One of the reasons for this blog is to take a look back at some of my past trips. My first big one was to the U.K. in the summer of '96. Deb was going to study the British healthcare system as part of her masters in public health. I was just tagging along for the ride.
We visited so many places and did so many things. There's no way I can recount them all here. But we spent most of our time in London.
London is a special place. I've traveled a lot but I don't think there's anything quite like it in the world. The tube, the museums, the history, the theaters, the constant activity of it all. A high bar to start your traveling career.
Perhaps my favorite place on the trip was York. It's a pretty typical rural British city, but with a bit of big city feel to it. Very different from London. It's a roman walled city. I walked the wall all the way around the city (not as far as you might think).
My favorite part of York was the "Ghost Walk". Basically, a bunch of starving actors taking us from site to site in the city, telling ghost stories and trying to scare us with men in sheets and rattling chains and the whole deal. Lots of fun.
In Scotland, the main attraction was Edinburgh castle. Quite an impressive sight.
With the recent vote in Scotland, it reminds you how different England and Scotland are culturally, but yet also alike in many ways. (Much like different parts of the US, I guess.) It definitely had a different feel, if only the thick Scot accents. There the fish and chips come with with mushy peas (which are peas soaked overnight and then boiled until they are ... well mushy). Which is all fine and good, but (as we discovered) you might want to ask for them on the side or they might just pour them right on top of your fish. Ha!
Near the end of the trip, we were given free time and could travel anywhere we wanted. We chose Aberystwyth, Wales because ... well it was the farthest we could find from everywhere else.
It was a great choice. It's a big seaside tourist destination during the summer, but when we were there it was very quiet and peaceful. A good place to relax and enjoy ourselves. And a great way to cap off a great trip.
