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Watching THE Boat Race in Barnes
I went to Barnes, where Amy and her husband Dion live, to watch the historical boat race Oxford vs. Cambridge. Soon after arriving I was educated: the race itself lasts barely 20 minutes, but people meet hours before the actual start, get drunk and have fun. So that's the *real* purpose of this race! The weird thing (to me, anyway) is that these two universities have their race in the middle of London, on the Thames.
After having a beer (or two? I don't really remember ;-) in the pub we went to Amy's neighbour, Marc, to watch the race from his first floor balcony.
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Amy and Katy on the balcony, Dion and Marc inside - all of them watching the race, completely fascinated!
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The boats are approaching the finish line, the crowd goes wild! Marc's wife Manu (did I spell that right???) and little Billy are not as enthusiastic... (but well, umm, this picture was taken after the race, actually)
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Oxford is winning! Yes! After 7 years of Cambridge reign, Oxford strikes back!!!
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After the race we went back to the pub. Rob had joined us in the meantime, and he was having fun! Amy was wearing her Excite cap, and suddenly she was approached by Jennifer, an Excite employee from Redwood City who was on holiday in the UK with her husband! Unbelievable coincidence, isn't it? Below you see a group shot - all the Excite people that were in the pub. |
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Later Amy, Dion and I had an excellent curry before we retired to their flat, smoking cigars and playing video games with Marc. My original plan had been to be back in town for a concert around 8 PM, but somehow I didn't quite make it! ;-)
Well, luckily Amy and Dion offered me to stay in their guest room... (Thanks again!)
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So, in the end I went home Sunday noon - this is the view from the train bridge, next to the station where I caught my train to Waterloo. It was a great Saturday afternoon, surprisingly turning into a great Saturday night, too!
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Zu den Bildergalerien
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