London and Banbury

Submitted by Anne Grae Martin on the 2015 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…

Highlight of this week: cat yoga!! The new trendy place in cities are cat cafés. They started in 1998 in Taiwan, were really commercialized by the Japanese, and now have become the hot new place to go in big cities. Missing my cat, I decided to book a time at the cat café to go play with the cats. As I was searching the website, I saw that on Wednesday nights they host Cat Yoga. Yoga for an hour with the cats and then a tea party afterwards where you can eat cake, drink tea and play with cats. So obviously, I had to do it. It did not disappoint. The yoga was great, the cats were adorable and I got to bond with other cat lovers.

Cat Yoga Anne Grae Martin 15F London sm

This weekend, I visited more family in Banbury. My aunt and her adorable three-and-a-half-year-old twin grandsons picked me up at the train station and then we went home. I was recharged by the family time and the delicious home cooked food. After lunch, we walked around Broughton Castle (this country has so many castles!). There were beautiful rolling hills outside the castle where cows were grazing. You could just walk right up to the cows. They were so docile and beautiful. After dinner, I got to watch my favorite show, Downton Abbey, with my family in their cozy living room by the fireplace. It was lovely.

Broughton Castle Anne Grae Martin 15F London sm

This week is our Fall Break, so I am leaving for France tonight to visit old friends. Then we are coming back here to celebrate Halloween. It should be a fun week. Stay tuned!