London Calling?

I've made it to London in one piece.
I haven't updated since Edinburgh on the 18th, so I guess I'll give you a bit of a run through...

Sat, 19th
I headed to Glasgow this day. Couldn't find a hostel, the place isn't that great, so I ended up staying less than 3 hours before going back to Edinburgh for a 4th night. I liked Edinburgh enough that I really didn't mind going back.

Sun, 20th
I decided I'd try day-tripping it to Glasgow to see a museum. On the train there, I changed my mind and decided I didn't care to bother with it. So when I got off the train, I turned right back around and caught a train back to Edinburgh where I transfered to get to York early. Got to York around 5:30 or 6pm, got a pretty decent and filling dinner at the hostel before walking along the river path to the city center (15-20 minute walk). Checked out the York Minster (cathedral) while waiting for a ghost tour (history based) to start. Saw a guy on the tour that looked a lot like and old friend (Anna, Nesse... remember Andrew?). Did the tour and then lingered as all the people scattered in their own directions. I was hoping to find someone staying at the same hostel and walk back with them rather than doing the walk alone. I decided to ask a group of 4 girls and 1 guy if they knew where we were in the city because I heard a non-foreign accent from the guy. Turns out the guy was a Canadian living in London and the girls were all talking Italian classes in Italy... 1 from Holland and 3 from Argentina. And it also turns out that the guys was staying at the hostel too. Instead of going back to the hostel at like 9ish, we found food and played card games. I taught them Ratscrew and when it was all done and over with, I had to chat up the guy behind the counter for 2 minutes because I won (he was from Turkey and his name was Aaron... or Eron, or however he spells it... is all I remember right now). After that, we walked the girls to the place they were staying and then me and the Canadian went back to the hostel and I went to bed.

Mon, 21st
Met up with the Canadian at breakfast, skipped on the wet and soggy looking and tasting scrambled eggs (don't get scrambled eggs in the UK, apparently this is how they make them here... not just at the hostel). We then headed off toward the city center. We decided to see if the girls were still around and showed up right as they were checking out. Hung out with them until they had to head to the train station. Me and the Canadian went to watch the 21 gun salute for the Queen's Birthday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21-gun_salute), wandered around the city, walked part of the wall surrounding it, grabbed some lunch, and then went back to the hostel to grab out bags and both catch a traing to Manchester where were were both changing trains in seperate directions... him to London and a Northern Wales for me. Tried called the hostel in the city I was going to while I was on the train but I kept getting the darn message machine. So I ended up calling my mom back home to find me a place to stay. I ended up with to B&B which was like heaven to have my own room with a bathroom connected and privacy galore! It was nice.

Tues, 22nd
All I can say about Llandudno is that I have never seen so many old people in one place at one time! I'm not even kidding you. Walking near the beach and the dock, at least half of the people I saw were 60+. Besides that, I got a little bit of chocolate and toffee from a shop before taking a tram up to the top of the mountain in the town which was a nice view. I got a key chain that says Gillian on it at the shop the have at the top. I had to! They actually have my name on things like that here! What's funny is that I've found myself introducing myself as Gillian to some people rather than Gill just because I'm in the UK and it's more common here and people actually know how to spell it! I realized this when I was in Edinburgh. I was booking that Loch Ness tour and started spelling out my name like I always do and then realized I don't need to do that here... though, I'm pretty sure the girl was Australian so I don't know if it would be the same for her. Anyways, I waited around at the top for way to long hoping the wind would settle down (30mph winds) so that I could take the cable car back down because I really wanted to ride it and get the view (don't want to be swinging around up on the cables!), but it never did and I ended up taking the tram back down. I should have listened to myself and taken the cable car up since it was actually operating at the time... but no, of course I had to do the tram like the B&B lady suggested (tram up, cable car down). I wandered around a bit, grabbed a good dinner, and then went back to the B&B (which I booked for 1 more night) to take a shower and shave with the razor I finally got around to buying earlier in the day. Good stuff.

Wed, 23rd
Caught an early train out of Llandudno and made my way back to Manchester where I switch to a train to Cardiff in South Wales. No trains pass through the middle of Wales, you literally have to leave Wales and go the England in order to get the the other end. Got off the train in Cardiff and discovered a lot of people pained in green and getting drunk in the outside area of a pub. There was 1 guy outside of the gated area that was drunk and mooning the rest of the people at the pub and spanking himself. It was quite the sight... don't worry, I got pictures ;) Made it to my hostel that was only a few minutes walked from the train station. Good hostel and good people running it. The Canadian told me about it... everything IKEA... even the kitchen! I walked to the Bay (which I think was around 1 1/2 miles away) hoping to get a good view of the sunset and instead started up my knee again. It is so done with all the walking. After the sunset, I decided to catch a taxi back to the hostel instead (I was limping... wasn't gonna happen). I ended up with a 6 bed room alone which came in handy when I decided to do laundry without realizing there was no dryer available. I put all my clothes on the drying rack thing the hostel guy pulled out for me and put it in front of the heater while I watched The Pursuit of Happyness with 2 Aussie girls. By the end of the movie I was nodding off and my clothes still weren't dry so I took the rack and my clothes to my room and used the other beds as extra drying racks. By morning, they were finally dry... well, dry enough.

Thurs, 24th
Checked out of the hostel at the same time as the Aussie girls and we ended up going to the same place (Cardiff Castle) so we just went together. Took a tour around the castle which was quite impressive... it's not a big castle at all, but the guy who designed all the rooms did and amazing job and there was so much attention to detail and themes for each room. We then went up the the tower in the center grounds that was used as a jail I think (something about some King locking up his older brother in there so that he could be kind instead). Met an old but lively Welsh man at the top and talked to him for a few minutes. He went back down and then I went down a minute or 2 later. Across the moat he was talking to somebody else as I passed by and he caught up to me (told you he was lively!) and we walked to the museum together talking... I was going for the paintings, he was going for some lunch (museum is free). Nice man, taught me a little bit of Wlesh that I no longer remember, and he was fun to talk to. After the museum, I made my way back to the hostel to get my bag and then hopped a train the what I was originally planning to be Salisbury (Stonehenge). On my way to Salisbury, one of the stops was Bath. I debating about whether I should get off or not. I almost got off but sat back down and then got this wrenching feeling in my stomach that told me I'll regret it if I don't at least check it out so I hopped off the train last minute. I stopped in an internet place because I still needed a room for that night. Discovered there were no hostels bed available in Salisbury and ended up having to book a cheep-ish hotel room in a nearby town. Left the internet place, stored my bag at another place and then wandered for an hour. It was past 5pm, so everything was closing down, including the Spa and such, so I took pictures of the Cathedral instead and wandered a bit before hoping back on a train to Salisbury where I had to switch to get to Andover, where my hotel was. Talked to a cute Brit guy for a bit on the train before getting off at Salisbury. Got to my hotel and nearly drooled over the tub in the bathroom. I'm not a tub person, I prefer showers, but I really needed a bag to loosen up my legs and relax.

Fri, 25th
Checked out of the hotel and headed back to Salisbury where I got onto a Stonehenge tour bus that was parked outside of the station. I didn't get to find somewhere to leave my big bag, so I ended up taking it to Stonehenge with me where I had to continue wearing it. I felt a bit foolish walking around the stones with my big bag on my back and my smaller day back on my front. Saw Stonehenge for a bit which is a touch smaller than I expected and is quite literally next to a road. I then grabbed a brownie and an orange juice while I waited for the next tour bus to come to take us back to the city. While waiting, 2 guys that were sitting behind me on the bus were looking for a table to sit at so I said they were welcome to sit at my table since all the others were taken. Turns out they were cousins from NY. Got back on the bus with them and got off near the Cathedral with them. And then continued on to the train station with them because we were all heading to London. Parted ways with them in the London subway where I had to make my way to my hostel. And here I am, in London now for the next couple of days before heading to Amsterdam on the 30th. I saw a guy tonight that looked a 10 year older version of a friend (Chance). It was incredibly strange because he had the same thick dark hair, same eyebrows and eyes, same smile, same walk even! and he played guitar... same. I found out what band he plays in so I can look him up to show Chance. I couldn't stopped staring at him because the resembelance was uncanny. I swear, everyone has an unrelated twin somewhere in the world and I've just found Chance's! Tomorrow I shall meet up with the Candian to check out a museum and maybe coax him into getting Indian food with me afterward cause I really want some Indian food and I've heard it's really good here.

Cheers for now!

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