White Christmas in the United Kingdom (December 19-31, 2009)

Over the holidays, Diana and I traveled to the United Kingdom to the cities of London, Cambridge and Edinburgh. To get into the country we flew Ryanair - one of the cheapest European airlines on the market. Apparently, nothing stops them from trying to make an extra buck, not even flying amidst heavy snowfall or selling smokeless cigarettes during the flight. Oh well, as long as they get the job done safely, right? In each city, we stayed at a hostel and cooked our own meals and to get from city to city, we traveled by bus. Transportation, food, entertainment and merchandise were rather expensive since the dollar is weak compared to the pound (1USD=1.56GBP), so we followed a tight budget.

Throughout London, we saw a lot of these red telephone booths and red double decker buses. There's nothing particularly special about them besides being internationally recognized icons of London. I suppose they are kind of cute too. Most souvenir shops sell miniature models of them as toys and coin holders. Speaking of souvenirs, the only thing I purchased in London was a European hat. Diana says I look like Pip from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. I can't say much about Pip's looks, but at least I know he has decent morals and ultimately realizes that social status and wealth is not the purpose of life. I don't know, it might go well with a pea coat, yeah?











This is the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park. The design aims to reflect Princess Diana's life and symbolize her quality and openness. Diana was named after Princess Diana, so she paid her respects by dipping her hand into the water. Burrr! It was very peaceful here but we didn't stay long because it was so cold. In fact, we felt chronically cold throughout the whole trip. Before leaving London, we also visited the Kensington Palace - Princess Diana's home. We didn't have time to go in but based on the outside the inside must be very nice. A warning if you come here someday: do not feed the squirrels. I was feeling generous and prepared to give them goldfish when one jumps onto my suitcase and another climbs onto my leg! In shock, I slapped it off and quickly put away the food. How rude!

Musicals are a popular attraction in London. From a long list of shows, we decided to see the Lion King. It was fabulous! The puppeteering of safari animals, hyenas, Zazu, and Timone and Pumba, the singing, the choreography, and the stage craft were all very well done and exceptional. This is the second musical I've seen in addition to Wicked and I would highly recommend it - entertaining for all ages.

Compared to Paris's architecture, the ones in London did not seem as breathtaking to me. Nonetheless, it is still home to several world renowned structures like the Big Ben and the Eye of London, which is a ferris wheel. At night, both of these structures are lit with neon-like lights.


Platform 9 and 3/4?! For reals?! I didn't know it actually existed. Neither did I know that King's Cross Station is a real train station in London. I guess it makes sense since J.K. Rowling is British and this is where she got most of her inspiration for Harry Potter. It took us a while to find the platform and we had to ask a security guard, who gave us a funny look. Pssh, obviously he doesn't know what's real and what's make-belief. Well, off to Hogwarts I go. Let me know if you want me to bring back anything - liquid luck, love potion, flying broom stick, you name it.

After staying in London for four days, we took a bus to Cambridge for three days to spend Christmas. Cambridge is home to Cambridge University, the second oldest university in England, founded in 1209. It is made up of 31 self-governing and independent colleges. When we were there it was celebrating its 800 year anniversary. Cambridge University is the alma mater of historic figures like Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Alan Alexander Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh) as well as contemporary stars like Hugh Laurie (Dr. Gregory House). The city evokes the feel of a quaint college town. There are good shopping, restaurants, and cafes that sell delicious eats, such as pasties. Running through Cambridge University is the River Cam. Although it was cold and the sun set early, we decided to go punting. Our guide was witty and outspoken and told us many facts about the different colleges as he propelled us down the river with a long pole.



King's College is probably the most distinct and magnificent looking college of Cambridge University. Unfortunately, it was closed to visitors when we visited. Despite not being able to go in, however, we were able to see it from both sides. It is very beautiful. Hopefully I can come back to visit in the Spring when it is warmer and my friend, Victor, who is currently a Gates-Cambridge scholar can show me around. In any case, I was inspired simply by being in a place where 87 Nobel Laureates received their education. Cambridge is definitely a town for intellectuals - there is not much entertainment that is apparent to outsiders, but it is very pleasant and scenic.

Our final destination was Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a small medieval city centered around the Edinburgh Castle, which sits majestically atop a volcanic rock, dominating the skyline. This is the first medieval castle I've been to and I was stoked because I've read about them in history books and seen them in Disney movies. I felt like I was in a fairy tale or traveled back in time and was walking along the same roads as someone living a thousand years ago. It was awesome. The castle, however, isn't as impressive on the inside as from afar. I did like the firepower it possesses and took some pictures with the cannons.

Several things that Edinburgh, or maybe Scotland as a whole, is known for are cashmere, Whiskey and Scottish terriers. Even though Diana adores puppies, we didn't bring back a Scottish terrier and since neither of us drink, we didn't bring back Whiskey either. Instead, we bought some cashmere garments and flexed our taste buds by trying some traditional dishes, specifically one called "haggis, neeps, and tatties." It was tasty and maybe even more so because Diana treated me to it on my birthday. I have to say, though, that after looking up the ingredients and how it is prepared, I'm going to have to refrain myself from eating it again if I come back here in the future. Something else that is rather unique to Scotland is that its people are divided into clans, which gives each person a sense of their identity and decent. There are hundreds of clans and each has its own plaid pattern called a tartan. A close friend, Michael, has Brown as his sir name and I wonder if he is of Scottish decent.



All in all, this 10-day trip to the United Kingdom was a wonderful eyeopening experience, and I am grateful to have been able to share it with Diana. There were some places we didn't have time to explore, such as the Scottish Highlands, so there are myriad incentives for both of us to come back. Ten days was rather rushed and I can recall instances during the trip when we worked up a sweat, even in below-freezing temperatures, such as when we ran with our suitcases on the streets of London to catch our bus to Cambridge. Good times and precious memories...