boy (or girl - equality) racer. So we got on after several locals with 15 children and endured screaming and shouting for 26 miles to Durham. 

We were hoping to see Grey College's fireworks, as they are supposed to be really really sparkly. Now, as we live in Stockton, who blow half of their yearly budget on their firework display to draw in the charvs from the local area to spend their moulah we had very, very, high expectations. 

We thought we'd missed them (thats the fireworks at Grey by the way). We got off the X1 at 19:25 and began hearing bangs and fizzes. Thankfully, we managed to have a great view of the fireworks which always get me emotional, Guy Fawkes was such a brave guy. There was clearly no safety precautions as we were rained on several times by glittering after-spray (is that the right word... ashes or light bits) - "Make it make it rain make it make it make it rain"- sing this and pretend you're throwing money everywhere, you got it. We made a wish whilst we were being rained on, so cute. 

Anyway, boring emotional part over it was time to go to our first bar to meet "everyone" - this was Trevelyan college "Trevs" where we got lost in all the anarchy of the masses leaving Greys and had to look at the map to find out where Trevs was thinking it was miles away. We got there eventually, after looking like right Stevo tourists (even more so asking posh Durham-ers to take photos of us outside every college sign) to see four others of the rep team (rep team most represented = welfare. Of course, I'm not saying were the best but the President was one of us, so that kind of does make us the best). 

We were greeted with "do not get the Trevs college drink - it tastes like e-numbers" - now to a girl who gets high on smarties this was great news, but it actually tasted like those Panda pops you got at your year 5 disco, or like R.Whites lemonade which had seriously gone out of date. Not nice, so we got a cocktail, we were going to get two Long Island Ice Tea's but then I was sure they didn't have coke in them (no caffeine allowed and all that) so I had a sex on the beach - in a pint glass, lad. 

Mary's had a Toastie bar! - mind = blown. 
We had to down those to keep up with the others - who had already been to about 5 other bars earlier that day, so were a lot of tipsy then ourselves. Next, after an awkward pose outside the entrance it was time for Mary's - the cutest college, ever. Like a Kiera Knightly film I was in love with the grounds. This college used to be an all girls' college. Which I think is lovely, its now President-ed by a boy - how lovely. We don't judge single sex schools. 

Mary's was slightly on the small side, nevertheless they had a good house shot called "the witch" which we were told was lovely, they meant to tell us it was horrible (Thanks Chelcie and Tom), but it was actually delightful - Archers mixed with Bacardi - mm. There we met El Presidente of the whole university, our very own Daniel Slavin (now pronounced Daniel SlaRvin - because he's not ultra posh), he used to be Stevo's president and now runs the whole uni and is loving it I hear!

So he joined us in our continued mission of the college bars - next it was Castle - in a Castle, yes, yawn, you have to hand in your campus card when you get in - after you have broken your back getting through that ridiculously low door, inside is like some wine cellar, with the proper aches are brick walls. Next it was Hatfield - whose college drink I have to say was incredible - I'm keeping the recipe for my own pleasure and refuse to share it with anyone - sorry! - go to Hatfield! We were entertained there with a few pub golfers after realising time was ticking we needed to get round the rest of the bars.
Me and Thee outside the Cath. 

Next was Chad's - like some weird greenhouse upstairs and then a home from home Durham tube-mapped-esque wall of all the "important" places in Durham - quite cool. There we only had time for a shot - Sambuca obviously - go hard or go home (we did shortly go home, we were slightly tipsy. And you know when Natalie is tipsy as she runs and with those knees she doesn't run when sober, so there we go) We legged it to John's college, to find that is was closed, sad face, then the last one was St. Cuth's, which, when we got there was more like an old mans social club, but hey, the drinks were £1.50, so who's complaining?

That concluded our college bar crawl, admittedly myself and Natalie didn't go to all of them, but the state of us after just six was plenty for one night. We then proceeded to head back into the centre of the city in search of some alcohol-soaking food. We all had noodles as Wok-Sup, mm, lavely - although the next day had that food smell on it. Oh my I cannot stand food smells, I have a change of clothes that I cook in to avoid smelling of food. Vile. 

It was then time for we six reps to go home, at about 1am - we were probably going to leave at 10pm, thats how good a night it was -reps you so missed out! The X1 took 20 minutes to get to the bus station, where I proceeded to shout at a fresher that I saw him in the gym earlier, he just looked at me blank as if I was some kind of freak - just because I was in the weights section! - boys are so mean. We also saw second year football boys in superhero outfits and Danielle Britton in a onesie running after the bus. Note to everyone - sitting on the road so the bus can't drive is NEVER a good option, ever. 

I have eaten half a Terry's chocolate orange whilst writing this and it's nearly time for MIC, so thanks for reading because that was a long one! If you didn't get this far, thanks for the view! 

Go to Durham Uni
Love
RHS x 

p.s. Don't choose John Snow 

Sunday, 3 November 2013

The Week #3



I really do not know where the weeks are going. This week sees my 5th lectures, my 2nd seminars and my 1st session back at Athletics (wish me luck). But back to this week, it was a chilled one with Rachel's birthday on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off, a night out on Wednesday and the arrival of my mother and grandma on Friday for the weekend in Durham. Ok its been quite a busy one. 

RACHEL SINCLAIR'S birthday meal  Here we are in 'Spoons after a yummy Chinese all you can eat (table service - a new way to do it) in Stockton, before a couple too many glasses of vino and missing MIC but so so worth it! Happy 20th hun!x 

Monday morning 5k run - I sometimes consider my sanity when I run this far (Especially as I'm still not 100% recovered) on a treadmill and in the time I did (happy girl). I did this run before 4 hours of lectures and Rachel's meal so I hit the bed hard that night (waking up to a day of on Tuesday made the tiredness worth it)

Durham Cathedral is ridiculously beautiful - It makes me want to become a nun and live there forever. This picture was taken in the Cloisters on Saturday - where parts of Harry Potter were filmed (I know you're impressed, myself and Daniel Radcliffe have shared the same paving - slight palpitations) 

GADDS TOWN HOUSE - DURHAM This is a five star hotel in Durham city where we ate on Saturday night, the food was incredible - shown by the roast cod with mussels, samphire and potato purée in the middle picture - delicious. We go to this restaurant every time I go to Durham with my parents and it never fails to impress. The interior is dark and purple (as you can tell by the photo) and there is about 10 tables in the restaurant, the service is great and the food is flawless. I highly recommend it. 

Me and mummy  at the Marriott Royal County Hotel - in our own private corridor (haha) - no really, it was about 3 times the length of this. We spent about half an hour taking photos in this corridor - some FAR too embarrassing to upload. 

This is me about to get fat - biscuits and sweets and chocolate are always good to have, especially when you are given them as a gift (thanks GMa). They are useful for many reasons, for example when you have to start your John Lewis internship application again because you missed the deadline for completing the tests (its happened to us all hun, hope your kitkat is nice x).

I look like a right jersey royal potato in this photo it was Hallowe'en eve, Durham, Loveshack (meh) and the night to dress up like you'd died and came back to life and unfortunately ran through a pool full of blood in the meantime and slapped yourself in your eyes with a Winnie the Pooh bear - who also went through hell and back, OR a dead cowboy, whatever. It was an average night, fuelled by a pitcher from Lloys and a 45 minute taxi ride home and what night would not be complete without an early lecture the next morning? - so far no nights out organised for this week... we'll see how long that lasts. 

Have a creative week! 
RHS x

p.s. Sope Peters (A Durham University student) has gone missing and hasn't been seen since Tuesday night - please keep your eyes open for any information - see here for more info and a picture. Ta x