September 28-October1

This week has been an absolute whirlwind. As the title of this post suggests, after spending just over a week in a single house in Wales, we have spent this last week moving quickly from place to place. We left Beaumaris on Sunday and took the train to Manchester, England. Or, more accurately, we took a train, a bus, another train, and another train to Manchester. This sounds chaotic, but was actually quite simple to navigate, and after a few pleasant hours we made it in one piece.

Why Manchester? Well the short story is that people just kept telling us to go, including the cab driver who took us from the house in Beaumaris to the train station. We kept hearing over and over again that it was a cool town--like a mini-London--and it just so happened to be on our way north to Scotland. I am happy to report that it completely lived up to the hype, and both Cal and I had a wonderful time exploring the city in the short time we were there. I made a video (linked below) for my Instagram that captures the highlights. One of the things we loved most about the city was how the architecture completely blends old and new--19th century warehouses made of bright red brick sit comfortably next to modern architecture. We went into thrift shops, explored Gay Village, ate Dim Sum in Chinatown, and visited the Science and Industry Museum. Our visit was short and we would both happily go back.

From Manchester we took a quick train north to York. Known for its medieval architecture and famous Shambles, I was excited to explore a place with such visible history. Unfortunately, with old school sites come 21st century price tags. Most things that we would want to see in York--the Viking Museum, the Castle and its museum, York Minster Abbey--cost admission fees that were too rich for our budget. Still, we were able to walk the old city wall, walk through the Shambles that inspired Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, and try some gin from a local distillery. All in all, this quick trip was the perfect amount of time, since we didn't want to pay to see the additional sites. Our hostel in York was also incredibly disappointing, so we were happy to only have one night there!

After York we journeyed further north to Glasgow--my first visit to Scotland. Here we had another pet sit lined up--a single night with an old ginger cat named Jake. This was our first time sitting a cat, and I can happily say we don't plan to go back. While both Cal and I like dogs, we truly are cat people at heart. It made me so happy wake up with a cat on my chest! And cats require far less hands-on care than dogs, which allows us more flexibility to explore. The flat where we were staying was on a hill about a 20 minute walk from the city center, so we splurged and spent the £10 on a cab. After two long days of traveling and exploring, we quickly ran to get groceries before hunkering down with Jake for a night in.

The next morning we set out for Glasgow Cathedral in quintessentially Scottish weather--we were both soaked to the bone when we arrived, but were able to dry off during our visit. The pre-Reformation Cathedral is a rare gem, and the volunteers do an amazing job explaining the history of the site, including the grave of St. Mungo, who is said to have created a place of worship on the very site of the Cathedral way back in the 7th century. After the cathedral we walked up to the Necropolis behind the church, which was created in 1832 after several population booms in the city. Between the rain, Victorian graves, and gothic architecture of the city, this was the perfect way to ring in October. From here we walked through more rain into the city center, passing several huddled masses of students taking shelter under the doors to university buildings, and several more toughing it out with nothing more than a T-shirt to keep them warm. After stopping for a quick lunch of the Glaswegian specialty Pizza Crunch (aka deep-friend pizza) with curry sauce, we stopped into the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art to take in some culture before heading to Edinburgh that evening.

All in all, these three days were fast-paced and a bit exhausting--we walked over 20 miles, many of which included our backpacks--but they were also exhilarating. We were moving so quickly and taking so much in, it was impossible to not be in the moment. One thing I'm working on during this trip is allowing myself to be present and grounded without worrying about what comes next. I'm still struggling to do this consistently, but these kind of rapid-fire travel days forced me to take it all one step at a time, and see some pretty cool things along the way.

Reflections on Edinburgh (where we continued to increase our step count) and Stirling (where we are now) to come soon. Sending love to all who are reading about our adventures!