THE LAKE SCHOOL IN OXFORD

On our journey to Oxford we had a one week intensive English course at the Lake School which is located in the city centre. School started at 9.15 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. Between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. we had time to go for a lunch. We had many opportunities nearby like sandwich or fast food restaurants. Additionally, there were even restaurants offering more qualitative food close to the school. Of course, the price was a little bit higher, but it was acceptable.

At first, we had to do a little test to split us into two groups. The lessons were held with a mixture of grammar, vocabulary and speaking exercises. Furthermore, we played a lot of language games and did creative tasks.

The school provided a big amount of services for us students. Coffee, tea and newspapers and wi-fi for free were available in the self-service student café. We also had the chance to study on our own in the self-study rooms with many appropriate working materials for everyone.

PUNTING

Not only in Venice can you enjoy a boat tour in the heart of the city - a very similar activity, called punting, on the River Thames is a must-do in Oxford.

In groups of five, we were challenged to complete a certain route within one hour, only using a stick ('punt') and a little paddle to move forward. Fortunately the weather cleared up eventually, creating a picturesque atmosphere around us. However, zigzagging across the river - steering turned out to be far more difficult than it looked! So we didn't have too much time to enjoy the beautiful view of the adjoining parks and the sparkling water, desperately concentrating on not crashing into the river banks and ducking our heads when we, accidentally, came too close to bushes, trees or bridges. Thus, not everybody managed to disembark in dry clothes...

On the whole, this was a delightful experience and, above all, great fun for all of us!

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

Stratford is a picturesque little town in the heart of England. Known for its being the birthplace and home of the probably most famous play-wright in history, Shakespeare, it is definitely worth a visit. We were greeted by a clouded sky when we left the bus to take a closer look at the museum which was built around the cottage Shakespeare passed his childhood and early years in. Even though the museum's main purpose seemed to be the attraction of tourists, it was still quite entertaining and informative. Lookint at the number of films explaining the story of his life was just as nice as walking through the gardens and rooms the genius grew up in.

After being forced to look at lots of expensive souvenirs we set out to explore the wonderful old city centre. Heading towards the church, in which Shakespeare married his wife and was buried, we walked through the beautiful meadows of the river which lent its name to the town. A great coincidence was that there was a food festival taking place, where we had the chance to taste traditional British food just as well as exotic food from places like India, Thailand or Jamaica. Strolling back to the meeting point we admired small pubs, tea houses and sweet shops lodged in half-timbered houses. Although the weather was not exactly inviting we spent a gorgeous day in a lovely town, which you certainly will enjoy visiting.