I think I needed a new title for this installment. I hadn't originally planned to write so much in the previous ones, but hopefully you read them.
Shameless plug: If you'd like to follow my trip on Polarsteps, check it out here.
Attempt to get more views: If you missed the first part of the series, you can find it here.
Shameless plug: If you'd like to follow my trip on Polarsteps, check it out here.
Attempt to get more views: If you missed the first part of the series, you can find it here.
Now that the administrative stuff is out of the way, let's get down to the real business. That's a lie, businesses are profitable, this blog is not...
So I think I left off at Stonehenge, let me check my book here. Damn, that felt like a long time ago.
June 26, 2017
Stonehenge was, I mean realistically it's just a bunch of big rocks standing up (some fell over) in a circle that line up with the sun a couple times per year. But, still they are over 4500 years old and built by some ancient, well organized humans. The stones are built intricately for the time, and weigh tens of tons. They actually fit together and some were brought from 20-40 miles away, just don't quote me on that... Overall, really great UNESCO world heritage site and Wonder of the World, and great experience to see.
After Stonehenge, we traveled to Oxford which was okay. Really it was just a stop on our way through the UK to Edinburgh.. which unfortunately ended up getting skipped due to logistical issues.
Back to Oxford, we took a walking tour and got an idea of the life of an Oxford student and the University's history. They wear capes and spray foam at each other to celebrate finishing a year. Weird traditions.
Fun fact! Oxford has been a school for about 1000 years. Man, everything is old in England.
June 29, 2017
Currently sitting in the Liverpool airport waiting for my delayed flight to Belfast. For those of you who do not know, Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, which is separate from Ireland and still part of the UK. You may ask, why Norther Ireland? To that, I say.. Why not?!
Liverpool was actually pretty cool. We bunked with some cool guys, a German and an Australian. We all went out the fist night and got quite drunk due to finding a bar serving beer and whiskey for 1 pound a piece. I had excellent self control and was able to avoid a hangover the next day, leaving me time to take a tour of the city. My travel buddy did not have the same philosophy.
So on day 2, I did a walking tour with a great guide who's name I do not remember, but got soaked in the constant English drizzle. A little rain never hurt anyone, except those without waterproof carry bags for their electronics (thank you guy from Sail).
There was a ton of cool Beatles' history here and the tour was good fun. I went to my first planetarium there too, and watched a great movie about the solar system and universe (I know, I'm a space nerd). The movie was projected on the dome on the planetarium and to watch you literally lay back, relax and enjoy. This, however, is also the recipe for a great nap. Needless to say, it is like watching a movie in the night sky. I will definetly be looking for my city's planetarium when I get home.
We booked the next few cities and I am really looking forward to Barcelona. I can't wait to get out of this miserable England weather and see the sun again for more than 20 minutes. Barcelona will also serve as a good rest stop before moving on to Italy. Officially past the half way point now!
July 1, 2017
HAPPY 150 CANADA! Just waiting for the train to Dublin from Belfast.
I actually enjoyed my time in Belfast. I watched a couple movies the first night due to, you guessed it, rain. This turned out to be a weird experience, since one of the movies I watched was the new Transformers, which to my surprise, was better than the previous one. Why was it weird, you ask?
They filmed some of Transformers in the places I talked about in this blog, places I was literally standing not 1 week before. SPOILER... Stonehenge, Oxford and London were all in the film. I was actually standing where transformers stood in the movie! Maybe not so cool for you, but in that theater, being a complete surprise to me, it was a strange but really awesome feeling. Don't judge me.
Okay, this is getting long. I feel like with each place I go, I add much more detail to the journal and hence the longer posts on the blog. I hope you're enjoying them at least, and check out part 5, coming soon! Like within the hour, soon...
J
So I think I left off at Stonehenge, let me check my book here. Damn, that felt like a long time ago.
June 26, 2017
Stonehenge was, I mean realistically it's just a bunch of big rocks standing up (some fell over) in a circle that line up with the sun a couple times per year. But, still they are over 4500 years old and built by some ancient, well organized humans. The stones are built intricately for the time, and weigh tens of tons. They actually fit together and some were brought from 20-40 miles away, just don't quote me on that... Overall, really great UNESCO world heritage site and Wonder of the World, and great experience to see.
After Stonehenge, we traveled to Oxford which was okay. Really it was just a stop on our way through the UK to Edinburgh.. which unfortunately ended up getting skipped due to logistical issues.
Back to Oxford, we took a walking tour and got an idea of the life of an Oxford student and the University's history. They wear capes and spray foam at each other to celebrate finishing a year. Weird traditions.
Fun fact! Oxford has been a school for about 1000 years. Man, everything is old in England.
June 29, 2017
Currently sitting in the Liverpool airport waiting for my delayed flight to Belfast. For those of you who do not know, Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, which is separate from Ireland and still part of the UK. You may ask, why Norther Ireland? To that, I say.. Why not?!
Liverpool was actually pretty cool. We bunked with some cool guys, a German and an Australian. We all went out the fist night and got quite drunk due to finding a bar serving beer and whiskey for 1 pound a piece. I had excellent self control and was able to avoid a hangover the next day, leaving me time to take a tour of the city. My travel buddy did not have the same philosophy.
So on day 2, I did a walking tour with a great guide who's name I do not remember, but got soaked in the constant English drizzle. A little rain never hurt anyone, except those without waterproof carry bags for their electronics (thank you guy from Sail).
There was a ton of cool Beatles' history here and the tour was good fun. I went to my first planetarium there too, and watched a great movie about the solar system and universe (I know, I'm a space nerd). The movie was projected on the dome on the planetarium and to watch you literally lay back, relax and enjoy. This, however, is also the recipe for a great nap. Needless to say, it is like watching a movie in the night sky. I will definetly be looking for my city's planetarium when I get home.
We booked the next few cities and I am really looking forward to Barcelona. I can't wait to get out of this miserable England weather and see the sun again for more than 20 minutes. Barcelona will also serve as a good rest stop before moving on to Italy. Officially past the half way point now!
July 1, 2017
HAPPY 150 CANADA! Just waiting for the train to Dublin from Belfast.
I actually enjoyed my time in Belfast. I watched a couple movies the first night due to, you guessed it, rain. This turned out to be a weird experience, since one of the movies I watched was the new Transformers, which to my surprise, was better than the previous one. Why was it weird, you ask?
They filmed some of Transformers in the places I talked about in this blog, places I was literally standing not 1 week before. SPOILER... Stonehenge, Oxford and London were all in the film. I was actually standing where transformers stood in the movie! Maybe not so cool for you, but in that theater, being a complete surprise to me, it was a strange but really awesome feeling. Don't judge me.
Okay, this is getting long. I feel like with each place I go, I add much more detail to the journal and hence the longer posts on the blog. I hope you're enjoying them at least, and check out part 5, coming soon! Like within the hour, soon...
J
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