June 13, 2014, by International students
My top 5 – what every Nottingham student should try
1. Try some international cuisine
You will literally see all types of cuisines in Nottingham, being such a diverse city! This includes Chinese, Indian, Turkish and Italian! As delicious as these cuisines are, my favourite happens to be located a bit further from the Nottingham city centre. Being from Lebanon, most of my international friends would ask about my home cuisine! I found the perfect place for them to try! It’s delicious, generous in portion sizes and affordable for the price!
Beirut Downtown is a local Lebanese takeaway which offers a wide range of original Lebanese dishes. Make sure to set your order in earlier if you know what time you want it in, as they spend sufficient time to perfect your order! Great for home gatherings, late night study sessions in the library and to be quite honest: EVERYDAY! My personal favourite: Shish Taouk Wrap and Tabbouleh Salad!
2. Visit the Christmas Market
No matter how hectic your study schedule will get in December, every student must visit the Christmas Market! It’s a beautifully decorated market and is fun for all ages! You must try the Nutella Crepes as well as the ice skating rink! What a beautiful feeling to hear carols in such an adorned area with your friends!
3. Meet Robin Hood
Coming to Nottingham, means you are coming to the city of ROBIN HOOD! Make sure you take the Robin Hood tour. Robin Hood of Nottingham will take you on an adventure around Nottingham and enable you to discover the truth of the legend. By following Robin Hood, you will encounter a trail of historical facts associated with Robin Hood, you will also see the city’s key sites of interest and learn about its history and culture and end the tour in Britain’s oldest pub, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem where Robin Hood invites you to drink ale with him! This tour taught me more so much about Nottingham. My friends who pursued an undergraduate degree here were so surprised to see how I had learned so much about Nottingham in my first week, much more than they did in 4 years.
4. Walk along the River Trent
Photo of the river: credit to Nama’a Qudah, Jordan, MArch Theory and Design
I was never really good with directions; this proved to be for my benefit. I once got lost; it took me to one of the most beautiful places I had seen in Nottingham! River Trent, I thought I was gazing in a painting! Wow, beautiful for a nice walk by yourself for peaceful thinking or even catching up with a friend!
5. Visit Batman’s house
If you are looking for fresh air and see that you are tight on budget, I have the best idea for you. Make a home-made sandwich, pack an apple and head to Wollaton Hall. It’s spacious, so it’s great if you want to walk, run, jog or even get your mind off things. It’s beautiful, so it’s perfect if you need to take any pictures (you might even be lucky to see some deer roaming around) or just spend some time with a friend. Wollaton Hall was famously used as Batman’s home in the Hollywood movie The Dark Knight Rises. One time I took some friends who were visiting from Brighton, and they had a blast, especially when we toured the inside of Batman’s house!
TIP: Try to go on a sunny day; you won’t need to worry about carrying an umbrella as you enjoy the beauty of this place.
Have fun!
Nelly Awad, international student from Lebanon studying MA in Global Citizenship, Identities and Human Rights at The University of Nottingham.
English
Wow, this is really amazing, Nelly. I’m really impressed cos each section draws readers in to explore parts of the wonderful city that is Nottingham and provides an allure for adventure. The batman movie card, that is total genius. I didn’t even know that. Well done Nelly, I’m so proud of you.