Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Ye Olde English Experience: Chester


Oh, Chester! What a lovely town! Between hail and sunshine, I had such a pleasant day in this town, this time with my cousin Melly and her boyfriend. First things first: me and Melly had an epic full English Breakfast and a pint for very cheap in a dingy café and then headed to the nearest pub for a wee dram. The rain and the river intensified the cold dampness so we had to keep on walking to get warm. In the park there were so many squirrels approaching us fearlessly, they were too cute, it was hard for me not to bring one home. Adorable little creatures with their fluffy tails! If you haven't visited Chester yet, do it. It's a small town, you can see almost all of it in one single day - cosy pubs, quiet alleys, Roman walls (Chester could be York's cousin, really) and of course, Eastgate Clock, the most photographed clock in England after Big Ben.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Ye Olde English Experience: York


Me and Dani took the TransPennine Express for a taste of the good old North West England. York was, as opposed to Manchester, a lovely surprise. I feel like these photos don't even make justice to the quaint charm of this historic walled town; I wasn't inspired at all and not even the first class train ride (luck was on our side - don't ask) soothed the hangover. All I needed was some proper pub grub and a passionfruit cider. Skies looked so blue that, if it wasn't for the cold temperature, it would feel and look like Spring. For a medieval hint, a walk in The Shambles would make one travel back in time but the Christmas-thirsty crowd pretty much ruined the experience. We passed by so many pretty bookshops and cafés, Victorian style pubs decorated with Christmas lights and fat ducks floating along the river. Not many tourists, which was great. An afternoon to remember, I tell you.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Out and About in Manchester


Manchester was a brief, insane and surreal odyssey. Dani came down from Scotland to meet me in one of the ugliest cities I've ever visited. Apart from Chinatown and Gay Village, I really didn't get why people even bother going to Manchester for a day trip like we did. With the Christmas Markets came the crowds, making it almost impossible to walk around a very busy Albert Square. The food we ordered tasted like Fairy (yes, the detergent) and was ridiculously overpriced. Sure it was entertaining for us hobbit/eskimo look-alikes, to watch the seminude, fake tanned girls stiletto-stumbling in the pouring rain. Curry Mile would've been a good place to go for food but we didn't make it. You can only imagine why. I don't feel like coming back to Manchester ever again but I'm glad we shared 24 hours in that busy bustling city.