Now that you know about my year in Liverpool, I want to move on to proper travel stories. I talked a little bit about travelling in India in one of my first posts. In this post, I will be talking about travelling the UK in the first year after I came here.
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The first piece of travel I did in the UK, if I can call it that, was travel to the hallowed grounds of Anfield. The home of Liverpool FC! Bear in mind, I was only about a month in to my life in the UK at this point. So, even though it was only about 20 mins away from my student flat, I still count it as my first bit of travelling in the UK.
Hallowed Ground
And it was a special occasion as well, kind of. It was 23 October 2010, Liverpool vs Blackburn, and the first home game under the new owners FSG. It was a dream come true to see Fernando Torres, not just in action but also score a goal! If you didn’t know, I was a Torres fan first and Liverpool fan later. I did like Liverpool a lot before I came here but it only got engrained in me during my year in Liverpool. Visiting Anfield was an emotional experience. And to top it, Liverpool won 2-1. As they say, you never forget your first time!
So now that we have that out of the way. Let’s talk about the other places I visited during my year in Liverpool. There is beach in Merseyside called Crosby and I vividly remember my experience there. I went there with my friend and his classmates. Now it’s not the most beautiful beach you’ll ever see but its one of the most fascinating ones for sure. That is due to the statues on this beach.
The statues on Crosby Beach are part of an art installation called “Another Place,” created by the British sculptor Antony Gormley. The installation consists of 100 cast iron figures of Gormley’s own body, spread out across a two-mile stretch of the beach, facing out to sea. The figures are life-size and identical, standing at around 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) tall and weighing around 650 pounds (295 kilograms) each. They are placed at different distances from the shore, some standing in the water and others farther up the beach.
The figures are designed to interact with the natural environment, and as the tide comes in and goes out, the figures are gradually submerged and revealed again. The installation is intended to provoke reflection on the relationship between human beings and nature, and the passing of time. A beautiful and surreal experience, if you ask me. Definitely recommend visiting it if you are in this neck of the woods.
London
Have you been anywhere outside of Liverpool? I hear you ask! Well, yes! Plenty, actually. As a student, even though funds were always tight, I did manage to cover quite a bit that year. I am not going to go through each and every town or city I visited during this year, but I will touch upon the key ones.
The first big trip I did was a Christmas trip down to London, with a group of fellow international students. We were lucky that one of our friends’ brother lived in London. And given it was Christmas, all his housemates went home. So the 6 or 7 of us, crashed at his place. As we were students, and short on cash, we decided to travel on the bus, instead of trains. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most comfortable 5 hours of my life. But, we got there in the end!
London is vast and does look enchanting during Christmas. So it wasn’t possible to cover everything. My favourite memory was to visit 221B Baker Street! It was something straight out of my childhood and a lifelong dream. In case you are wondering what is that, it is fictitious address where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson lived. It is a museum of sorts, dedicated to Mr. Holmes.
I didn’t get to do much more of the paid attractions at that time, apart from SeaLife Aquarium. That was very fascinating. We also spent NYE in London so were able to see the fireworks display on the banks of river Thames. It was spectacular. Albeit it was way too crowded for my liking and I probably won’t do it again! If you are planning a trip to London, then be sure to check out this post about the top things to do in London.
Day trips through Universtiy
In the new year (2011), I went on a couple of day trips arranged by the University Students’ Union. The first was a hike up mount Snowdon, in the Snowdonia National Park, Wales. It was the second country I visited during travelling in the UK that year. The second was a trip to the historic Viking city of Jorvik, or as it is known now, York. Both beautiful destinations in their own right. On one hand, the York Cathedral is probably one of the most beautiful ones in the country. And on the other hand, the views from the top of Snowden are simply breathtaking. Both worth a visit.
Deep inside the Welsh Dragon
But it wasn’t till Easter that I had arguably the best trip of that year. Me and some of my other friends (not the group I went to London with) were invited to spend Easter at one of now very good friends’ parents. They live in the beautiful southern Welsh countryside in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Along with all the hiking and chilling, we also managed to visit the Welsh capital city of Cardiff.
Incidentally, University of Cardiff was the other uni I was considering going before I made my decision to go to Liverpool. So it was nice, personally, to visit Cardiff and walk around the University campus, amongst other things. We had great fun that trip. I surprised even myself with my adventurous attitude. Perhaps those stories are something for another time!
Bonnie Scotland
The final bit of major travelling in the UK I did that year was exploring my third country of that year! It was a trip up to Edinburgh in Scotland, and tell you what? It is probably my favourite city in the UK! The cobbled streets, the narrow alleyways, friendly people and sitting on top of it all, the magnificent Edinburgh castle.
During this trip I also visited the Scottish Highlands. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. From the windswept moors and heather-clad hills to the deep, dark lochs and mist-shrouded mountains, the Highlands are a place of raw, natural beauty that is sure to capture the imagination of anyone who visits.
Once again I was really lucky that one of my very good friends from my Engineering days in India was working in Edinburgh at that time. So I was able to base myself at his place during that trip. By the way, if you are planning a trip to Edinburgh, then be sure to check out this post about the top things to do in Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands.
Overall, when I think about it, it was a really good year of travelling in the UK. And not just the travelling part, all memories and friends I made. Here’s to all of them! Until next time.
