I went to Nottingham which is the city most hit by the recession in my experience thus far. The lace market is closed and the lace centre had closed the day before I arrived.
There was lots of high end shopping, Robin Hood Monument and the Castle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham,_UK
On the way back we decided it would be a good idea to stop by the Sherwood Forest- where we found it hard to find Sherwood trees. There is the legendary "Major Oak" which we found after climbing a few fences but found it a little disappointing as it is held up by steel beams.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_forest
Pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=cc0aa4c5e6198c9a&sid=0Eas2rdy0bMnRw
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Whitby and the Moors, April 25, 2009
I drove to Whitby for a day and decided to go through the Moors on the way. The moors were a little disappointing because the heather wasn't in bloom (late this summer). So it had lots of brown bushes to see but did have some interesting large craters; such as Horcum's Dyke.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_York_Moors_National_Park
Whitby on the other hand was beautiful with lots of character. It is known for "jet" which they turn into jewelery (black fossilized remains of decaying wood). Lots of shopping of course and they are well know for their fish and chips. I had the cod fish which was very nice as it didn't have a strong "fish" taste. It was also goth weekend so we had some interesting sights (people) to watch.
The Whitby Abbey was awesome with some views over the harbor. Too bad they don't want a power plant built there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitby
Some of the last pics you see is of the "Mexican" food we ate on the way back in Hull. Everything was ok except the salsa was like tomato paste.
Pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=c5aeb5e5cd0960e5&sid=0Eas2rdy0bMnMA
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
York, April 18, 2009
Note: I am posting York first as it is shorter than Scotland (coming soon):
I traveled to York for the day to escape rural life and see what the city is about.
I went with my coworkers Farrah and Ben who are new arrivals to the jobsite. I drove for the longest period yet (about 1.5 hrs). It went well only a couple of wrong turns due to the nuvi telling me the wrong exit off the round about. Found a parking lot with vacancies but was not prepared with 10 GBP in change to pay the toll. I went and bought a "kinder egg" (chocolate egg with toy in the middle) so the cafe would give me some change to pay the meter.
Visited the York Minster and did the "do it all" pass. This included the main level, undercroft and the tower. I was not prepared for how narrow the stairs would get, 25". Crazy- but we made it. Then we walked around the streets of York (lots of shopping). Found the shambles, which is a tiny road back from medieval times. It is pretty commercialized now.
We then drove north of York a little while to see Castle Howard- we took pics from the outside as it was getting ready to close. I did by some things from their glass shop though. A few miles up the road was "York Lavender". Thinking it would be a purple field I followed the signs- to a 5 mile drive and some disappointment that is was tiny little bushes here and there and not in full bloom.
Left York and drove back to Scotter for my birthday dinner with "BV South"
Pics:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=d4bd29baeefbdd84&sid=0Eas2rdy0bMnEg
Here's some info on York:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York
I traveled to York for the day to escape rural life and see what the city is about.
I went with my coworkers Farrah and Ben who are new arrivals to the jobsite. I drove for the longest period yet (about 1.5 hrs). It went well only a couple of wrong turns due to the nuvi telling me the wrong exit off the round about. Found a parking lot with vacancies but was not prepared with 10 GBP in change to pay the toll. I went and bought a "kinder egg" (chocolate egg with toy in the middle) so the cafe would give me some change to pay the meter.
Visited the York Minster and did the "do it all" pass. This included the main level, undercroft and the tower. I was not prepared for how narrow the stairs would get, 25". Crazy- but we made it. Then we walked around the streets of York (lots of shopping). Found the shambles, which is a tiny road back from medieval times. It is pretty commercialized now.
We then drove north of York a little while to see Castle Howard- we took pics from the outside as it was getting ready to close. I did by some things from their glass shop though. A few miles up the road was "York Lavender". Thinking it would be a purple field I followed the signs- to a 5 mile drive and some disappointment that is was tiny little bushes here and there and not in full bloom.
Left York and drove back to Scotter for my birthday dinner with "BV South"
Pics:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=d4bd29baeefbdd84&sid=0Eas2rdy0bMnEg
Here's some info on York:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Scotland April 9-13, 2009
I went to Scotland for Easter Weekend to take advantage of the UK 4 day weekend. Ken drove while Aileen and I enjoyed the riding lifestyle.
We first stayed at the Dunstane House which was fabulous. My room was the attic all the way at the top but was soon to become known as the princess room. It was decorated with red and black decor which was beautiful. We stayed there for two nights while we traveled around Edinburgh. I even had the Haggis Balls- which is the locals favorite. I also had the best meal Friday evening- mussels, chicken, I tried the salmon and scallops. It was way too much but it was "gorgeous" as the locals would say. We went to the Castle which is more like a city than a castle. We walked down the Old Town and New Town side.
We then went outside of Edinburgh to take on some more scenery. We visited Falkirk Wheel, Stirling, Stirling Castle and drove by the Forth Railway Bridge. Stirling Castle is also more like a city than a castle. We also drove by the Wallace Monument.
Doune Castle was the first "real" castle we stopped at. It was nearly deserted so we had fun climbing to the top and then back down again to the other side. It was had a river on one side and was very tranquil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_wheel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Railway_Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Monument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doune_castle
The next day we headed towards Loch Lomond, Loch Awe and around the west coast for some coastal scenery. We eventually found the Kilchurn Castle which was hidden on the water. We stayed the night at Drovers Inn which was built in the 1700's. I felt like it was going to cave in- you'll notice in the pictures that the windows are custom as they are sideways. My door had a huge gash in it where you could see in the room. I hung my jacket over the hole so no one could see in. That evening there were two guys that played Scottish folk songs which was great, then as it started getting later they played Johnny Cash, Elvis and other classic songs. It was an experience I can say. I still can't believe Ken didn't buy the cd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_lomond
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_awe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilchurn
http://www.thedroversinn.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh
On the way back we stopped at Inverary and saw the castle there. It is still a working castle where the 13th Duke of Argyll still resides. The town was very quaint and stuck out towards the water.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inveraray_Castle
I enjoyed my time away and had a great time.
Pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=d671944ca69c45616cbbd47cbb382743&sid=0Eas2rdy0bMnIQ
We first stayed at the Dunstane House which was fabulous. My room was the attic all the way at the top but was soon to become known as the princess room. It was decorated with red and black decor which was beautiful. We stayed there for two nights while we traveled around Edinburgh. I even had the Haggis Balls- which is the locals favorite. I also had the best meal Friday evening- mussels, chicken, I tried the salmon and scallops. It was way too much but it was "gorgeous" as the locals would say. We went to the Castle which is more like a city than a castle. We walked down the Old Town and New Town side.
We then went outside of Edinburgh to take on some more scenery. We visited Falkirk Wheel, Stirling, Stirling Castle and drove by the Forth Railway Bridge. Stirling Castle is also more like a city than a castle. We also drove by the Wallace Monument.
Doune Castle was the first "real" castle we stopped at. It was nearly deserted so we had fun climbing to the top and then back down again to the other side. It was had a river on one side and was very tranquil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_wheel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Railway_Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Monument
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doune_castle
The next day we headed towards Loch Lomond, Loch Awe and around the west coast for some coastal scenery. We eventually found the Kilchurn Castle which was hidden on the water. We stayed the night at Drovers Inn which was built in the 1700's. I felt like it was going to cave in- you'll notice in the pictures that the windows are custom as they are sideways. My door had a huge gash in it where you could see in the room. I hung my jacket over the hole so no one could see in. That evening there were two guys that played Scottish folk songs which was great, then as it started getting later they played Johnny Cash, Elvis and other classic songs. It was an experience I can say. I still can't believe Ken didn't buy the cd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_lomond
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_awe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilchurn
http://www.thedroversinn.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh
On the way back we stopped at Inverary and saw the castle there. It is still a working castle where the 13th Duke of Argyll still resides. The town was very quaint and stuck out towards the water.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inveraray_Castle
I enjoyed my time away and had a great time.
Pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=d671944ca69c45616cbbd47cbb382743&sid=0Eas2rdy0bMnIQ
UK Driving
It was a momentous time last week when I got the keys to my own Vauxhall! I am officially driving on my own. Look out Brits!
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