Travelling United in the Kingdom

After leaving Ireland last Monday we flew with luxurious Ryanair to Edinburgh. But when you're only paying the equivalent of $15CAN, you can overlook things like printing your own boarding pass, rude hostesses, bumpy landings and (for Scott) not enough room to sit. Anyway, once we arrived in Edinburgh we found it was smooth as Scotch. Navigating the small city was easy; we loved seeing the city by foot and admiring Edinburgh Castle. We were not, however, prepared for the cold. As Atlantic Canadians we think we're tough and have the reputation for being able to handle cold temperatures. But when the cold is joined by extreme dampness, wind and rain, even us hardy Canucks couldn't wait to return to a warm hearth for a cuppa.

Perched high above the city stands Edinburgh Castle

From Edinburgh we bused to Glasgow and stayed with a lovely chap named Neil who we found through Airbnb. After weeks of wearing the same clothes and seeming eating the same food, we were glad to do some laundry and cook our own food. Funny how the things we once dreaded now we relish! The highlight of Glasgow was its west end and university, where Scott found a painting he loved in the art gallery.

Next we headed to London on the train. Barrelling through the Scottish countryside was everything we'd hope it would be and we spent lots of time thinking of Scott's maternal grandparents, who were both from Scotland, as we ate our snacks and stared at the farmers' fields. We arrived at London Euston station on Saturday night and immediately appreciated being back in a bustling city. It was time to see the sights!

Scott eagerly awaiting the train to London

We checked a lot of things off our list in London: Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the Parliament Buildings, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. But our more meaningful memories of London are not on the typical sightseers' list. Scott's friend Lauren now lives in London and we're grateful to her for showing us Notting Hill in style. We hopped through the area's cafes and pubs like locals and had so much fun. Lauren also suggested we try Borough Market for lunch the next day. We did and had the most delicious lunch, yummy Ethiopian food. Thank you, Lauren!

At the archway to The Mall leading into Buckingham Palace

The Canadian Embassy in Trafalgar Square - the largest embassy in London

My mom also lived in London: she attended Memorial University's Harlow Campus in the 1970s. A visit to London wouldn't have been complete without taking the 30 minute train ride to Harlow to explore the campus and walk in my mom's footsteps. The campus was smaller than we expected, but we were met with warm hospitality as the receptionist gave us a private tour. Then we enjoyed a beautiful winter walk into the town centre. It was very healing to think of my mom's younger self coming to Europe and imagine how this continent may have changed her like it is changing me.

On the beautiful walk from campus to Harlow town centre