Quicksand Castle

Trains and Tubes: Part 2

After the manic rush of London - the crushing morning commute, the disorienting High Street, hoards of tourists - I found a sanctuary 5 hours north where the hills slow everyone down and it's OK for men to wear skirts.

You might not think it, but Edinburgh is 26km closer to Adelaide than Caen. I could tell because it reminded me of Australia a bit, the purpose-built New Town and Adelaide's grid pattern streets had more in common than I realised. The quirky little shops around Grassmarket were a bit like Melbourne and the people were relaxed, friendly. It's not surprising that so many Aussies call this place home now.

The sun came out again and so did the walking shoes. Wandering around Edinburgh, visiting some uni friends in Glasgow, taking a bus through the Highlands to Loch Ness - three days turned into five and my camera could barely keep up with me. The problem was trying to take it all in without seeing every scene in a 4 x 6 inch frame. 

I missed my chance with Guinness World Record Holder Elaine Davidson, who officially has over 3,950 piercings including 500 in her genetalia. Requiring a donation for photos, I was more than happy to oblige but out of coins. Thinking I'd catch her on my way back up the Royal Mile I left, but once I was gone, so too was she. Note to self: ALWAYS keep extra money in my camera bag.

The one that got away (Photo Source: Wikipedia)

I even met Sir Ian McKellan in the street. He was barely recognisable, in town to play the role of a homeless man and befitting the part outstandingly. However, my miniature copy of Macbeth, purchased in Stratford-upon-Avon and so fortunately on my person at the time, is now signed by a man who one played the lead role. Not a bad effort even if it did require a little stalking and waiting in the cold.

There were of course countless other opportunites and I did get a few favourites. Hamish, below, was quite the pop star and outshone perhaps even the breath-taking Highlands themselves. Entertaining the crowds in Glasgow, these men not only looked fantastic but they made a heck of a sound too - all drums and bagpipes and yelling.

A glass and a half of character - just wish I'd bought the CD

Hamish, a 16 year old Highland Coo with matching Emo fringe/grumpy face

So many wonderful clichés and so little time to enjoy them all. But off I went, back on the train, back on the Underground, the overground, a ferry and a $100 taxi ride... back to Caen and back to school on Monday.

Trains and Tubes: Part 1

Trust the BBC to build up my expectations of the English countryside - lush green fields, stone farmhouses piping smoke from the chimneys, and wooden gates hanging haphazardly from crooked fence posts... It's all true you know - they really do look like that, even when you're whizzing past on a high speed train. I thoroughly expected to see the Secret Seven jumping the ditches between paddocks, being chased by a man with a crooked nose just as Enid Blyton would have it.

An accented voice broke through my daydream, announcing stations with names like Haddenham and Princes Risborough. Much to my surprise there is a word that rhymes with porridge, but you'll have to make your way to London from the West Midlands to find out what it is.

The pebble beaches of Brighton were in the past and the architectural pin cushion of the Bullring in Birmingham was getting further and further away. I was headed east for London, where they have the Monopoly on recogniseable street names. For a Fleeting moment I feared being Stranded somewhere I'm unfamiliar with. But Chances were I'd find my hostel with the Tube map I Euston the journey in.

Anarchy on the train

Easily the most hectic city I've been in, London didn't let me down with shiny gold -rimmed clocks, enormous ferris wheels and pompous ceremonies just to hand over a set of keys. My room above The Steam Engine pub was cramped, as was the Underground and every store I went in. I allowed an Indian woman to tidy my eyebrows with only a reel of cotton and (not suprisingly) found someone from Adelaide working in a pub that knew someone else I knew.

I missed the last tube on Friday night and stayed with a friend who'd just moved into a new place, only recently converted to residential status after housing a brothel. The video intercom gave us no end of entertainment at 2am as gentlemen came calling and were quickly turned away with threats to call the police.

I learnt the ins and outs of the stations, the 'stick to the right' rule on the escalators, and the need to predetermine your fare when using a non-legitimate taxi service. So with a little of the lower UK now under my belt, I took off for the highlands, the castles and the kilts.

I ♥ Paris in the Springtime

March 31, 2009: 120 years old

Sacré-Cœur, Montmarte

View from Sacré-Cœur, Montmarte

La fontaine Marie de Médicis, Jardin du Luxembourg 

Jardin du Luxembourg

Place de la Bastille

Shakespeare & Company