I'm back
Just spent a week and a half in the UK. We really didn't do that much, so here's a brief recap.
Flew into Manchester, immediately boarded a coach to Edinburgh where we stayed the night. Then two nights in Dornoch, Scotland (the middle of nowhere) with a performance. Then a performance and a night in Stirling. Then a performance and a night outside Glasgow. Then on to Betws-y-Coed, Wales (not pronounced like it looks, and again in the middle of nowhere). Then to Stow-on-the-Wold, England (not a whole lot there, either... seeing a pattern?). Then about a day and a half in London, where aside from other sightseeing many of us got £5 standing-room tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream at the [rebuilt] Globe Theater. (Best. Performance. Ever.) Then a long drive and an overnight stay in Hathersage, just outside Manchester, where we flew out from early the next day (notwithstanding our incoming plane being 3 hours delayed).
All in all, not a very demanding trip... mostly just a lot of town-hopping to see some interesting places. Most of the small towns were introduced by Dr. U saying, "There's really no reason for us to be here."
A couple of highlights:
Flew into Manchester, immediately boarded a coach to Edinburgh where we stayed the night. Then two nights in Dornoch, Scotland (the middle of nowhere) with a performance. Then a performance and a night in Stirling. Then a performance and a night outside Glasgow. Then on to Betws-y-Coed, Wales (not pronounced like it looks, and again in the middle of nowhere). Then to Stow-on-the-Wold, England (not a whole lot there, either... seeing a pattern?). Then about a day and a half in London, where aside from other sightseeing many of us got £5 standing-room tickets to A Midsummer Night's Dream at the [rebuilt] Globe Theater. (Best. Performance. Ever.) Then a long drive and an overnight stay in Hathersage, just outside Manchester, where we flew out from early the next day (notwithstanding our incoming plane being 3 hours delayed).
All in all, not a very demanding trip... mostly just a lot of town-hopping to see some interesting places. Most of the small towns were introduced by Dr. U saying, "There's really no reason for us to be here."
A couple of highlights:
- I rented a car and drove from Inverness (the nearest city to Dornoch) to Stirling, and then Stirling to Glasgow. Other side of the road, other side of the car, and a manual. Really, though, not as bad as I thought. I had no real problems handling all that, though every time I passed overtook someone I thought I was going to die in a horrible crash. Overall it probably helps a bit when the road signs are in a language you're fluent in. The drive was totally worth it; we got to see Loch Ness, some amazing scenery, and had a blast cruising down the back roads.
- Best quote of the trip: A Scottish pastor Dr. U had stayed with for a while was telling about when he went to visit Dr. U in the States. They went to the top of a skyscraper in Atlanta, and he looked out and saw nothing but flat land all around. Then he saw some hill, and asked what it was. He was told, "Oh, that's Stone Mountain." [It's really hilarious if you hear the quote told in in a nearly incomprehensible Scottish accent.]
- Random things that are annoying about the UK:
- Restaurants close at 6pm
- No choice in salad dressings
- No free refills on drinks
- The UK uses their own weird plugs that are incompatible with everything else
- WiFi is hard to find, and usually expensive
- Shit be expensive! (with the current exchange rate... but even then, they've never heard of a £1 menu.)