Britain

Best of Britain

February 3, 2015 /

Before visiting the islands of Britain and Ireland, we were confused with all the different names and regions for this area: United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland. We were fortunate to learn about the differences, sometimes the hard way, mainly from Scottish who do not want to be associated as English. So, the two islands known as Great Britain and Ireland are composed of two countries: United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The United Kingdom consisted of the territories of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The first three are located in the island known as Great Britain or Britain. Northern Ireland, as self-explained, is located in the Northern part of the island of Ireland. Finally, the Republic of Ireland occupies the Southern part of the island of Ireland. Due to geographic location, political history, and similar culture we have decided to divide our articles between the islands of Britain and Ireland.

We visited the island of Britain in two different occasions during our world trip. We first visited for 21 days from August 30, 2014 before traveling by ferry into Ireland. During this time we made stops in London, explored the countryside hiking for 6 days between the cities of Carlisle and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne along Hadrian’s Wall, and had a taste of Scotland in Edinburgh and Isle of Skye in the Highlands. We entered Britain for a second time on October 26, 2014 coming from Ireland and stayed 8 days in the south exploring Pembrokeshire area in Wales, Salisbury, Stonehenge, and Bath.

London is a multicultural city with tones of people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The multitude of people walking at rush hour reminded us of the way we felt walking in India or China. In London, we enjoyed reconnecting with family and friends, attending a Michael Jackson musical, and sunny and blue sky days. We love the traditional English roast, and the scones with breakfast tea. We were impressed by the amount of microwaveable food available at the supermarkets. It seems to be a big trend in the eating habits of English people. In the small towns and country side, we found people very friendly and helpful. The Hadrian’s Wall path was a delight of our travels in England with small wild blackberries in season, green lands, sheep, and cows.

When we visited Scotland we felt that we were been part of history. We were there during the September 18, 2014 elections of the referendum for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom. Regardless of the outcome, the fact that everything happened in a democratic and peaceful way was a light of hope for a humanity that has built itself mostly through colonialism and invasion around the world. Edinburgh is a lovely city and we were fascinated with the view of the castle and Holyrood Park right in the center of town.

We got to enjoy the sounds of traditional Scottish music in the streets, men in kilts, whiskey, and pubs! The clear reflection of the mountains in their lochs (lakes), which are like mirrors of precious onyx stone, were breathtaking in Scotland Highlands. We enjoyed amazing days of hiking and great weather in the North Island of Skye. The scenery is gorgeous and we can only imagine how much more beautiful it probably was before humans cut down the majority of the native forest and eliminated many of the animal species. The hairy cows with long vanes covering their eyes looked like rock stars and the ancient, abandoned castles on top of small pieces of land in the middle of the lochs kept us entertained during the bus ride. The hairy cows are so unique to Scotland. It was a pity we only got to see them from far and could not catch a picture of them.

On our way back to Britain from Ireland, we visited the Pembrokeshire area in Wales and managed to do small hikes even though the weather conditions were not the best. In the south of Britain, we settled in Salisbury from which we visited Stonehenge and historical Old Sarum. It is not without reasons that the rocks and unfolded story behind Stonehenge continues to intrigue one million visitors every year! On Halloween day, we traveled to the city of Bath for the day, a gorgeous town that earned its name after the well preserved Roman Baths. We really enjoyed ourselves wondering around the town on a sunny day with the colors of autumn and also felt enchanted by the ancient Roman Baths, a masterpiece of engineering and the bubbles of the natural hot springs of Solis Minerva, Goddess of healing.

Below are other great things we enjoyed about Britain:

Food and Drinks

  • English Chicken Roast

  • English Tea and Scones

  • Scotch Eggs: round breaded sausage meat with hardboiled egg inside

  • Stottie: North English Sandwiches

  • Fish and Chips

  • Flying Scotsman Beer

  • Stewarts Beer

  • Haggis: Scottish sheep-offal (internal organs) pudding with potatoes and turnips

  • Scotch Whisky

  • Seafood Platter: Mussels, Langostines, Oysters, Hot & Cold Smoked Salmon

  • Cullen Skink: Local Fish Soup

  • Bath Ales Beer

Favorite Sites and Activities

  • Feeling like a Roman while Trekking along Hadrian’s Wall

  • Gazing at Scotland’s Landscape and Scenery from the Bus and While Hiking

  • Dancing and Singing Along in London’s Michael Jackson Musical

  • Enjoying a Gorgeous Day in the Beautiful City of Bath

  • Admiring the Large Stones While Roaming Around Stonehenge

  • Being Part of History by Witnessing the Scotland Independence Vote

People

  • James and Carolina: from England and Colombia, Carolina is Gisela’s childhood friend and they invited us to stay with them while we were in London. They invited us to a Michael Jackson musical that was very entertaining.

  • Jose: from Colombia, Gisela’s cousin we met for lunch in London.

  • Andres and Glenda Gisela: from Colombia, Gisela’s cousins we met up for lunch in London.

  • Ben: from England, our CouchSurfing host in Carlisle.

  • Diana: from Scotland, our AirBnB host in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

  • Eleanor: from England, our CouchSurfing host in Pembrokeshire.

  • Vito: from Poland, our CouchSurfing host in Salisbury.

  • Baz and Lucy: from England, we met them in Malawi and were able to get together in Bath.

Animals Viewed

  • Cows

  • Sheep

  • Deer

Common Sayings

  • Pub = Bar

  • Folks = People

  • Return = Roundtrip

  • Loch = Lake

  • Loo = Bathroom

  • Cheers = Hello, Thank you, Cheers (for drinking)

  • Aubergine = Eggplant

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