Finally it’s time to add a second country to this tours logbook and so in the early hours of Thursday morning we hopped an economy priced bus north into Scotland. The trip was eight hours of rolling country side, passing time on books and iPods until we finally arrived in Edinburgh. Our stay in Edinburgh was brief as it was getting dark and starting to rain, so we quickly legged it to the train station and off to our first port of call: Stirling.

Stirling was the town of my birth and much of my upbringing as a wee’ lad, so I was quite excited to see how much had changed in a decade. Alyce and I were taken in by old family friends; the Hasties and will spending the next few days in their lovely house. An early bed time was in order as I was quite eager to get tripping down memory lane.

Stirling is of major importance to Scottish history as the castle was one of the most important strategic fortifications in the land. Many wars where fought in the area and many kings and queens made Stirling their preferred home from home. Stirling, being one of Scotland’s earliest major towns, is loaded with historical remains of the past centuries. When you look past the suburbs and shops that surround the place, in the centres there lies the old town. Stepping into old town, you’re almost transported hundreds of years into the past as you walk along cobbled streets amongst grand old buildings towards the impressive Stirling Castle at the top of the hill.

Coming straight from London, Stirling seemed to move at a more peaceful and relaxed pace. We spent most of Friday, in the town centre enduring the somewhat cold spring weather to explore this charming town.

Sorry about the long post, here are some pictures:

This picture is looking down on Stirling from the castle, Wallace Monument can be seen ontop of the Hill

Alyce in town enjoying some lunch:

Here’s me at Stirling Castle Gates, unfortunately we didn’t take any photos of the front of Stirling Castle so just google it:

Alyce and the Spring Blosom:

My old house!

Oh yeah… We found this Aussie pub, aparantly they sell lots of Fosters…

Sorry about the long post… See you soon!

After a week in the hustle and bustle of London, we decided to take a weekend down South to see Alyce’s cousin Kelly and her husband Matt. Kelly and Matt are also Aussie ex-pats who first came to Europe for a year long whirlwind tour and liked it so much they live here now.

Kelly and Matt live in a deceptively large country town called Brighton, it’s an hour or so south of London, past rolling green landscapes and old castles. The town itself looks like something from a story book; cobbled streets, quaint little houses with peaked roofs with little chimneys poking out. Despite its quaint country town image, the place is actually quite large. Its beachfront attractions and variety of pubs and clubs draw many a Londoner down for a big weekend out. Out on the streets, the town sports a strong bohemian vibe with its trendy cafes, niche shops, vegan culture and the title of Gay and Lesbian capitol of England.

Alyce and I hit the streets and took a few snaps, behold Brighton:

Hello Brighton

Brighton town

The shopping streets and laneways

Oh yeah, Brighton also has this random Middle – Eastern inspired Palace in the town centre. Yes this is ENGLAND not India.

This is the beachfront, the beach is made of pebbles, not sand.

PS: I have been fiddling around with my blog, and the images and I have condensed the pics considerably so they are smaller and shouldn’t take so long to load up.

Last Night was St. Patrick’s Day and what better excuse to peruse London’s drinking establishments. Before we hit the towns extensive list of public houses Alyce and I did more sight-seeing. We visited the National Portrait Gallery and the jaw droppingly impressive Natural History Museum.

Below are some shots from the rather messy after dark hours.

Alyce and I at the pub on St. Patrick’s day.

Tom and Local Lass Alex at the pub.

Rosie and Luke (sorry guys, best picture I got)

Alyce and local lass Kazza

Walking between pubs

Oh yeah, this drunken brass band decided to play a few songs for us before we went home. Ha Ha.

Greetings from Merry old England! Alyce and I have made it to the UK unscathed and we’re super excited to get knee-deep into this holiday. We are spending the next few days bunked up with an old school chum: Tom, his sister and her boyfriend in their cosy East London apartment.

Initial impressions of London have been largely positive. The city is brimming with character, not a two dimension character from a crap melodrama; this is a far better written persona with subtle beauty, flaws and depth. The city truly dwarves you in its labyrinth of mammoth buildings. On one side you have ancient buildings of limestone and column and on the other side you have the ultra modern skyscrapers. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey et al are not the only examples of architectural eye candy this city holds, walking down any street will face you with wall after wall of epic and ornate structural design.  The intimidating presence of urban sprawl is somewhat offset as the city also boasts some of the most tranquil inner city parks. Every few corners you will encounter a peaceful slice of greenery that can momentarily help you forget you are in one of the busiest metropolitan centres in the world.

The train system is old and worn, rattling you through dirty tunnels in rusty sardine cans, but despite this it makes this enormous city seem smaller, manageable and friendlier. The subway map seems pretty complex but it’s oddly simple and within less than a day we where minding gaps and traversing London’s sub-terra like seasoned pros.

So, day one is winding down and I have to say London is okay in my books. We are here for a few more days, I think we will see some more sights, maybe ride the London eye when Alyce overcomes her fear of heights. I think we are going to go see a musical at the West End sometime, it seems pretty popular here.

Here are some photos:

Mr Churchill surveys his kingdom.

Me, out on the streets.

Alyce out on the streets.

Alyce in the park.

This is the Channel 4 TV Station, they have a giant 4 made out of umbrellas.

This is a much older building, these are everywhere.