Dolphins Overseas: A rare sunny day in England
Bethany Dixon, Staff Writer
April 12, 2012
Filed under News & Features
We don’t get a lot of sun in England, so on those rare sunny days, we all take advantage of the good weather. When the sun is out, all of the stereotypes about gloomy, rainy England just disappear. After it has been gray and cold for so long, when it finally is sunny, it seems like everyone goes a little nuts and become the 6-year-old versions of themselves. The grass is neon green and impromptu BBQs are held on the lawns of the student housing complexes.
My university runs a large botanic garden. On the most recent sunny day, a bunch of us went over there for a visit. Here in England, they call them “botanic gardens” instead of botanical gardens. They also call greenhouses “glasshouses.”
It seemed like many others had the same idea as we did because the gardens were filled with students, many of whom had brought all of their belongings and set up camp under the trees. Some sections of the garden looked more like the library during finals week than an actual garden.
The cherry blossoms have just started to bloom and everything within 10 miles of the gardens smell like the cherry blossom trees. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, despite the killer bees.
I am telling you, these bees in England are mutants or something. They remind me of the tracker jackers out of “The Hunger Games.” They do not just fly away…they stalk you. I am sure our group looked like crazed Americans as we squealed and did everything you’re told not to do when a bee flies near you.
England is quiet on weekends. Stores are still open, which is rare for a lot European countries, but very few people seem to take advantage of this. Bistros and cafes are busy on Sundays, becoming packed with people watching football (soccer) and reading the paper.
You can sit in a restaurant as long as you want. You can order one cup of coffee and stay for three hours and monopolize the Wi-Fi. No one says a word, since it’s almost expected. So, after the trip to the gardens we spent two hours in a café attempting to be interested in the soccer game. The locals in the café thought we were pretty hysterical.