Cambridge C1 Advanced Student Liesa from Germany gives her advice on the best things to do in Richmond. Liesa, over to you:

So, you want to explore Richmond but have no idea what to do there. I get that. London’s certainly not most famous for its little known borough of Richmond. But it is still absolutely worth a visit. Richmond provides one of the most picturesque and peaceful surroundings I’ve ever seen in London. It’s not really a place for partying but it is charming for lovely, relaxing days out and evenings. Here are my top tips if you ever visit:

• Orange Tree Theatre

The Orange Tree Theatre is located at 1 Clarence Street, near the Richmond Train Station. It’s a cosy theatre, with a central round stage (called theatre in the round), which is kind of unusual but very beneficial for the crowd because you can see and hear everything from every angle. I saw a contemporary setting version of Romeo and Juliet there a couple of years ago and despite my low understanding of the English language (at the time) it was very nice to watch.

• Richmond Green

Richmond Green is a nice little green space where you can have lunch or walk your dogs, cats, turtles, all pets you like and basically everything you can imagine doing in a public green space. There is nothing special to see but it is still a lovely area to just relax and enjoy nice weather or a yummy sandwich. And they sometimes play cricket there in summer, so watch out for flying cricket balls!

• Richmond Riverside

While not as vibrant as the Southbank (by the Thames in the centre of town), Richmond Riverside is scenic and tranquil. Even though there are some nice pubs around that area, I reckon the best thing is to just take a stroll or sit on one of the benches next to Richmond Bridge, especially when it’s a bit misty during sunrise or sunset when there are absolutely stunning views, and it even feels like your on a film set! Just be careful around the time when the water level rises because of the high tide – it can come right onto the path and you will get wet feet!

• Ole & Steen

Ole & Steen is a famous, high quality Danish bakery with truly delicious cakes, breads and so on. They have some other shops in London as well but I heard the one in Richmond is the most famous. I’ve been there many times on my own but also with friends to have a coffee, a cinnamon social (that’s a type of delicious cakey thing by the way) or just to buy the rye bread of the month, because it’s mostly really delicious and you get some discount on it. I actually did a trial shift there when I was looking for a job in London so I can tell you the people working there are absolutely lovely and very patient, but in the end I found another job instead. But that’s a different story!

I’m off home tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed Richmond. I’m sure you will, too!

We asked Liesa, a C1 student from Germany, what she thought were the most important things to do before you arrive in London. Liesa, over to you!

Oyster Card
One of the most practical things you might need in London is the Oyster Card for public transport. The Oyster Card is a practical little piece of plastic which you can get from many shops.  The Oyster Card is pretty important because without it you cannot travel with bus, train and tube. At most of the train and tube stations you have to tap yourself in to get onto the platform. If you don’t have a ticket or you haven’t tapped yourself in you may have to pay a penalty of £80! So here is how the Oyster Card works:

In the tube and train stations, there are some machines where you can put some money on the card. You then tap in to the station with the card. Are we clear??? If you still have no clue how it all works, then look around the area where these machines are and there are usually some information desks. Don’t be afraid to ask them if you’re not a 100% sure what to do.

City Mapper
So, you got your Oyster and some money on it and you want to go explore London, but you have absolutely no idea how to get to – let’s say – Covent Garden. Well, most of us use Google Maps and that works, but Maps isn’t always very reliable and maybe you don’t want to take the first route you get to see. However, City Mapper is an application (I even think it is especially designed for London) which shows you every possible route and the prices respectively. All the schedules and timetables of London public transport are shown.  For instance, I am always looking for the cheapest route because I try to save some money. So, if I’m not in a hurry I always choose the cheapest route which is probably the one that takes you the longest to get to your destination. You can also use City Mapper in other cities, but when I tried to use it in Berlin, it showed me the possible routes, but no prices.

MONZO Bank
So you found Covent Garden and didn’t even spend that much money on travelling! You’re pockets are full of cash that you exchanged in your home country and you want to take a shopping trip. That’s nothing to worry about but perhaps it’s a bit annoying to carry all that cash around, so why not use a bank card, like all other Londoners. By the way, in this town people don’t often use cash any more, definitely not as much as in Germany anyway. To open a bank account you normally need some time and lots of proof of identity, such as proof of address and other important stuff, which is sometimes hard to get in the first place. But if this all sounds very complicated, I’d recommend you open your bank account at Monzo Bank. It’s foreigner friendly and they don’t have so many restrictions. So, basically it’s super easy to open a bank account at Monzo, and it only takes half an hour. Monzo Bank has none of its own cash machines or branch offices so you cannot deposit any money, but you can take money out.

National Insurance Number
You’ve done your shopping and everything. Nice one! But now it might be a good option to look for a job or else the money won’t last long, especially in London. To start a job here you need a National Insurance Number, or else you have to pay lots of taxes – believe me I’ve been there. To get an NIN (National Insurance Number) you need to get an appointment to see somebody in person, and I think the most efficient way to get your appointment is online before you visit/move to London because the waiting period normally takes around a month or more. For the appointment itself: please don’t forget your passport! I did and I was sent home immediately to get a new appointment, so I had to wait ANOTHER even though I was already working. Bad luck I guess.

I hope that is helpful to you, and you have a great time in London!

 

Liesa

The IELTS Life Skills Listening and Speaking B1 Level course is a new 20 hour course for those people who are applying for ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’ in the United Kingdom or alternatively for British Citizenship.

IELTS General Training for UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) is designed to meet requirements specified by the UK Home Office. (N.B. Before you register for your test you should check the English language requirements for your visa category.)

Life Skills tests have two main parts. In the first part of the test, you will be expected to ask and answer questions on familiar topics, while the second part is a combined Listening and Speaking task.

Following this task, you will be asked to discuss a theme related to what you have listened to on the CD.

Life Skills Tests are completed in one short session of around 20 minutes.

If you would like more information on the Life Skills Course, then do please get in touch with us.

Join us after work on the evening of Wednesday 29th January at any time from 5:30pm to 8:00 pm.

We are having an open evening, where we will be offering new students a free consultation with one of our teachers about their learning needs and how we can try to meet them.

We will be able to tell you about lots of exciting new courses that we are planning over 2020, including:

Our new Occupational English Test Course (OET) for Healthcare Workers

Our new Intensive International English Language Testing System Course (IELTS)

Our new Business English Course for the 2020 Summer School.

We will also be talking about the existing Cambridge General English courses we offer. Do join us. We aim to make it a fun and informative evening for all of you who come along.

Run by the National Trust, and sitting in beautiful gardens on the banks of the river Thames, Ham House is an absolute must see attraction for anybody who visits Richmond. Just 20 minutes walk from Richmond town centre, it has been called one of the grandest houses in the whole of England.

It was originally built in 1610, and its amazing collection of paintings, furniture and textiles has hardly changed in 400 years.

And there’s more.

Ham House is also supposed to be one of the most haunted houses in the world. Dogs howl and whimper in its rooms. Sometimes there is a distinct smell of old, Elizabethan tobacco in the air. A woman dressed in black silently walks along the corridors. Terrifying screams have been heard from empty rooms.

An eery, strange mirror hangs on the wall on the ground floor, and many visitors – inexplicably – feel too scared to look at it as they walk past.

Will you dare to look into it when you pay the house a visit, or will you turn the other way?