Anarchy In The UK

Wow, this is going to be a loooong post. I've come to the conclusion that there's NO way I'm going to be able to do justice to all of the stories from the UK, so I'm just going to post a few thoughts.

First, a super short summary of my two weeks. France to England, via English Channel ferry. Liverpool/Magical Mystery Tour/Beatles Museum. Meet Claire, go to Scotland. Stay with Claire's friend in St. Andrews/tour St. Andrews. Edinburgh. England, meet Katy. Stonehenge. London.

1. I saw a guy wearing a BREWERS jacket in the Paris métro! I was so stunned, and he passed by so quickly, that I didn't have time to ask about it.

2. Liverpool was way cooler than I thought. In a way, it reminds me of a really big Milwaukee. You have a bit of culture based upon a city that very much thrives on industry and the waterfront. However, Liverpool has one thing that Milwaukee doesn't--Beatles culture. The Magical Mystery Tour was super touristy...and ridiculously awesome.

3. I drank my first Miller beer in 5 months in St. Andrews, Scotland.

4. Walking the 18th hole on the Old Course in St. Andrews was so cool. And I don't even like golf that much (although I can quote Happy Gilmore practically verbatim).

5. The Anstruther Fish Bar (Anstruther, Scotland) definitely does have the best fish and chips in the UK. And probably in the world.

6. Edinburgh is full of hills, and quite possibly, is one of the greatest cities on Earth. How can you not love a city where a guy dresses up as Braveheart for charity? Plus, its the birhplace of Harry Potter. Enough said.

7. Rosslyn Chapel is way, way, way smaller than I expected.

8. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is home to possibly the most beautiful photograph of Ewan McGregor that I have ever seen.

9. The train ride from Edinburgh to Newcastle, England is one of the most beautiful public transportation routes that I have ever been on.

10. Cajun Squirrel flavored chips are not as disgusting as they sound, and actually better than both Onion Bhaji and Chili & Chocolate flavors.

11. "Daddy, the people who built Stonehenge didn't take very good care of it!" --girl at Stonehenge.

12. The greatest view of London can be found from Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally), near the Wood Green Tube stop, Piccadilly Line.

13. I never want to be in London when there is major construction on the Underground. I think out of 12 lines, 3 were fully functioning and 9 were partially closed in the centre of London. So you had to get creative trying to get to tourist destinations.

This was a ridiculously awesome trip (and obviously, there is much more that was omitted for my personal reasons). I LOVED Scotland to death, and want to go back. Its unfortunate that it gets missed in the hype over London and Ireland, because its a phenomenal place (my pictures prove it). But the best part? Seeing my friends! And now that I'm back in France, I realize that I'm missing my people a lot. It was so nice to see familiar faces and hang out with people my own age for a while, and I really enjoyed their company. I'm sure the United Kingdom loved having us...we definitely did our part to stimulate the economy.