I don't know where to begin.   After two weeks in the UK it is good to be able to put my feet up and not have to worry about anything aside from how I am gonna cut my toenails when my feet are waaaay down there.  The trip started off with a bus ride to Bratislava, where Ian and I would catch a flight to London since it was much cheaper than flying straight out of Budapest.  The plane was late by 2 hours so Ian and I decided to go and buy a third round of ale when we ran into another Canadian.  Turns out he plays hockey for France and was in Slovakia for a tourney.  He came with and ended up adding 4 more rounds to our previous total.  So, times i have been on a plane at that point? 2.  How many were done under the complete influence of alcohol? 2.

Once in London we headed for Bristol via coach to see Ian's sister Cheryl and spend the xmas break in complete sloth.  We did it too, watching tv for the better part of 3 days of a total of 5 we were there.  Xmas dinner was pretty good actually.  I did it up fairly well, and we even had gifts from Cheryl, our host.  Of course the pubs played a role in our time of lounging, which developed into to a mild interest in UK football for this bloke.  That and world championship darts!  but that's another story altogether.  The town of Bristol is full of numerous little treasures and is quite lovely for weather.  Alas, we left there on Dec 27th and headed off to Manchester the 'second capital' of Britain.  There the season cheer was all about around the local mall, with giant ferrous wheels and lights.  We spent a full day there and saw pretty much all there was to see however, making us wonder how we managed to squeeze in a movie and see an entire city in 1 day...

Edinburgh.  Possibly the most gorgeous city I have ever laid eyes upon.  We never really went beyond Princes Street but then again we never really needed to.  The downtown core is amazing, even to view after a 6 hour coach ride that ends at 6:30 in the morning with gale winds knocking you about.  We met some pretty fun people in our 8 bed mixed dorm.  We even had the pleasure of one fellow waking up the entire room at 4:30am because he was pissing on the carpet quite loudly.  He will not be missed.  The three days leading up to New Years’ Eve are known in the UK as Hogmanay for reasons I have no interest in learning.  The last night of Hogmanay, New Year’s Eve, proved to be a bitch regarding the weather and the outdoor street party sooo many people had come to join was cancelled.  No Pet Shop Boys for me this year unfortunately.  We still had a great time at a few pubs along the way, which became just as crucial as the beds we slept in at this time in the trip. 

London was too big to do in a day, which is all we had left.  And when I say day I mean almost 24 hours available due to the timing of our flight back home (6:30am) and having been kicked out of the hostel at 10am.  We still managed to see some sights and snap some photos.  I do not want to go on at length really, just look at the pictures, that’s what they are there for.  The only advice I have for anyone going to the UK is this:  choose one or two places only, and do not go if you are particularly attached to your money…everything there costs about double.

I need to sleep.  Hope you enjoy the photos (They are separately posted based on city).

D.A.E.

P.S: the last flight home I managed to do sober, only because I am poor...