My trip to London. By Emilė

LONDON has always been one of my super top destinations because of its history, culture, street fashions and music, language, beautiful ancient palaces and green parks with swans and squirrels. So we decided to do it this spring break. We were so lucky to have blissfully sunny weather and … huge crowds of foreign students.

Our schedule was really busy, so as soon as we got off the underground in Victoria station, crossed Green and St. James parks, we literally waved to the Royal Guard parade at the Buckingham palace and headed to the London Eye. After the spectacular ride we had a river cruise by boat and enjoyed the famous views from an open deck – Palace of Westminster with Big Ben, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tower of London with Tower Bridge…

Stephen Schwartz’s music, performers’ voices and dances and extremely enchanting special effects.

thOn our last day we visited St. Paul’s cathedral, Trafalgar square, Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross station for Harry Potter souvenirs and it was time to go back home.

It was a short trip, but my head is spinning until now full of impressions, beautiful memories, sounds of London accents and enormous variety of different kinds of people. I hope to go there some time again, only for a longer stay.

Comprehension check

  • What is musical “Wicked” about?
  • Maybe you know what book it is based on?
  • How tall is the Shard?
  • Which train platform did Harry Potter start his adventures from?



Coffee Culture by Viktorija Taraškevič

Coffee is an essential element for most of bleary-eyed people to start a morning, as it is very common weapon to fight constant fatigue which is a natural result of the fast life pace and busy routine.  Nowadays it became extremely frequent, for instance, to grab a cup of this comforting treat in the nearest cafe to renew your energy while rushing to do your daily duties.  

Drinking coffee was not only quite recently regarded as an exotic and theatrical new drink, but also seen as a way to emulate the cosmopolitan New York lifestyles showcased in hugely popular sitcoms like ”Friends” or ”Seinfeld”.

Nonetheless, experts agree that Britain now has one of the most vibrant coffee cultures in the world, which was showcased by the 2010 World Barista Championships held in London.

Coffee is now enjoyed in the home too – a third of people have some form of coffee machine in their kitchen which is easily filled with the beans bought online. However it is prepared, it is made with an attention to detail to ensure consistency, starting with fresh quality beans.

‘Latte art is a bonus as it makes a beautifully presented cup of coffee and shows the care that has gone into making your coffee – but the taste is most important. <…> You can only ruin a good coffee,” argues Graeme Crawford, the managing director of “Papercup” in Glasgow, adding that a great coffee has a “balance of acidity, sweetness, mouth feel and aftertaste.”

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