Today, I visited my friend in Lincoln who goes to the University of Lincoln. I got the train from Nottingham and she met me at the station. It only took an hour to get there! We have been saying since we started at university that we need to go and see each other, however we have only just got round to it. We struggled to find a day that we were both free and didn’t clash with our uni timetables. I have only ever been to Lincoln with family for a day of shopping and on a school trip to the castle and cathedral to collect resources and information for my History GCSE course work.
I arrived at 1.30pm so the first thing on our agenda was lunch. My friend scouted out a vegetarian and vegan restaurant for us to try out. It is called Cafe Shanti. The cafe is located just down the high street and on Clasketgate.
The interior of the café is very different and is very much Indian inspired with the bright colours, patterned fabric table clothes and materials hanging from the ceiling. It definitely has a maximal feel to it; in my opinion it is over decorative inside and could be quite overwhelming for some as there is a lot to take in. Having said this, the interior, I’m sure, would add to the experience and give visitors something to look at when they are eating. It’s an intimate cafe, however there isn’t much space to sit and I can image it would become quite crowded when it is busy.
We didn’t end up eating here as there were not any available tables and we didn’t fancy sharing a table with others. We wanted time to catch up properly. I am not a huge fan of spicy food either so I was very worried that the food would be too hot for me judging from the Indian interior and henna patterns everywhere. When we walked into the space, I would smell the spices so it was probably for the best that we didn’t sample the cuisine.
We had a wander further down the high street and came across Wildwood. I had never eaten in this restaurant before and it looked quite quiet so we opted for this. I chose a grilled goat’s cheese salad that consisted of goats cheese and hazel nuts on sourdough bread. This sat on top of a bed of mixed leaves, cucumber and tomatoes. It was a bit different for me but I still enjoyed it. My friend selected the spinach and pesto pasta which also looked yummy. We sat talking in here for ages so it had such a relaxed environment.
Once we had finished our lunch, we then had a wander up Steep Hill and down the high street. We had a look in some of the independent shops up the hill; I loved looking at all of the cute gifting ideas.
My favourite shop to look in was Homesense. I have only ever been in a Homesense once in Manchester. In case you haven’t heard of this store, they are part of the TK Maxx family. They are definitely the place to find extraordinary everyday homeware with savings up to 60% compared to the RRP. There were so many things to look at and so many varieties of sweet home decorations. I don’t know about you, but I could definitely fill my home with this style of items; it is all so aesthetically pleasing. I have found out that there is one in Nottingham, but it is located at the retail park slightly out of the centre and therefore is harder for me to get to.
When it started to get dark, my friend took me to have a look at her university campus and accommodation. I have looked round the uni last summer with my family when I was looking for university options but it was nice for my friend to show me her new life in Lincoln. She shares a flat with four other people and has a similar layout to my halls. I briefly met her flat mates who were all sat in her kitchen. She showed me where her lecturers are held and we had a wander round the campus; it has such a nice feel to it.
Lastly, we walked back up Steep Hill to the cathedral which was all lit up. The architecture looked beautiful and definitely stood out against the dark sky.
The weather was rather a letdown but I had a lovely day exploring Lincoln and spending the afternoon with my friend from home. Lincoln is full of history and has such as friendly atmosphere. I will definitely be back to visit her again soon, but before I do I’ll have to show her around Nottingham.
Have you ever been to Lincoln?
Rachel
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