Cambridge photos

Gosh it’s been months we were there but I finally got around to putting the photos up on Flickr. Just a day trip to Cambridge, nice little town.

Sneak preview below. You can see all the photos here.

 

Slow Change

Surreal experience at the Sri Lanka High Commission today.

After being greeted by a metal detector (which I already expected) I walk into this tiny lobby where about 30 people were queuing up in no particular order hoping to reach one of the reception counters. Which one I should go to wasn’t exactly clear, as counters 1 and 3 had a paper sign out of a dot matrix printer that said, respectively, “Passport Renewals” and “Birth/Death Certificates”, none of which were the purpose of this particular visit, so I decided to push my way around to counter number 2 which read “Please Pay Here”.

The place was so hot it might as well have been a sauna. A tiny third world oasis right in the middle of London – were it not for my formal work attire which made the whole experience miserable. But thinking about it now, if you come to London from Sri Lanka you probably don’t need an air conditioner even in the summer.

So after handing in my papers and paying for the visa fee, I am told to wait. After waiting there for a few minutes I’m thinking that they are probably going to process the visa on the spot and call me in for an interview as they are doing for most people waiting there. That would be good news, since the website says it takes a couple of days to issue the visa. Well, after 15 minutes of wait they come back with my change (£7) and a receipt – passport to be collected in two days. 15 minutes waiting for my change!! Feels just like home.

Summer

It's summer in London and this week temperatures are nearing 30 degrees. The overall feeling around the city is that of a natural disaster looming. Public announcements in the underground give instructions as to what to do in case someone falls ill and advise people to carry water bottles in the tube. The city council is urging businesses to relax the dress code and allow people to wear shorts to work. The end of the world is near, etc.

At first I found it all very amusing. But just try walking onto an overcrowded tube in this heat during rush hour whilst wearing a suit and you will start taking the announcements seriously pretty fast.
It's not that bad in the morning, but by 4 p.m. all the heat emanating from each of the 4 million souls that travel on the underground every day has worked things up to such a state that you are properly steamed by the time you leave the train.

Other than that, I don't mind the heat. It's good for once going outside without carrying a coat. And a spending a sunny afternoon at the local park is worth all those hours sweating in the underground sauna.