Beautiful Mishaps: Last Minute Scotland

My visit to Scotland was unexpected. As much as I wanted to go there, I did not think that ten days would be enough. But in the middle of my travels, I was constantly advised to go to Edinburgh. So when the opportunity came, I did not pass it up.

The trip to visit Edinburgh proved to be the most challenging. It was filled with mishaps from rearranging schedules to missed train rides. I was traveling with one of my best friends, Ara. So, the misadventures with company just add to the fun.

Edinburgh was just as beautiful as I expected. The detail and architecture was the best I have ever seen. We primarily explored around the Old Town. 

We visited Edinburgh Castle. It was the first fully preserved castle that I have seen. 
Unfortunately, some areas are still privately used and not for public viewing

We discovered a tour called Mary King’s Close which is advertised to be an underground tour. It appears that during the 17th century, Mary King’s Close was one of the streets in the main city center. It was eventually built over during the modernization of Old Town. It is theorized that the building over was to contain the black plague; thus, giving this place a reputation for being haunted. 

I also saw Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book.

We also explored local life.

We also had a chance to visit Glasgow. I think this city is the type people don’t take the time to see. 
It is small and quaint, but bustling with life. 

I think traveling with just yourself and basic things teaches you so much. Although I loved traveling on my own, I found it very fitting to end my trip with company. It is such a different experience also to travel with a trained eye. Nix, for example, lives in Glasgow. So, she was able to introduce local life which gave me a great experience in Glasgow.

Define Vagabond: Adventures in England

My adventures in all the four countries of the United Kingdom started as early as I was seven. To this day, I have no idea where it came from, but my seven year old self was so sure that this was where I would go one day, and I would have the time of my life.

 It eventually led to this moment I built up since I was seven. I would be traveling alone for the most part of ten days, live city to city, armed with a backpack, a camera, a map and a passport.

My general itinerary consisted of day one in London, day two and three in different cities in Wales then back to London, day four, five and six in different cities in Northern Ireland and back to London, day seven in Bath, Amesbury and London, day eight and nine in different cities in Scotland and back to London and day ten in London. So yes, I was unpacking and packing each of those days, and literally living the definition of a vagabond.

England Adventures:

I landed in London mid-afternoon on a Friday, and headed towards Oxford Street. This was the only concrete thing I had planned for my day: buy a sim card and at least establish some form of communication with the world. 

One of the things I really loved about London was it was definitely a tourist friendly city. Not only were there signs everywhere but it was home to the nicest people I have ever met. I hardly touched my map as I made my way around the city, following crowds and arrows, zipping through one attraction to the next. This feeling of complete independence was exhilarating, even intoxicating. I reveled in this new found freedom, me facing this beautiful unknown. 

One of the many highlights of this trip were the people I met along the way. As I fall under the group of atypical lone travelers, most people found it interesting. This opened my world to interacting with strangers and trusting intuition that broadened my world. I would ride the tube and take a stop. Explore the area and ask around. I would enter a restaurant and ask for the most ordered thing. I learned to sit and take the time to enjoy the company of myself and my food.

A few days later, I was able to see Stonehenge in Amesbury. I took an audio guide tour with it which I would recommend. I think if you enter the area and see this rock formation without context, you lose so much appreciation of how this structure came to be. The work and effort to make such an accurate structure patterned to the sun's movements around 3000 BC is astounding to me. 

I was also able to visit the nearby city of Bath. During the Roman occupation of Britain, they built this Roman bath which has been beautifully preserved to this day. The whole city itself still has the Roman architecture which draws hundreds of visitors day to day.

As for my favorite places, it would be where the locals were, which were the markets.

My favorite market would be Camden Market in London. It was one of the most vibrant places I have ever visited.

There's simply so many things to love about England, especially London. 
My seven year old self would say, "I told you so!"

Destination: Philadelphia

I remember a year ago feeling stumped. I remember wanting to grab my camera and go. Just go, start exploring and never stop. I found I had plenty of things weighing me down. For some time, I let those weights decide my dreams for me. 

I am happy to say that I have rekindled the fire. I have decided to go exploring at the very least every month. I may not yet be able to travel far, but I realized there are always hidden gems close by. I found that to be such a pleasant surprise last week when I decided to go to Philadelphia. It was a city I have never seen and had horribly low expectations for. This city caught me completely by surprise. I found it to be beautiful and charming not for the typical reasons. It is a city of people in costumes and face paint, not out of the ordinary. It is a city where you drive next to duck tours and horse drawn carriages. There is the hussle bussle of a city and a quaint cobblestone path for beautiful brick houses. The variety of a city like Philly, I absolutely love it.