A word on groceries, bikes, and other things.

Apparently, I don't go to the grocery store to buy my eggs, milk, pasta, etc. I go to the supermarket. Which is normal enough, because we say that in the US too, but we also say grocery store which, apparently here means exclusively fruits and vegetables.... As far as these supermarkets go, there is a very cheap one on the walk between Jesus and Emmanuel colleges called Sainsbury's, which is proving to be very useful. Sainsbury's is quite affordable but also always very crowded. They have your basic things, and then a ton of meal-in-a-microwave stuff, too...they seem to be really big on those here. And they love small, individual things, which is great for me! Small jugs of milk, little bits of cheese, 6 eggs at a time, etc. Perfect. A major difference, though, is that they don't have people who bag your groceries, at either of the markets I've been to in town. It's smart, in a way, but also makes for incredibly long and slow lines as you have to wait for the person to bag their own stuff before the next one can really start checking out. Oh well, it gives me time for some good people watching.
The streets are very crowded on weekends here, and generally well-populated otherwise, because everyone walks everywhere. It's not quite New York City status, of course, but it sure isn't the San Fernando Valley either. Also, the city is incredibly bicycle friendly. There are SO many bikes, and they are everywhere. For the most part, the people don't really lock them up to anything, either...they just lock a wheel to the body and stick it on a sidewalk somewhere. Weird. They'd be stolen in a second back home.
I'm still getting a kick out of all the old architecture. One of my classes is called English Architectural History, so hopefully I'll be learning a lot about the buildings around me! One of my favorite things is that the churches and some of the other incredibly old buildings (and I'm talking OLD) are actually set about a foot or so below ground level. I had an inkling that this might be because the ground level has actually risen up over the centuries of people building on this exact spot, while the churches haven't moved for hundreds of years, but would anyone like to confirm that? I'll get a picture of what I'm talking about up soon!