This week travel began in Edinburgh, Scotland. I arrived the day after The Fringe Festival had ended. During this month long arts festival, street performers, live shows, musical venues, artists wares, etc. fill the town of Edinburgh. Though the festival was offically over, many street performers and artist booths could still be found as well as the final performances of some of the live shows and without the huge crowds. All along my trip everyone told me how wonderful Edinburgh was and they were not mistaken. Edinburgh is steep in history and has many museums in which you can get that history from various points of view. I spent 3 days in the city but could have filled at least another day or two. I will warn everyone that Edinburgh is built on a hill so there are a log of ups and downs (would be the perfect place to train for the AT). Since this was my last stop in Scotland I did try the haggis and was not really impressed but nor was I disgusted.
For the Harry Potter fans that follow my blog, there is much attributed to the novels in the Edinburgh area. J.K. Rowlings spent time at the Elephant Shop Cafe where she wrote her notes about a boy wizard on napkins. In a nearby graveyard many names that are within the novels can be found, even Tom Riddle. The private school behind that same graveyard gave inspiration to the 4 houses of Hogwarts and just walking through the streets, one can definitely get a feel for Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, not to mention the HUGE banks that could have been inspiration for Gringots. I would definitely recommend Edinbrugh for anyone wishing to make a Harry Potter odessy tour.
While in Edinburgh I made a new friend from Shanghai, Tracy. Tracy (her Anglo name) is a 34 year old woman who just quit her position and took a month long holiday to the UK and was heading back home to look for a new job. I hope she made it home safely and wish her luck in job hunting.
With my Scotland tour wrapped up, I headed to England with York being my first stop. York is fairly small but chock full of character! The two "must see" things are the York Minster and the Chocolate Experience. I would also recommend taking a walk around the old city walls as well as wandering around the streets. As it happened I was there on market day, as if there was not enough shopping in York, the market was the icing on the cake! Fresh fruits, veggies, breads, eggs, meat, as well as crafts and clothes could be found. It was nice to have this option instead of the local grocery store.
I made another new friend in York, Eve (not her real name again). Eve is from Taiwan and was scouting out various towns and their Universities to complete her graduate work. She is majoring in Women's Studies and hopes to help bring about change in her native country. She too was heading home and I know she will be happy to see her family again.
For the Harry Potter fans that follow my blog, there is much attributed to the novels in the Edinburgh area. J.K. Rowlings spent time at the Elephant Shop Cafe where she wrote her notes about a boy wizard on napkins. In a nearby graveyard many names that are within the novels can be found, even Tom Riddle. The private school behind that same graveyard gave inspiration to the 4 houses of Hogwarts and just walking through the streets, one can definitely get a feel for Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, not to mention the HUGE banks that could have been inspiration for Gringots. I would definitely recommend Edinbrugh for anyone wishing to make a Harry Potter odessy tour.
While in Edinburgh I made a new friend from Shanghai, Tracy. Tracy (her Anglo name) is a 34 year old woman who just quit her position and took a month long holiday to the UK and was heading back home to look for a new job. I hope she made it home safely and wish her luck in job hunting.
With my Scotland tour wrapped up, I headed to England with York being my first stop. York is fairly small but chock full of character! The two "must see" things are the York Minster and the Chocolate Experience. I would also recommend taking a walk around the old city walls as well as wandering around the streets. As it happened I was there on market day, as if there was not enough shopping in York, the market was the icing on the cake! Fresh fruits, veggies, breads, eggs, meat, as well as crafts and clothes could be found. It was nice to have this option instead of the local grocery store.
I made another new friend in York, Eve (not her real name again). Eve is from Taiwan and was scouting out various towns and their Universities to complete her graduate work. She is majoring in Women's Studies and hopes to help bring about change in her native country. She too was heading home and I know she will be happy to see her family again.
From York I headed to Manchester. I have to admit, I was not planning on going to Manchester but one of my roommates in York LOVED it so much, that it sounded like a place I should check out. My first impressions of Manchester were not very good. It is a much larger city and has a different vibe than the last places I have been recently. There is a lot of clubbing going on and the surface seems to cater to the partying crowd. After getting through the top layers, one can find that Manchester does have a lot to offer. My favorite things were the Peoples Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the John Ryland Library (made to look like a gothic church but built as a library) - all free to the public. I also went through the football (soccer) museum because if you are in Manchester, you just have to do it! (free as well)
Edinburgh Photos Here
Northumberland Photos Here
York Photos Here
Manchester Photos Here
Edinburgh Photos Here
Northumberland Photos Here
York Photos Here
Manchester Photos Here
The weeks are now starting to fly by! Two weeks ago I wondered if I could really be away from "real life" for a year, if that was too long to be gone; that perhaps I should cut the trip off around 6 months. This week I wonder if a year will be enough. I give my sole to the universe and trust that it will help guide me to where I need to be, when I need to be there and that I will know when the time is right.
RSS Feed