Scotland weather and train snafus

 So we did a train snafu yesterday. Wasn’t the railways fault. So….when you go from Edinburgh to Glasgow or vice versa, there are different routes. Linlithgow is between them two. Not every train out of either goes to Linlithgow. So yesterday we got on the wrong train for the first time. We ended up having to go to the station (Haymarket) before Edinburgh. It’s the only place we could transfer to back to Linlithgow.

The thing is the train we originally got on was the long route stopping at lots of small towns. Took 50 minutes to get to Haymarket to transfer. Then it took another 20 minutes to get to Linlithgow. So 70 minutes for what would have been a 30 minute ride. Oh well. Live and learn.

I miss the sun. I think my brain and body know this time of year is when there should be sun. In the UK, particularly Scotland, it’s mostly cloudy. That gets tiring. In Scotland it is mostly in the 60’s.  

The weather goes from partly cloudy to cloudy to rain and back to partly cloudy all in one day. You never really know what tomorrows weather will be because it will most likely change. We are on an island in the ocean after all.

I miss warm weather, sunshine. It’s like fall here. I love everything about Scotland and I will come back here but I do miss the sun.

Seeing America from far away

 I was on my own today. M and I decided to go our separate ways for a day. I was sitting in a Starbucks today in a very touristy area of Edinburgh. I asked the barista “ how are you?” and she said she was glad it was Friday that working all week you are tired by Friday. 

I sat there thinking how all of us tourists must look to people like this. We look weary. Tourists hit the ground running and wear themselves out. Always afraid they won’t see everything. She probably gets tired of us and all of our various cultural quirks.

I sat there listening to a two American tourists talking. The young women recounted her other travels. Sounds like she had travelled lots as a kid. Probably comes from a family with extra money to spend.

It struck me how privileged we Americans are. How privileged I am. How many people can do what I’m doing? Very few. They don’t have the income. They have obligations. 

In the last few years I have wanted to leave the United States. I just couldn’t stand what it had become. All the violence, the political crap, the racism. I’d had enough. 

It’s interesting to see cultures where violence is not overwhelming. There is violence here. There is knife crime. One thing that isn’t here is the pervasive gun culture, the mass shootings, the everyday violence. 

Perhaps I am naive but people don’t seem to fear each other here like they do in the United States. They don’t hate each other.Things seem normal here. They don’t feel normal in the United States.

Edinburghs underground city

 Scotland is, and looks, so old. The buildings here have been left to age and look brown and black which makes them look even older. Maybe it’s the climate, lots of rain. Could be the effects of being on the coast. 

All of it make Scotland feel like you are going back in time. It’s weirdly eerie. I keep wondering what it must be like in winter with mist and fog. 

It feels like a Harry Potter movie here. The building, the old churches. Streets have alleys called closes. They have names like Mary Kings close or the Bishops close. At the end of them are usually houses. They were  usually named after a notable resident.

They were built for security against attack and had gates at the entry. They also allowed for high density housing in the old days. 

There is one that is really interesting. Mary Kings close. Mary was a merchant who lived in the close. The thing is it is this close is underground.

 It lay abandoned for many’s years until two brothers dug it out and now tours are offered. 

In 1644 the plague hit Scotland. Edinburgh’s narrow closes and overcrowded housing was a breeding ground for the disease. Marys close was quarantined. People were taken care of there and given food and water. Many died there. It was abandoned in

It lay crumbing and decaying until it was closed off and things were built on top of it. People still knew about it and managed to get into part of it. 

A man claimed he saw a ghost there. It was a little girl whose family abandoned her and she was looking for a lost doll. He brought a doll down there and it remains there to this day. 

It is known to be haunted and ghosts of people who live there roam the halls.

Beautiful Scotland

 

Edinburgh city of hills

 There have been times on this trip when I have thought we should pack it up and go home. Especially on travel days. Sometimes I want to be in my own home, my own bed.

Then something remarkable happens. Like the train trip to Scotland where I see some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.  Beautiful ocean views, rolling hills with cows, sheep and horses. It makes it all worth it.

How can I let some minor inconveniences stop me? It would be insane to miss out on all of this.

So settled in our new airbnb, the best one

 so far. That’s been the hardest part, adjusting to staying at new places. 

Found out today Edinburgh is a city of hills. Seven of them in fact. Experienced a couple of them today . Also lots of old stone stairs.

Today(sat) we went to jazz/blues festival which required going up a long hill, going through a narrow steep walkway with several flights of stairs. I did ok. London s underground got me in shape for it.

The jazz/blues festival was great.

The Scottish coast is stuuning

 It is travel day. We have already begun the fiasco. It's 945 am. We have to leave the airbnb at 10. We get a notification that (WAIT FOR IT!!) the train is cancelled!! So it's only canceled to out train transfer point. So you are thinking get a ticket to the transfer point and continue on your merry way. 

I looked at at later trains  - sold out. I thought I better getter get another train quick with the way this is going. I'm sure it's chaos at the ticket counter. So I booked it thinking I'll get a refund for the first one.

So the new one is at 235 pm. We have a 3 hour wait. We are perched on the 2nd floor of Picadilly looking at people scurrying around.

SCHREEEEECCCHHHHH!!! Stop the blog! I take back whatever I have said about the rail system. This 4.5 hour train was some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Starting with rolling hills of wheat fields and pastureland with cows, sheep and horses to the beautiful Scottish coastline, it was otherworldly. 

We travelled along the coast for probably an hour and a half of the trip. Gorgeous cliffs and beaches. Pretty coastal towns.

I was thinking what it must be like to live on a big hill with the ocean view on one side and rolling green hills dotted with trees on the other side. A paradise.

Ode to the northern quarter, Manchester

 Goodbye Mani. Goodbye to very slow trams that I grew to like because it showed me the city. 

Goodby northern quarter. You are one of those run down neighborhoods the cool kids find. They start going to the pubs and making them hip. They open vintage clothing shops. Coffee places start popping up. Little funky businesses rent shops that are dirt cheap. For now. 

Pretty soon the artists and cool kids start renting the cheap apartments even though the neighborhood is still iffy. Because it looks rundown, it still keeps a lot of people away. For now.

Street art starts appearing, a lot it is really good. Music spots start opening. More people are showing on weekends. It becomes THE place to be. 

Other people start finding out about this quirky, funky neighborhood. Weekends start to be really busy. More and more “normal” shops appear. It is written up in the paper as the next trendy place.

Then it happens…tourists appear with their iPhones taking selfies in front of the David Bowie mural.

 The northern quarter is now TRENDY. Uh oh.

UK Train fiasco # 129 in which I tear half of my hair out

Sit back and get your popcorn , this is a long story.

 The UK train system is expansive and efficient if you know what you are doing. We don’t know what we’re doing.

We decided to make the 27 mile trip to Liverpool. It’s one of those places everyone has heard about because of the you know who’s. 

So okay, no big deal. We’ll go directly from Eccles to Liverpool. Eccles train station is very small consisting of 2 platforms on either side of two tracks. There is one guy in a very small ticket booth. 

So I had bought what I thought were two tickets online the day before. For some reason I couldn’t get an e ticket so I printed them at another station the day before. I got two tickets or so I thought. Ah,no, it was a ticket and a receipt. Called them and they told me to call another number to straighten it out. I decided to buy another ticket instead and print it at the station. It wasn’t that much money.

So tried to print it and it didn’t work. Went to guy in the booth and he printed it. We asked him what side we go to and he said platform 2. Went that way and there was a “to Liverpool” sign . Great.

Go down the stairs and notice an electronic sign says train to Liverpool is at 11:37 but our ticket is for 11:15. Huh? We asked a person there does this go to oxford road, our first stop and they said no, it’s across to the other side. Well it’s like 11:14, so we rush up the stairs, down the stairs to the other side just as the train pulling in. Turns out our train goes into Manchester before going to Liverpool. 

Now for some reason there are two train changes on this 30 mile trip. First one goes smoothly. Have 9 minutes to make the change. The train is 3 -4 minutes late (ding ding ding warning!) So we come to the next change and pull in late. We get off and notice people start running in the direction of our new platform. So we start moving quickly the half mile(!) to the other platform. As we are coming down the four flights of stairs the train pulls in. We barely made the train.

So okay La dee dah spent a few hours in Liverpool. We have etickets for way home. We go to the place where we scan into the station. Doesn’t work…. Ask staff there WTF? They tell us we have to go to another station a few blocks away. We drag our sorry butts over there. 

It turns out that even though our tickets were from Liverpool Central on the itinerary, we were supposed to walk to Lime street station from Central. Who in the #%~$&@ has walking as part of the ticket?!

We were way early, having had more time because the original time on the ticket gave you 20 minutes to get there to Lime street but it was a 5 minute walk. So we got on this train and there were no train changes home and we lived happily every after. The end.

Moral of the story: look at your tickets closely before using them.

Beatles rule Liverpool and make people a few bucks too

 So today we went to Liverpool, home of “Ladies and gentlemen the Beatles!” (Their first appearance on Ed Sullivan show in 1964). I was nine when they played on Ed Sullivan.

This is Beatles town. There are Beatles stores, Beatles restaurants. There are Beatles bus tours called the “Magical Mystery tour” in which you can visit where they played before they were famous, John, Paul and Ringos childhood homes, where they went to school, etc.  I hear they stop where Ringo used the toilet once. Har.

There are Beatles museums. I imagine there are old guitar,

lyric sheets, clothing, etc. One place has an ashtray with a cigarette that was actually smoked by John Lennon on May 6, 1965.

Here’s an interesting fact; “ After a 2008 topiary tribute to the Beatles was unveiled in Liverpool, Ringo’s leafy head was cut off after he said he missed nothing about his hometown”.

You might think I don’t like Liverpool. I loved it! Especially the waterfront. Oh and I love the Beatles Who doesn’t?

Mens hair is fading in Manchester

 All young men here seem to have the same haircut. It’s kind of like the are in a cult or something. It’s called a fade. It consists of shaved hair on the sides and longer hair on top. 

So some men have straight hair that is fairly long that that use gel or something to have combed back. It stays like that! That amazes me. My very short hair is fine and thick. I lays flat. I always try to give myself sort of a ultra hipster tousled look on top. (!) It never works no matter what I try. It goes flat. Maybe superglue would work.

There are so many barber shops here. It seems like more than hair salons. Maybe they are just more noticeable, I don’t know. I guess mens hair upkeep is very important.

When we walk to the tram station every day, we pass a very small barber shop. It’s open 7 days a week. There is one guy. He’s there everyday. I guess he never takes a day off. Busy chap.

The world of hair is a very profitable one. From men and their fades,etc., to women and their braids, haircuts, highlights, baylages (really have no idea what that is but sounds good so I threw it in), lots of money is being made.

Las Vegas in Manchester England

 I found a place that could be found in Las Vegas. It is called the Trafford palazzo. It is a huge shopping center made up to look like a Roman palazzo. 

I’ve seen pictures of the Venetian in Las Vegas which looks a lot fancier but it’s kind of a similar effect without the canal. I’ve never actually been to Las Vegas.

Other than the theme of a palazzo it’s a regular mega mall. There is part of it in the food that is made to look like bourbon street in New Orleans. The mall has everything you would ever want.

Other than that we went back to the center to people watch at a table outside Starbucks. We did the same thing the previous Saturday and it was fun. So many different kinds of people going by. There are a couple of popular hipster bars down the block so it's busy. 

Groups of people come young women out looking for young men and vice versa. Couples all dressed up. A few rich people. A Lamborghini went by. It fun to see how people dress. Boring ordinary a running dress to punk to designer, you see everything. There was a hen (bachelorette) party of about 40 across the street.

Observing people is probably one of the most interesting part of this trip.

Manchester’s eerie library

 Manchester is one of those places that you would need to spend a long time to discover it all. There are lots of things to see in the center but also in the neighborhoods along the canals and rivers.  Two weeks is too little time.

I went to the John Ryland library today, probably the coolest place I’ve seen yet. It was a woman’s tribute to her husband opened in 1900. 

It is an amazing place that looks like an ancient church. It has these reading rooms that stretch the length of the building all in a row down both sides. Inside each rooms are all these old books behind glass dating back hundreds of years. The oldest one I found was from 1415.

No one can take any books out. It is a place to store a vast collection. Once in a while a researcher will request to see a book and it is brought out, but rarely. 

It is kind of an eerie place that is dimly lit. Feels like there could be ghosts. 

Getting your prescriptions filled for a slow traveller

Naturally I love Mani. I love all these places. 

The women's European cup for soccer started here last night. Over 70,000 people at the first game. That’s amazing for womens sport. Never happen in the U.S. By the way England won against Austria. 

So I am on 3 medications that I take every day. I knew that this was going to be a challenge.  So starting looking into how to get more. Asked a pharmacist who told me I have to see a doctor and have them prescribe. He gave me a number.

No go. Said he never should have given me the number. Went to another pharmacist. Gave me a number to a private doctor that you can see the same day.

Called them and made phone appointment which was cheaper than in person. So next day wait at at appointed time. Nothing. Called them an hour later and the woman had put me down as in person. Couple hours later nurse practitioner called me. Able to give me one month supply. Messaged a local pharmacy. Cost: $60. 

Went there few hours later. Not ready and oh by the way we can’t fill one of them. We ran out. Called back to NP office. They gave me paper prescription to try at another pharmacy. Cost for two meds for a month supply:$30.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it or not. It is usually combined with another med. We’ll see.

How can she travel for a year?

 You are probably wondering how did she manage to do this? The whole travel the world for a year thing? Doesn’t she have obligations?

Before this I lived in an apartment and paid rent, electric gas. I had a cell phone bill. I had credit card payments. I was buying groceries every week. 

I had no car. That saved me a lot of money. No payment, gas, insurance. I used an hourly car rental that was a block from my house. 

I ate out, went to coffee shops, events.  Bought stuff on Amazon. In other words I had a normal life.

I have a decent retirement income after 30 years as a nurse plus social security. It’s average. I had a small business that earned me about 9,000 last year.

The biggest reason I could do this is that I didn’t have any big obligations. I don’t own a house. Didn’t have payments or have to worry about it while I was  away. No car to pay for or store. I am retired. No work obligation. My son is not married, no grandchildren yet.

The biggest thing is I have always been is a risk taker. Not afraid to do something different. Always confident I could take care of myself. I have a big sense of adventure. 

I thought what is the worse thing that could happen? I would hate it and have to come back. I would have to come back for a family emergency. If I had to come back, the world would not end. 

I have made sure I have money in the bank for any emergencies or extraordinary circumstances. I also have credit cards. I will only use them if I need to. I have health insurance in case of emergency.

I don’t know what the future holds. Something could happen that brings this to an end prematurely. In the meantime I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.

It’s cold in Manchester for this slow traveller

 I could live in Manchester. It is like a very big city but in a smaller package. It has everything London has but not so much of it. It’s so much less hectic and frantic. 

It has a very extensive public transport system with the trams, albeit very slow.  Easy to reach rest of UK from here with 3-4 rail stations in the central part. Lots of culture, music, arts. Lots of diversity. History. 

It would be cool to live in one of their many high rise buildings. The only drawback I can see is weather. (This coming from someone who lives where there is 6 months of snow and cold). 

I think Manchester has maybe two months of summer where it gets to maybe 68.  Rest of months range 44-62 degrees. They get more rain than most UK cities.  Cold and damp winters? No.  I guess you get used to it. What is worse 10 inches of snow and -15 or cold and damp winters. It’s a toss up. They typically get 2.8 inches of snow in winter.  (See photo) The UK doesn’t seem to have clear days. It’s a lots of clouds, then partly cloudy periods.

I’m looking forward to exploring more of this fascination’ city!

View from Manchester Deansgate tower

 Lots of people out today. Tram was full with people standing. 

Went down to central Manchester. The tram’s slowness and many stops let’s you see different areas. Manchester is a city of rivers. They meander through the city. A lot of neighborhoods are named so and so key. 

In the 2000’s the city decided to develop an isolated area with nothing on it. They decided it was a place that skyscrapers could be built. It was named Deansgate Square.

Four very tall residential buildings were put up. They range from 460 to 659 ft tall. The tallest building has 62 floors. That is the tallest building in Manchester. Imagine living on the 62nd floor!

Here is a picture of the towers and a view of Manchester from the tallest one. Obviously view is not my picture.

Manchester is hip to this slow traveller

 It's a new day. Here we are in Manchester.  Or “Mani” as the locals call it. The city itself has a population of 535,000 but in greater Manchester (suburbs and all) has 2.7 million. It's the 2nd biggest metro area in England. We're in northwest England now. Accents are thicker.

Manchester has two rivers that run through it so lots of scenic spots along it with shops and places to live. After Cardiff this feels really big.  Very sophisticated.

We sat outside a Starbucks today and people watched.  A wide variety of people went by.  Everything from bachelorette (or hen parties as they are called here) parties to a marriage party led by the bride to hip young women in the latest fashion. Add some good looking young men and you got the picture.(I’m not dead yet)

Manchester is a mix of old and new. Very old intricately designed building to 40-50 story modern skyscrapers. It’s sort of like a less crowded, less harried London. I love it so far. 

I’m even enjoying the very slow trams that are actually kind of relaxing and let you see the scenery. 

So a good start to a new and exciting place!

Goodby beautiful Cardiff from this slow traveller

 So goodbye to Cardiff. A cool city with so much more potential. 

I think Cardiff will become even better than it is now. There is a separation between the beautiful bay and the center.  If they can somehow make it easier to get down there this city will explode. 

You can take a bus to the bay but we chose to walk. It’s about 40 minutes and you walk through a not so nice area.  The bus takes 30 minutes. It’s the regular city bus and not a tourist shuttle or anything.

The bay front has some development but has so much more potential. I can see hotels and condos in its future. Lots more restaurants. More use of the water with boating. There is only one boat that goes around the bay. There is a brand new arts building for theatre, music, dance that is really cool. The Welsh parliament is down there.

In the 1980s the bay entrance was restructured so there would be more of a consistent level of water and the entrance wasn’t all sand during low tide. 

If you walk around central Cardiff and take it at face value you won’t be impressed. The fun is inside the buildings and arcades. They hides lots of independents shops, markets and restaurants. 

Cardiff isn’t fancy but the River Taff and the gorgeous park along it on the castle grounds make it beautiful along the gorgeous bay.

This slow traveller loves Cardiff Wales

 Interesting contrast between London and Cardiff. London has 9.5 million people and covers a huge area. Cardiff has 485,000 and is compact. 

London is frenzy, Cardiff is calm. The biggest difference I’ve noticed between the two is the people. Londoners seem posh. It seems like nobody goes out of their house without making an effort to look good. Not everybody, but most. 

I don’t want this to sound classist. It is not intended that way at all. The people in Cardiff seem like regular everyday people. Working people. They aren’t trying to impress anybody. They dress how they want. Casually. Very few people here are made up like models or celebrities.

I feel more comfortable in Cardiff. They are more my kind of people. They will look you in the eye. Say hello. In London no one said hello. It’s probably just the difference between a big city and a small city.

Wales is like the working class cousin of England. There are rich people here but they don’t feel visible. They probably shop in London. Spend lots of time there. 

Cardiff gets 20 million tourists a year. The bay is beautiful and it feels like that area is going to to explode in popularity in the coming years. Cardiff has lots of shopping. Central Cardiff has lots and lots of small shops of all kinds, many in arcades and shopping centers tucked away. Lots and lots of pubs. Beautiful green spaces. Lastly it has rich history. 

Cardiff is a place you have to explore in the nooks and crannies and alleys to find interesting things. It’s worth it.

Cardiff Wales medieval history slow travel

 You really have to dig for interesting nuggets. Like today seeing the remnant of the town wall in Cardiff that was built for defense purposes in 1100. 

I like to look up what are the oldest places. This came up. So I went to find it. I looked and looked It was across from Cardiff castle by Pizza Hut. I just happened to look in the alley behind Pizza Hut and there it was! Looking at it you would never guess it’s history. 

It was part of a 1.2 mile defensive built around the city. It was 8 ft high and 10 foot thick. There was nothing identifying it as this significant piece of history. Just knowing that was built 1100 years ago and seeing it is so cool. 

There are also remnants of a 3rd century Roman wall in the Cardiff castle walls. It is outlined in red on the photo. Unbelievable.