Where have you been?

Wow. The deep red lounge. Stuffed with chairs, a coffee table, a sofa, and at one point a TV, this was anything but comfortable. Notice the sliding glass door that leads to...


...another poorly painted inside room. Our teal "dining room" was the old patio between the house and the garage. You can also see the entire kitchen which was, again, surprisingly clean. Although you can't see it there is another sliding glass door opposite the one pictured that leads to what used to be the garage but what was now...


...my bedroom. With the sliding glass door hidden by my closet the room didn't much feel like a garage. It was large but had two different height beds which could not be pushed together. I was separate from the rest of the house by the kitchen/dining room/lounge areas so I could pretty much do what I want and not disturb or be disturbed by anyone in the main part of the house.

My Latvian roommate owned and lived off of a deep fryer. French fries, fish sticks, anything. Some times his dinner would consist of french fries, mayo, and a few pieces of cucumber. Very healthy.


Another roommate had the habit of cooking food and storing it in the pan/pot she used to prepare it. Sometimes the items would go into the fridge, sometimes they would stay out in the open, but never would they be put into some time of storage device - the pan was good enough. Never mind the fact we had limited cookware, it didn't bother her in the least that anyone was inconvenienced by her actions.

By far the most interesting place I have ever lived was at Chapman Court in the Arbury area of Cambridge. Just down the street from the infamous Ship pub, we lived in the heart of chav and gypsy country. The first week I was there some of the local lads torched a car in the parking area. The police came to investigate but there was nothing they could really do. I eventually learned that the car was found by a friend of a friend of a friend "abandoned" and eventually ended up in the hands of one of the neighborhood 14 year olds. They played with the car until it stopped working at which point they decided it was a fantastic idea to just burn the car. I assume they thought it would simply burn down to dust and disappear.

Pictured above is my Latvian roommate and our disgusting kitchen which is actually pretty clean in this photo.

As I was saying we only lived at Tillyard Way for a few months so I have limited photography of the place. I did spend one evening doing some night photography which is what you see here. Aside from the Citroen we also had bicycles and access to the infrequent city busses.

1 Tillyard Way in Cambridge was not the first place I stayed but the first place I stayed that was mine. (The first week in England we stayed with friends.) We were only there for a few months but it was a clean apartment. This is not our flat but one exactly like it across the street. This fine automobile is also our Citroen AX 1.1L diesel. Quite the road machine.


The living room had a lovely breakfast nook looking out over the green.


There was also a decorative fireplace which basically means "just for looks".

And the rest...

Its true, the Polish are taking over England.

Camden Town is a pretty fun place but I could never really capture that spirit in photography.


My friend and his girlfriend took me to a fantastic vegetarian Thai food place in Camden that was all-you-can-eat for only five pounds. What a deal!

The London Eye, Parliament, Big Ben.


Saint Peter's.

Most of my trips to London, except the first one posted below, happened in wonderful weather. This is a beautiful shot down the Thames.


Here is my buddy waiting for his girlfriend to buy some lamp.

And a few more around town. All nice and sunny!

Looks like a boring job.

London is basically that massive, overpowering city you would expect. I was only able to visit five or six times but I was never completely comfortable navigating the Tube or narrow streets.


As such a huge city there are naturally people everywhere and it is a very easy place to be anonymous.

"Five or six times" may seem like a lot but before I left for England I assumed the 45 mile trip from Cambridge would be easy on quick train and that I could visit every other weekend. Unfortunately that quick train doesn't really exist plus the cost for a round trip ticket was prohibitive.

This is my buddy Ivan. We lived together at Chapman Court. He is from Ukraine. He turned me onto Hard Techno and taught me what clubbing was really about. He is a great guy.


When you travel you meet unexpected people who change you life in unexpected ways.

Cambridge is a bit split. On one hand there is the University and all of the posh kids that go along with it. Their bars and discotheques require proper attire. Then there is the Mill Road Cambridge. A bit more grungy but much more accessible.

This is just some shop hawking goods to tourists but it looks as if William Shakespeare himself could have lived there (he is actually from Stratford-upon-Avon). England has such a rich and deep history that no matter how much you try you can not escape it.

I saw many of the colleges but I don't know the names.

Many (except for the modern ones) are quite beautiful.

Amazing detail and just like you would expect from the country that produced Harry Potter!

Why not.

I still don't get the whole "changing of the season" thing but I have photographic evidence none the less. Some people love this season but all it really means is that Winter is coming.


And Winter sucks.

I don't know much about Cambridge history but could these be for defense against roving bandits or simply a raging river? Either way this is a great view of the city.

I doubt Cambridge would be much without the University. A small back water with a little stream running through it.