Cheers Love!

We are now on day 14 of our trip and the past two weeks have managed to fly by while going equally as slow. We have ventured from London to Nottingham, Notthingham to Liverpool and Liverpool to Manchester. We did the first trek of our trip by bus and a small piece of advice: NEVER TRAVEL BY BUS IN THE UK. We went to the bus station about two hours earlier than necessary due to the sheer fact that we had to check out of our hotel. We got there to a ridiculously crowded bus station, two heavy packs in a room with limited seating and little ventilation made me one very annoyed Canadian. The Brits have no concept on what it means to probably line up or to listen to instructions. Our bus was delayed for an extra hour and to make matters worse there were people standing in line for the entire time making it almost impossible to navigate to see the screen. The National Express Busline made Greyhound Stations look like The Buckingham Palace of all bus services and that is nearly impossible.

 We arrived in Nottingham two hours later than our estimated arrival time and the bus had actually given me motion sickness. This amused me slightly only because I am not the Thompson that succumbs to motion sickness that title goes to my younger brother who would shamelessly use it to always get shut gun. The speeding up and slowing down of the bus was enough to put my stomach on edge and burn my leg as the radiator by our feet was turned up to unncessary heats. Needless to say I will not be growing leg hair on my right lower leg for awhile, I could almost smell the burning skin/leg hairs. Traveling out of packs is by no way the worst way to travel but everytime I see someone with those massive wheely bags I am almost desperate to try and pay them to trade me. I find when I am moving the pack seems to sit nicely on my back and all is in good working order but my travel partner has taken up needing to go pee whenever I have a good thing going making me stand for periods of time, this has undoubtely resulted in death glares and sharp tones. Nottingham was a cute enough English town with ties to the great Robin Hood. Now the Robin Hood I was exposed to as a child was a fox from the great classic Disney movie. It was really exciting therefore to be in the very town where the cartoon took place.

 The people of Nottingham do love their Robin Hood and I was able to learn more about the man who stole from rich to give to the needy. We were unable to make our way out to Sherwood Forrest mostly due to the fact that my travel partner was more eager to relax encouraging a more than 15 hour long stint in our room. He discovered the room had wifi and all hopes of outside socialization was thrown out the window. Nottingham was small and we could navigate the entire city in a couple hours. The highlight were the caves that are all man made that all lie below the city and Nottingham Castle. We went on a tour of the ones underneath Nottingham Castle and they were the ones that were not as commercialized and contained the most interesting history. My favourite story is of the King who was dethroned and thrown down one the cave holes. A morbid favourite but oh well.

 We moved on from Notthingham to Liverpool and the smooth train ride was so relaxing that I had myself question why I ever chose the bus. (The reason being my inherent need to be cheap.) Liverpool was probably my favourite place after London in the UK. They love their Beatles and football as previously stated and also they love their shopping. There were huge sections of the city dedicated to just to shopping. Now I have never been the one keen on shopping and if you ever have to shop with my sister Jenny you would understand. All the shops were great but not wanting to spend money, avoid adding anything extra to the bags and the undeniable fact that I am much to wide for the fashion in Britan were all factors contributing to the fact that the exctiement was lost on me. We did go on a great free walking tour that gave us a little history of the city which was funny and informative. The fun fact from the tour was that even though it had never been to Liverpool the company that owned the Titanic came from Liverpool with their offices held within a building that looks like bacon. Mmm bacon. 

                                           

                              My travel partner with John Lennon -- Liverpool 

It was a forty minute train ride from Liverpool to Manchester and the night before our departure we spent a couple hours scrambling for a better hostel. I made the mistake of looking up our intended hostel for my travel partner and the low scores made it so he wanted nothing to do with the place and so as a result we looked for a new reasonably priced/good score place. Luckily the Hatters Hostel in Liverpool had a sister hostel in Manchester and that was where we decided to lay our head for a couple of days. I tried to point out my 12% deposit on the other hostel in hopes of staying but alas like other things it was ignored and I was out 25 Canadian dollars. Men. Manchester sadly did not live up to my expectations and was kind of a flop of a city. It did house the National Football Museum which I LOVED even though my travel partner reminded me bitterly that he hated soccer (just cause of his lack of talent if I had a guess) and the most beautiful Library I could have ever seen. The John Rylands Library was well worth the visit here. Tomorrow we depart off to Dublin where my travel partner thinks he has ties to with no actual confirmation from his parents. I have been having to listen to his constant need to remind me that is where his ancestors come from and it has gotten as old as his "mayor son jokes". I am most excited to be out of the UK just solely for the fact that our dollar fares better there.

Reading in the worlds most beautiful library. 

 Goodbye UK, Hello Ireland! Let's see if this little(ish) Eskimo can get her travel partner to partake in some Irish Jigging lessons.

"No Place Like Home"

Day 11 of our trip and we are currently 6111.1 km away from home. It is hard to admit that only after 11 days gone my heart aches for home. This is the longest I will go without seeing family and I already miss them all so much. It is the true measure of the kind of people I have left behind me that I could miss them all so much. My family and friends are good, kind and warm people that going any length of time without having a serious conversation makes this adventure especially hard. My travel partner is always quick to remind me that he is my family and with him around it shouldn't be that bad.

The one side of travel that is rarely discussed amongst the stories of adventure and new experiences is the longing desire to have some kind of home with you. For us we have struggled with the constant eating out and then the chance to cook a home cooked meal is hard due to finding ingredients that we know how to cook with. Anyone who has had the luxury of cooking for or watching me cook for my travel partner knows the true struggles in making anything for this man who is picky and particular. It seems like a lot of complaining considering I am able to even go on this trip at all and to complain almost feels like I am taking away from it somehow. 

My two favourite little people. 

I write this because I am hoping that overtime it will be easier for me to not miss home so much. All it takes is for me to hear from my sister about her kids in school to make me miss home. My eldest nephew killing a spelling bee (4/5), my only niece on her journey through full day junior kindergarten and knowing I am missing out on what I guarantee is so much excitement in their eyes. My niece and nephew have a the ability to make any long miserable day and completely turn it around with their huge hugs and big kisses. I think of my mom and step dad surely making fun of each other and my mom's inability to tell good stories, my sister who has just accepted a new job she expresses love for every chance she gets and I think of my dad who is steady and consistent. He fails to awknowledge we are besties but I miss our small conversations/texts that occur multiple times daily full of advice, reassurance and his great ability to listen to me bitch for long periods of times (usually about my travel partner). The true test of this trip will not be a test of my relationship with my travel partner but my ability to step away for the first time alone (ish) and see what I make of it. 

We are currently in Liverpool where we did a three hour walking tour of the city, the birth place of the Beatles. These Liverpooleans sure love their Beatles, you see it in everything. They also love their football, with a waging war between two clubs within their city. It is the first time we are in a multibed dorm with our room housing 12 other beds. The hostel has terrible costumer service resulting in  my travel partner and I in seperate bunks. That itself isn't too bad minus the man who was hovering around the room in the early hours (hopefully in a confused daze) going and inspecting everyone in their bunks sleeping. Creeeeepy. 

The night life of Liverpool seems to be hopping and exciting. I don't understand how they do it but the Brits manage to go and drink their faces off on a nightly basis. I am currently trying to encourage my travel partner to venture out of his bubble and indulge and relax a bit (we are on vacation) but I can easily persuaded into an early bedtime with my ereader. With 84 days left I am hoping at some point we can venture beyond  our comfort zones but after 8 hours on our feet a good book and a somewhat comfy bed (creepy guy free) could be just what the doctor ordered. 

How To Survive Three Months Abroad Travel With Your Partner.

We are coming to the end of day 8 of our worldly travels and already the very sound of his breathing makes me want to put the pillow over his face as he sleeps. We have spent the majority of our summer apart due to my job which allowed me to explore the north running multi sport camps for youth. 

I understand I am very lucky to be abroad with someone I love and someone whom I have the intentions of spending the rest of my life with but it is not always sunshine and rainbows and taking cutesy pictures in front of European landmarks displayed below. 

It goes without saying that I love my travel partner dearly but it also important to keep in mind that not only is this his first trip abroad but he also a very high maintenance man. We have come to the agreement that I am a little high strung and he is a little inconsiderate. I do not travel flawless and beautiful, my need for getting my way all the time often clouds my judgement and I can often be found to react "dangerously" (quoting my mother). This trip for us is a lot about give and take and learning A LOT of patience. 

I give into the fact that he will want to eat subway daily (if not twice) and he gives into the fact that part of that subway is not judgement free. I take his blind trust for allowing me to orchestrate this entire trip planning to the last detail and I take his indifference and often disinterest to the world around us. 

I am lucky I know even though in moments of blind stubbornness (a trait from my father) to have the man I have with me. He takes my dangerous moments in stride and often with laughter and I know him well enough to know exactly what he is thinking often before he thinks it himself. We have learned to comprise: me learning to accept that he will want to eat subway whenever he wants and him taking the heavier of the two backpacks. We fit together not just because of our love but because we have learned to tolerate one another at our most ugly. There are moments when my pleas for new experiences fall on deaf ears and my sometimes erratic behaviour is seen as amusing and not taken seriously. There are moments when not bringing him would have been the better option and then there are times when I am sure being here without him would have been impossible. 

It is a given fact that we will have moments where the very sight of each other will annoy us but for right now only I have experienced bouts of anger and annoyance and that ladies and gentlemen falls right in step to the dynamics of our relationship in canada. So needless to say we are doing good. 

What my travel partner has learned about me: apparently nothing. "She is crazier than I thought" 

What I leaned about my travel partner: throwing him in head first accomplishes nothing apparently the best way to get him to open his eyes is in baby steps. Patience and baby steps....or lots of yelling and threats of violence. (Jokes, kind of) 

Going, Going, Gone.

September 8 marks the start of the greatest adventure ever! It was a long day due to the fact that in the span of six hours we were witnessing a beautiful sunset in the Canadian sky and pretty soon we were seeing the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. We had a night flight to London through Reykjavik with Iceland Air. If anyone is looking for a reasonable priced flight to anywhere in Europe Iceland Air is your best option. With reasonable price and great leg room Iceland Air was great for our adventure needs. We arrived in London most definitely tired and hungry but that couldn't nor would it change how I felt. From my first journey here two years ago I have loved everything about London, the crowds, the underground, the often hard to understand accents. My love for London had not changed.

We travelled the hour into the heart of the city with the underground, my travel partner a little more tired than myself. (My advice about taking a nap on the plane was ignored and most certainly regretted). We did get lost a little towards the hotel (who knew there were THREE Travelodge's within walking distance of Kings Cross?!?) and when we did finally find the hotel we were unable to check in for at least 40 minutes. The jetleg was not too bad we found which made the adjustment for my travel partner easier. I have been abroad before but my travel partner has not and I was worried about the transition but true to character he handleded it like a champ or is really good at saving face. 

Seeing as it was his first time abroad I decided that a hotel instead of a hostel would be the best option and I am glad if not for him but for me for this choice. There is something great about having your own space at the end of a long day of walking around. Although the hotel was not the Ritz Carilton it got the job done and to me nothing else matters. We have been here for a week and although the garbage is often not changed and there are no phones to get a hold of the front desk and the little incident of the fire alarm was a true annoyance it was a nice private place at the end of the day.

 What I learned about London this trip:

Do not expect good costumer service

Coming from Canada where every where you go (with exceptions obviously) has fairly good costumer service it seems that it is almost non exisistent here. There are a lot of people here who are rude and indifferent to you as a costumer. There were often times throughout the week we would feel snubbed and ignored. Perhaps we were choicing the wrong places or they were having a bad day, whatever the reason was they were all rude. Although they were rude that still did not change my love for London, much like New York sometimes people are just rude little wankers.

There will never be enough time to experience the true London

 Six days was certainly NOT enough time here in the city. There were moments in our week when we would wander down a street and find sites and stores that we did not read or hear about. Camden Market and Covent Gardens both housed wonderful markets full of treasures everywhere you looked. If it were not for the fact that we are backpacking for the next couple months I would have bought hundreds of dollars worth of stuff. It was overcrowded with pushy people selling their stuff but the time spent there is high on the list of the highlights of the trip. The city goes beyond the markets and the shops it is even the parks that it holds. There are parks almsot everywhere with impossibly green grass that invite you to just lie down and enjoy your surroundings. Lying around in the grass in the parks after the long flight was a kind of relaxing therapy which was just what the doctor ordered.

The London Eye is WAY overrated. The London Eye is one of those iconic London Landmarks right beside Big Ben and Buckingham Palace but it does not compete it to the value of your pound. Having been on the London Eye before I may have forgotten the true experience but in memory it seemed worth it so when my travel partner was forking over the £60 for the fast track tickets I was all giddy for the sites we were about to witness. The dirty truth of the experience though is that you see some great sites but you are stuck in a pill with 16 other people who may or may not allow you to see the parliament buildings and may or may not have screaming children. True there are sites of the city you would not be able to experience elsewhere but it just is not worth the pound. 

 You never get used to being on the wrong side of the road The one time we took the bus it made me dizzy staring out the window at the traffic. Why must the Brits make it hard on themselves and drive on opposite side of the road? Watching them attempt any kind of turns I cringe everytime because the motion looks so unnatural. Even walking around the city you always forget which way the traffic is coming from and can easily get hit by an uncoming bus. The buses too are driven by wankers who find it necessary to speed pass you and come as close to the cross walk as humanly possible.    

The London Zoo is one great place We spent a Sunday there and minus the annoying children and the parents who couldn't seem to control their offspring the London Zoo was the best Zoo I have ever been to. The exhibits are large and interactive with monkeys climbing branches overhead as you wonder exhibits and birds allowed to roam free. The animals seem to enjoy an audience and become more active when they know there are humans around watching them. The penguin habitat alone was beautifully massive with penguins hopping out of the water out of happiness.

The Royals know how to live. We went to Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace all in one day and all that can be said is that it is all extreme levels of extravagant. Grand ballrooms, elegant rooms and massive well kept gardens that make you sad no matter where your home is. The building themselves are old and add a look to them that awe you no matter how many times you see it. That is kind of the ongoing theme of all of London, the contrast between old buildings to modern architecture all rest beside each other manages to fit and make sense. 

Together we are learning more and more about each other as the days go by. We are one week in and I still love him no matter how many times he decides to go to Subway and he loves me no matter how many pictures I take. For better or worse, on the good days and bad we are in it together for the next three months. He is teaching me to relax and take things slow and I am hoping I am getting him to open his world and mind to the outside world. Tomorrow we are off to Nottingham and will miss London dearly but I am excited for the more quite side of England. 

Travel partner quote of the week: "How do I shower?"