London

I had to wake up early today because my friend had to go to work. I took the train from Hither Green station heading to Charring Cross, then I changed the train to arrive to St. Pancras station. Across the street stood the magnificent King's Cross station, which I have always wanted to see since I was a child. Thank you Harry Potter. As I still had plenty of time before going to my seminar location in Burwell, I took the opportunity to visit the station and what is around it.

After being a tourist and taking enough pictures, I decided to find out if the Platform 9 3/4 existed and what Harry Potter related attractions was in Kings Cross. I right away noticed how the station looked nothing like the movies. I am not sure whether this is because the station has been modernized since the 90s, or if the movies made up the station. After perhaps an hour of searching, I finally found the infamous Platform 9 3/4 with the half luggage trolley stuck into the wall. There was a huge queue of fans waiting to take a picture of themselves attempting to cross the platform and reach the Hogwart Express. Alas, it was already past 11 o'clock and the platform was closed.

I visited the Platform 9 3/4 shop by curiosity but did not buy anything. God knows how much I wanted to buy a Slytherin school uniform but my student's economy would not allow this indulgence. I went on to find some food and took time to find the best food deals. I ended up eating a chicken and corn sandwich with mango juice and a bag of peanuts. I browsed many shops looking for a plug adaptor that was affordable, only to realize that the small shops around the station offered a much better deal than the ones in the station. I bought the train ticket from Kings Cross to Ely. I noticed very quickly that London did not offer many student prices when it comes to transportation and most tourist attractions. This is such a shame!

I arrived to Ely station at around 4pm where I met other people going to the Aikido and peace building seminar in Burwell. The organizers were kind enough to provide cars to take us from the station to Burwell House. I believe this house is usually a summer camp for kids. We stayed in dorms. As I still had some time before the beginning of the seminar, I decided to walk around the House and visit the area. Burwell is a calm, small village not too far from Cambridge.

I walked to a pub called The Anchor where we had a barbecue on Saturday (the next day), and found nearby a small supermarket where I bought some snacks. I love villages, not only because they are not crowded and noisy, but also because there is a greater sense of community and people know each other better. I wish I could have stayed there longer. But as soon as the seminar ended, we all had to leave.