England: Bye Bye Leicestershire

In early May, my days at New Barn Farm were numbered as my second job in Devon awaited me. The last week in Leicestershire was marked by long walks and lots of work on the farm. I had already finished my major projects there, and with the nicer weather, I worked a lot in the garden with Jan. We had to tend to and care for seedlings for tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, pumpkins, and zucchinis, dig up beds, and weed. On Tuesday of my last week, Jan took me on a walk through Bradgate Park. Jan and Dave have a certain set of activities that they do with all the helpers, and Bradgate Park is one of the highlights. Jan likes to do this at the end of their volunteers' stay because she thinks it's all downhill from there. When we met up with her friends and their Flatcoated Retrievers in the park, I understood why. The park is huge, hilly, and picturesque, beautifully landscaped with trees that are several centuries old, palm trees, small groves, and of course, a ruin (a folly, a small useless building that rich landowners like to build in their extensive parks just to have something to look at). On the edge of the park is the mansion, now only discernible by its ruins. Lady Jane Grey grew up there, who became known as the 'Nine Days' Queen.' She was a cousin of Edward VI and was elevated to the English throne by her family after his death. When another family member made a claim to the throne, she was quickly executed for treason. Although that is very sad, she left behind a beautiful park. It was already established as a hunting ground for nobles before the Greys, and it still houses huge herds of deer that roam through the park and are not bothered by visitors at all. I had never been so close to a deer before (especially not with a dog on a leash). For the dogs, the long walk was like a family outing because they are all somehow related to each other. Jan meets up with the others and their Flatties once a month, and I had a great time chatting with everyone and getting to know the area.

At the beginning of the week, I took my last trip, where I chose Nottingham. The city is characterized by the Robin Hood legend, and there is a short but beautiful path through the city, passing by its sights, which tells different episodes of the Robin Hood story. I walked along it and saw Nottingham Castle, the oldest pub in England ('Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem'), medieval buildings, the Robin Hood statue, and the Nottingham caves. I had hoped to at least visit the park of Nottingham Castle, but after seeing the entrance fees, I changed my mind. I especially liked 'Pitcher & Piano', an old cathedral that was converted into a bar and can boast a great interior. Another café where I spent a lot of time is Coco Tang, and although it naturally doesn't compare to the nightlife in Jena, it was very cozy with great coffee, Vietnamese cuisine (which at least looked authentic), and a pleasant atmosphere. But most of the time, I spent in the Arboretum, next to the university. The Victorian park was breathtaking, and I spent what felt like hours strolling around the extensive grounds. The central part is the tree collection in the middle of the park, which I admired but couldn't appreciate properly since I'm not knowledgeable about trees. The cherry blossoms were particularly beautiful, and I sat in various spots in the park for a long time.

In the middle of the week, the two new volunteers, Zoe from New Zealand and Toni from Austria, arrived. It was fun to do the tasks with both of them, mixing English and German. I taught Zoe a few important insults in German before I took the train to Devon.