Tomorrow we head to Scotland, and our second and last time share. One thing about living so unpredictably, as we have in the last week, is that we are quite constantly tired. It’s not a sleepy tired either, as quite often we wake up in the morning and actually comment on how rested we feel. It’s a deep rooted sort of tiredness, one that we hope to counteract with a week of having a stationary home base in Scotland.
Today we are back in the Northumberland region, for one last night before heading completely north. It’s a place called YHA Once Brewed hostel, not to be confused with the somewhat affiliated Twice Brewed Inn. I’ve started in nicer hostels, for sure, but the area is wonderful (quite close to the Hadrian Wall, which we will check out tomorrow), and the price is cheap (20 GBP a night for two people). Considering how much long term parking costs, even at a rest area, we were happy to shell out the few extra pounds for warm beds, a kitchen in which to make a morning cup of joe, and a full set of cleaning facilities.
Today and last night were spent in Newcastle, for the most part. We slept in a place called Metro Inn, where we bought out a three person, which actually cost less than a private two person room, for less than 20 GBP total. It wasn’t the fanciest place ever, but it had a sink in the room, a TV, and very annoying but functioning showers. Not a five star hotel by any means, but we arrived late and left early, so for our purposes it was perfect. We got into the city center of Newcastle, and immediately discovered that we had been thrown into an unexpected and unwelcome war with parking. Everywhere was pay and display, with a time limit that often did not exceed two hours, and the receipt machines didn’t take credit cards, nor paper bills. We finally found an indoor parking lot in the Quayside region that mercifully offered all day parking for 5 GBP, and after some paper to coin currency exchanges at a local cafe, we had a parking spot.
It’s worth noting that we had not eaten yet that morning, so the first thing on the agenda was to find food. We ended up buying for sandwiches from Gregg’s for 7 GBP, and eating three of them between the two of us almost immediately outside of the store. Only once that had been accomplished did we at all start to plan out the course of action for the day.
We ended up checking out the Castle Keep, 4 GBP, the St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Great North Museum, in addition to just wandering around the city on foot for a few hours. It was pleasant, but both Matt and I agreed: not our least, nor most, favorite city. The castle could have much more done with it, the cathedral was quite beautiful and peaceful, and the museum was free and good for a couple of hours amusement and warmth. All in all, it was an enjoyable day, and as the sun went down, we sat in a gas station parking lot watching the clouds and sky change colors, discussing our next move. And, like I mentioned, we ended up here, at Once Brewed.
I would like to write much more about what we saw yesterday, but I fear that must be its own post. I figure I’ll do that tomorrow, in the car. We have quite a bit of ground to cover, although I fear I might fall into the same trap as yesterday, and become transfixed with the amazing scenery outside of my window, and just forget to write. I will do my utmost to persevere. Tonight though, my eyelids are heavy, and I have no problem letting them win this losing battle. Bon voyage. Travel safe, and be prosperous at parking!
Britain
Into Manchester we go (Liverpool stories)
We have discovered a wonderful thing about some rest areas in the UK! They have showers! Good, hot, free showers. So not only were we quite warm, and even marginally comfortable, in our car last night, but we even got to shower this morning! Be sure to take advantage of that if you’re ever here.
We drove into Liverpool on Sunday evening after spending the morning wandering around Chester. We got into the city, even found the hostel after some confusion, but what really caused major stress…parking. If you’re ever in any of the make cities in the UK, don’t expect to find parking on the street easily. We managed to find a pretty unofficial car park which cost 4 GBP a day which we took advantage of, but be warned: most car parks are more expensive, and street parking is risky not only because of its unavailability, but also because it is often unclear what the parking rules are.
We parked the car, packed an overnight bag, and headed off towards our hostel. We had booked a four person dorm, though due to a mistake, we were initially sent off to the 6 person dorm. Although it was nice, we were immensely happy that we went back to the desk to ask, as the four person room is absolutely faultless. The room was large, even larger than I’ve seen for a ten person dorm, immaculately clean, with a private bathroom, four huge lockers, and a very nice view out into a major street. The beds were soft, already made, had a little mesh wall by the face for more privacy, and did not creak at all. All this, along with the fact that we paid less than the asking price of 14 GBP due to the six bed mix up, made us immensely happy we thought to spend the few extra pounds in the first place.
We took a shower, a quick nap (after our night in the car, we were both in need of one), bought since Subway for both dinner and lunch the next day, and headed out for what we thought would be a beer, and ended up turning into a night.
It started off with us going into a bar with live music, meeting some drunk people, finding done specials and, well…good thing was, it was all in sight of the hostel.
The next day started off nice and early. After a disappointing breakfast (admittedly, the only bad thing), we headed over to the national gallery to see some artwork. We enjoyed the older art, with our limited knowledge, and reveled in the ridiculousness of some of the modern art. The toilet tuba that was actually playable was a particular favorite.
We headed over to the docks in the early afternoon, stopping only to eat that sandwich from the night before, when we chanced upon the Liverpool museum. It was a cool, quick introduction to the city, focusing on the docks and their workers more than anything else.
The last museum that we visited was called the Maritime Museum, and though not as enjoyable as the others, the exhibition concerning World War II was especially captivating.
Now, I haven’t really given any specific recommendations for what to see, what not to see, because I say, go crazy, see it all. It is all completely free. Even if you walk into a museum and you don’t like it, it’s all cool. Just walk out, no problems or regrets at all.
Anyway, later that night, like I wrote before, we found ourselves in a parking lot, sleeping in the back with the seat folded down, waking up surprisingly warm and rested the next day. Like I had mentioned, we even got to shower.
I’ll write about today in Manchester more tomorrow. Today we are in a youth hostel in there lake district that we booked an hour before arriving. It turned out really well, for not much money. We’re glad that at least we don’t have to sleep in the car two nights in a row. For now, I wish you warm sleep and sift beds.
Cheers!
Hey, remember that last day in London?
I’ve been in a car for a while, so I decided that I would reminisce for a bit, to take up the time.
The morning of our last day in London broke last Friday, November 1st, and we woke up nice and early. We had determined the day before we would start off by visiting Westminster Abbey, so by 8 we were eating breakfast, and by 8:30 we were out the door. It was a short walk over the bridge, and we made it to the Abbey a bit before its opening time at 9:00.
Now, if you happen to be there that early, you will see that a line is already forming. You might assume that the line will disappear once the doors open, so getting a tea ids no big deal.
Don’t.
You will come back to a line stretching around the corner.
Thankfully, the line went quickly, and permitted us to call the person whose home we are currently living in (the wonders of time shares). So, all is well that ends well.
Entrance fees are pretty costly, but the ticket includes a really helpful and informative audio guide, without which the Abbey wouldn’t be nearly as cool. Information is including concerning memorials, tombs, altars, visitors, decorations, damage, and the coronation throne. We wandered around with the playback devices glued to our ears for a good few hours, so by the time we left it was past noon. We decided to swing by Buckingham Palace, to say hello to the queen, before heading to find some food. The square in front of the square was teeming with tourists, most with cameras, climbing over every single reachable surface, gawking at the imposing palace building, and taking pictures at the gates. We wandered around the square for a bit, discussed wether we liked the building, and decided to take a path through the garden grounds that would take us in the direction of food.
And this is when one of the cooler bits of our time in London happened. We had find a little Thai restaurant on a little street that we wanted to check out, and so we headed in that direction to see what we could find. We found the pace fairly easily and, finding it filled to the brim, wandered off to find somewhere different. It is at this point that we discovered that we had accidentally found our way into London’s Soho, a hip, diverse and edgy neighborhood, filled with activity. To me, it seemed as if someone had taken Manhattan’s Soho, mixed in some Greenwich Village, and poured a helping of red light district over the top (for real, though; according to Wikipedia there’s still a healthy amount of that in that area). I loved it. There was so much going on that we couldn’t choose a place to eat, and we ended up buying polish food (kielbasa, roasted potatoes, and twarog) on a street filled with all sorts of booths, before finding a noodle shop which sold heading servings of food for a pittance. I’ll include names of streets and of the restaurant later in the comments.
Full of food, and carrying our leftovers, we discovered that we were a few blocks away from a bus that would take us right to our door, got back just as it started turning dark, and set about packing so that we could leave bright and early tomorrow.
I don’t know if you can tell, but I really annoyed that day. Westminster was historically interesting and beautiful, the palace was royal, and Soho was vibrant and interesting. It was the perfect end to a visit that was way too short.
Today, we have been on the road all day, visiting Stonehenge and Cardiff, and I am quite sleepy. I’m not even home yet. I’ll write about it tomorrow morning.
Cheers!
Hey, here’s a picture…
…of Stonehenge!
Day 4: London calling
So it’s our fourth day in London, our third and last full one, and yesterday was the first time that we’ve been hit with stereotypical London weather. It was raining and chilly, though not as chilly as some of the locals tell us it normally is this time of the year. I haven’t been writing because I’ve been ridiculously busy during the day, then super tired at night…there must definitely is no shortage of things to do here.
On Wednesday, Matt and I got our stuff together fairly early in the morning, and headed off to the Tower of London, to see where the royal family once lived, where the crown jewels are housed, and what the torture chambers look like. On all counts, the Tower pleased, though the instruments of torture were slightly deficient for my taste. We paid 18.50 pounds (the student price) to enter, and spent a very merry 5 or so hours there. Right off the bat, we included ourselves in a free tour group, led by a “Beefeater”, a very English, very funny man who told us a bit about a few of the building’s histories. The tour took about an hour, and was very entertaining…if you are every here, definitely join in on one.
After the tour concluded, we headed off to explore interiors on our own. There are a few buildings that are done with historical accuracy, while others are converted into exhibits, describing money, crowns, military, and a myriad of other things.
All in all, it is a very good way to spend a day, especially if you have company! Afterwards, we went to a place called Union Gold, on Poland St, right off of Oxford St, for some fish and chips. I got a large carp, and boy, was it good. Spent about 13 pounds for the whole thing, but had food for the next day out of it. It was fantastic.
That’s what I wrote yesterday, I will continue writing about Thursday and Friday when we get the car, which is what we’re currently going to do.
Quick vid before writing
Hope this works!
Wandering Owl 