Edinburgh july 2010

The thought of no travel for the better part of a year was too scary so I booked a long weekend away in July to Edinburgh where I wouldn't need a passport to travel to. Train tickets were organized (only £29 round trip), 2 nights at the Radisson hotel with 1 of the nights free (being in the know does pay off sometimes) and I found 2 travel companions (my past flatmate A and my current flatmate S). Result!  A trip to look forward to to a city I've always wanted to see, with great company.

The day finally arrived and off we went, arriving to a hot sunny Edinburgh afternoon. After checking in we went out for a wander around. Our hotel was very centrally located, right on the Royal Mile, which made exploring very easy. There is a lot to see in such a small city and we made the most of our time there. The second day we woke up to the pooring rain and learned Edinburgh weather can't be counted on. We found a place for breakfast hoping by the time we finished the rain would stop.  It didn't but we headed for the Castle at the top of the Royal Mile with a stop in in a church, the St Giles Cathedral to escape the rain and listen to the beautiful sounds of a visiting American choir. My favourite bit of the cathedral was the small carving of an angle with bagpipes.

Edinburgh Castle is where you end up if you follow the Royal Mile to the top of the hill. On this day it was in the clouds, but because the city was blotted out it added to the atmosphere of what it must have been like 100's of years ago. Tip: I would suggest getting to the castle early and having breakfast there, the canteen/restaurant has great views of the city and sells fantastic pastries.

After the castle we explored the shops, had a great Thai lunch, and then after a freshen up, headed out to check out the night life. We learned a night out must end with fried food, anything you can think of fried. Pizza, Mars Bars you name it.

Our final day we planned to take a walking tour. We woke up it was sunny so A and I chose summer clothes, shorts and such, but as weather in Scotland does it changed, and the sun went in the wind picked up and that was it for summer weather. In an effort to keep warm I quickly bought a scarf, now my souvenir of Edinburgh and a reminder of how fleeting summer can be in Scotland.  The walking tour was great, we saw Harry Potter sites, learned some history, lots about the city and were told the story of the Stone of Destiny (aka Stone of Scone).

Then it was time to get a bite to eat grab our bags and head to the train station. Time to head home.  Edinburgh is a great city, I really liked it. Possibly because it reminds me a little of home, some of the buildings look the same as the historic part of Halifax, the people are friendly, the wind, the size of the city, and the fact that it is a university town.  For whatever reason if it wasn't so cold I would seriously consider living there. It is one of those cities that I just click with.

S says eat your Haggis it's yummy.

Scottish flag.

The sounding landscape is beautiful, this is known as Arthur Seat.

S and I

Edinburgh Castle

Shops

At night all lit up.

The school that was the inspiration for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books.

Out on the town.

Windy at the top.

St. Giles Cathedral

A and I with the Edinburgh Castle in the far background.

Life without a passport.

My Canadian passport was going to expire in less than 6 months, it was time to get a new one, so I thought best to get it in early so there would be lots of time before my heading to Canada for my UK visa to be reissued by the UK home office.  At the end of November I sent it off my the Canadian Embassy in London.

When the time it was due came and went I emailed the Canadian Embassy in London to ask if all was OK. In 10 minutes I had a reply apologizing that it was 3 days behind due to a high volume but it had just arrived from Montreal so I should have it the next day. So polite and efficient so Canadian.

When it did arrive and I gathered all the forms and the £168 fee off it went to the UK home office, and the wait began.  It was now the 3rd week of January. Nowhere on the home office website does it say how long it should take, other "than the normal standards of service", but I had heard horror stories of people on other visas waiting 6 months or longer for a reissue and mine involved a name change.

I'd already been 2 months without a passport. Suddenly it seemed like there were travel deals everywhere that I couldn't even consider taking advantage of.  So I looked at where I could go without one, England, Scotland and Wales.  I decided to make the most of it and book a weekend away to Edinburgh in July, that would give me something to look forward to.

I called and enquired after 2 months had gone by. All they could tell me was they had it and it was being processed, no they couldn't estimate how long it should take, nor could they say how long it might take worse case. Thanks. In the end I had a colleague with a friend in high places in the foreign office enquire after my passport/visa. I also finally managed to to find out what the "standards of service" are, 14 weeks apparently.

At last the the 14 weeks (I had been 6 months with no passport) came and went, and the next day I had the passport back in hand with the visa reissued in it. So my ticket to Canada in August wouldn't be going to waste, and I felt free having it back knowing I was free to go anywhere I wanted again.

Alton Towers! Bring on the Roller Coasters.

I love roller coasters there is nothing like that ticket in the tummy they give you and the feeling of being alive when you get off at the end. In England there is a place I have wanted to go for many years, Alton Towers where they have 8 roller coasters.  It is up north near Manchester and requires a car to get to. So N and I decided to make it a road trip before he sold his Mini. The date was set and off we went!

Nemesis, Europe's first inverted roller coaster. We went on this one 3 times.

Oblivion, the world's first vertical drop roller coaster. Hands down the scariest roller coaster I've ever been on. A face first drop into a hole in the ground after they leave you hanging over it at the top, (like in the photo) for what seems like forever.

The hole. N asked did I see the mist?  Mist what mist?! I had my eyes shut!!

On the way back to London we stopped off for a wander and lunch in Stratford, here I am with the obligatory photo opp in front of Shakespeare's birthplace.

Paris and Liverpool - a bit of a contrast.

One thing I learned in my job is that if I am going to take time off best take a whole week. I work on shows that run every week for the most part, in taking a week off I just skip a week and start all over again in the following week. My job is a bit like the movie Groundhog Day but lasts a week rather than a day. If I take a day then I usually end up having to make up that work on the other days left, not really the point in taking a day off.  So I booked a week off the beginning of October and spent part of it in Liverpool and part in Paris (now there is contrast for you!).

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool I really liked, there was a good vibe, a nice mix of old and new downtown area was fairly compact so good for wandering around. The night life seems good, I think it would be a fun night out with a bunch of friends. I went to Alma de Cuba Saturday night a gorgeous bar in a former catholic church where at 11pm Friday and Saturday nights they have Brazilian dancers (and a petal drop). Great atmosphere, yummy cocktails, and such fun.

This is the 12 room hotel I stayed in called Parr Street Hotel, it has 3 studios on premise, a bar and 12 rooms. I would recommend it, good location, and a nice change to large hotels.

Of course being a Beatles fan I did the tour and spent some time at the Cavern Club, which was lots of fun singing along to Beatles tunes.

Liverpool surprised me with how modern it was. The old buildings down on the water are also nicely done up, full of shops, restaurants and cafes in the old warehouses. Liverpool has a good mix of the old and new going on.

This is part of a park which is amongst the shopping above (it is actually the roof)

PARIS

Paris, it was a bit what I was expecting, a large city with some parts more French than others. I am not a fan of big cities when travelling now that I live in one myself. It was still exciting after all my travels to see the Eiffel tower and experience the Eurostar.

The Eurostar, gets you to Paris in just over 2 hours. It was amazing, you could really feel the power and speed of the train. The only way to travel, so much better than dealing with airports.  And Kings Cross being only 15 minutes from the flat makes it even easier.

Obligatory shot with the Eiffel tower. In front of me were lots of men selling miniature versions of the tower (10 key chains for 10EUR anyone?) It was a bit surreal seeing it in person.

French are masters of design and there were fantastic houses and surprises around most corners. Would love to see the inside of these places.

The sun did come out. It ended up being far to warm for the clothes I packed for the rest of the trip, which was a bonus.

Part of the Louvre. I didn't attempt it this time around it is enormous.

After I arrived, I got rid of my bags, then off to my city tour via Segway, it may be a bit geeky but they look like such fun, and it turns out they are. A great way to cover a lot of ground with out tiring your feet out as well.

Musee d'Orsay, an old train station beautifully done up as an art Museum.

One of the eating areas in the Museum, I loved the open clock window.

The Museum's displays were fanatic, nothing in the galleries to distract from the art.

Loved this door down the ally behind a first door.

A closer look.

Sacre Coeur is at the highest point in Paris so all those sitting on the steps are overlooking the city, and watching buskers, a fantastic place to be on a warm evening.  You can take a funicular up but I went hard core and hiked it. After walking back down I explored the area Montmartre for a bit.  It is a fantastic little neighbourhood, sort of the French version of Notting Hill and like Notting Hill has become famous and prices have gone up due to movies like Amelie. It has also been popular with artists such as Salvador Dali, Monet, van Gough, and Picasso.

After wandering Montmartre for a bit, I found a table outside a nice looking, very French style, restaurant to have dinner. I ordered steak tartare and the waitress was kind enough to remind me it was raw (I knew there was something about it I should be remembering!) I stuck with it though and it was pretty good.  While finishing up a man asked if he could share the table with me and we got to talking, it turned out he was a location manager, he does what used to be my dream job (location scout).  It was a great ending to the day, meeting a real French person randomly. It is encounters like that which makes travelling on your own fun. 

Loving the Metro signs.

Canada - Wedding

I never planned to go home to Canada every year, but when an invitation arrived from an old friend for her wedding I knew that I couldn't miss it, I would be home again in 2009.  As a bonus I would be home for Canada Day and it would be summer so I could look forward to a day or two at the beach.

The happy couple.

Catching up with an old friend who moved out West years ago.

The tan is from Turkey, the weather in NS did not cooperate one bit, no beach for me.

Nicole's dress was amazing, and she looked radiant, she really did. 

The gang, just like the old days (am I sounding old?).

The day after the wedding lunch on the waterfront.

Turkey - Dalyan

Since the trip to Slovenia went so well I decided to book a second and longer trip with Adventurea, this time looking for some sun. Turkey fit the bill for when I could travel and it is somewhere warm. There was enough time-out in the itinerary for relaxing and recovering from another exhausting football season at Sky Sports. So I put down my deposit and booked my fights.

Once I arrived a the gate at Gatwick airport, I checked out the crowd trying to figure out who might be part of the group. As it turned out I didn't have to wait long to find out, the seating had been arranged for us and I was sitting amongst the group so I got to know 2 of the group I was sitting with before landing in Turkey.

The group was a varied one and everyone brought something different to the group.  It made for a great week getting to know the others, exploring Dalyan, trying some new activities and relaxing.  My favouites were the Turkish bath and hot springs and mud baths. Canyoning pushed me to the edges of my comfort zone with ledges and cold water, as did Karaoke! There was lots of time spent on various boats and a couple hours on a beach with surf that was big enough to be fun but not scary.  The water was the perfect temperature and nice and clear.

Beautiful scenery.

Roman Ruins, those Romans, where have they not been?

The sheep have made themselves at home.

Kayaking

Mud baths and thermal hot springs my favourite.

It was deemed too hot for mountain biking so we went canyoning instead. Yes, it is as high as it looks, and that water is pounding down as you try to grab the rope. Testing the limits.

There was lots of karaoke. 

One of our many boat excisions.

I would definitely recommend Turkey, great weather, fantastic food, friendly locals who mostly understand English.  I look forward to returning and seeing more of the country.

The one where Tweasel (my kitty) arrives from Canada!

After being in England for 18 months it was time to make a decision about Tweasel, find a place for us to live, or give up on having her join me in England.  Giving her up was too sad so I went on a new search for a suitable flat that would allow a cat. I found a lovely flat that was bright and spacious and had a cat living in it, the catch it was about £100 over my budget. I would have Tweasel but I would struggle and have no life. I turned it down, gave it a weeks break and started again.  This time I found a flat that fit my budget was in a good location and I would be sharing with only 1 other person.

I gave my current flatmate/landlady my notice. The next day my flatmate/landlady said she would rather have me and Tweasel and deal with her allergies than lose me.  Very sweet of her to say, and I was ecstatic not to have to go through moving, and stay in Notting Hill. So other than having telling the other flat I wasn't moving in after all it was ideal.

Tweasel recovering from jet-lag. 

Slovenia - Group travel

My trip to Ireland was a turning point for me. I had been travelling for many years on my own, meeting people along the way and joining them exploring or going off to do my own thing. I have made friends who I still keep in touch with this way and enjoyed the freedom of doing what I want when I want.  In Ireland I found myself tired of travelling on my own, wishing I had someone there to share the adventure with and reminisce about what we saw when home and I decided that for the most part my solo travelling was over.

So the next time I got itchy feet I started looking around at group travel options.  I wanted to avoid the expense of the single supplement, was a bit weary of backpacker tours and ending up with a group of 20 year olds, as well I was worried that other group tours could mean travelling with all couples.  Then I came across a company called Adventurea, group travel for those in my age range travelling on their own, and they would pair you up with someone on the trip as a room-mate. Also their trips seemed to be activity based so I would get to see new places, try new things, and have a little time for relaxing. Perfect.

The trip I chose was Slovenia, I liked the look of the activities, it was a place I had never really considered, but it looked beautiful and I like getting away from hordes of tourists. Also it was 5 nights so if the group thing didn't work out I wasn't committed for a whole week.

The Scenery is beautiful in this part of Slovakia. We were based in the village of Bovec.

Easy start to a day of mountain biking.

One of the the stops along the way.

Such clear water. 

A night out at the Scripi Bar, we had the place to ourselves except the 4 other girls, but they seemed to like our music requests.  Just remember if you ask for some 90's tunes in Slovakia you will get 80's music. Seems they are a decade behind.

A day of hiking the mountains... with a little bit of a hang over.

It was beautiful, but it was a bit treacherous in parts, one of our group lost his footing near the end and went tumbling down the mountain.  It was very traumatic, emergency helicopter etc, he spent the rest of the week in hospital with a fracture in his back, but he was lucky it wasn't worse.

Sing a long during our lunch break.

An excursion up the chairlift to see the views.

  On the other side of the mountain is Italy.

At the top, it was a bit chilly and there was a dusting of snow.

The last activity, white water rafting. A challenge for me as I don't like cold water.

Man overboard.

Made it.  It was a good first experience, the rapids weren't too rough and the weather was nice and warm.

All and all I would highly recommend Adventure as a way to travel, the group was diverse and activities well planned out. It's a shame they went under earlier this year.