United Kingdom – aimlessly ali

The English countryside is so iconic, no? Maybe it comes from our commonwealth history, where I can picture all these British expats gathering in the 1800s to reminisce about their good old days with sheep-dotted emerald hills, low stone walls and grand manor estates. I think that conversation may have perpetuated throughout the generations to diffuse this image as my instinctual assumption of the United Kingdom.

I had the chance the other day to see this all in person again. And a day in the English dales is just as I’d imagined.

My dear sweet friends have been living in Leeds for the past couple months, and they are gracious enough to allow me to drop in on their doorstep without much warning, even making me feel like they’re happy to have their work and plans disrupted (Thank you!!) so of course that’s just what I did. I was travelling again with an uncertain timetable, and wasn’t sure I would be able to come visit, but I’m so happy it all aligned and I was able to arrive.

Here’s a travel tip, though, for anyone thinking of following my footsteps: most of the money I’d saved by booking a standby flight was then eaten up with booking a last minute train ticket from London to Leeds. I wasn’t expecting that to cost so much!! You’d be much better off to arrange your rail pass in advance! Thanks to Jeanette’s suggestion, I found my best option on thetrainline.com.

Anyway, from train tickets back to my train of thought. My unofficial tour guides had a pretty incredible itinerary for us, so I’ll now pass this along as a “One Day in Leeds” suggestion for you.

Start the morning with a walk to city centre, picking up coffee from Cafe Nero and sipping it while continuing to stroll. Take in the shops built into old Arcades and look for the golden owl statues set throughout. Apparently this is the symbol for the city of Leeds…. I meant to look up the story behind that but haven’t made the time for it yet. If anyone knows, please feel free to write in the comments.

After lunch, a drive out to Bolton Abby and the Yorkshire countryside. This is a beautiful drive through the peaceful scenic country – along harrowing narrow roads and blind corners with ridiculously fast speed limits!

Certainly worth the drive, the grounds around the Abby are lovely and lush, and it’s easy to imagine how life may have been centuries ago in this very spot. There are the stones used to make a footpath across the river that the monks from the Abby used to cross, fun to hop across now, as well as ruins from the outcrop buildings. If you prefer to hike, gentle trails run through the woods and along the river.

Photo by Jeff

Before leaving, take a pit stop at the cafe where it would seem a spot of tea and scone would be just right… or you could just get a soda to go if you’re rushing the way I was…

Next stop, a quick stretch of the legs to hike up the “Cow and Calf” outcropping. This was an old quarry, and the sudden stone cliffs towering out of the green hill is something to see. Listen for the bleating of sheep across the way as you walk to the top, and notice the way heather and ferns blanket the ground everywhere except the boulders.

Graffiti seems so much better when it’s 100 years old

Back in Leeds, excellent dinner options seem endless. Or nip into a pub and share your stories over an ale. And there you have it. A great day almost guaranteed!

As I was there to visit friends, we spent an evening around a table with others of their friends. We talked a lot about travel, and life as an expat, and the weather. People always seem to talk about the weather, hey? I remember that part because I said something about how cold it was currently, and one of the girls who lived in the UK made an offhand comment about their weather, saying “it’s not hot here like in Canada” which made me laugh as it’s not a sentence you’d often hear in most places around the world! Canada is known for polar bears!!

I had to run to catch my train back to London, and as much as I was excited to get started on my “real” travels through Turkey, I wished I had more time. But there you have it: One Day in Leeds. I hope you enjoy it, though in my opinion to really get the best you’d need to become friends with my Jeff & Jeanette.

Next time from Istanbul! Ciao!

Here’s the sentence I want to use to start this post: I was out with a major movie star last night! And here’s what I’ll need to write instead to keep this from being a work of fiction: I was out and I saw a major movie star last night! I guess that’s still okay on its own, but it doesn’t have the same oomph as what I wish I could write… I can imagine a whole scene where said star was so impressed with our table and the way we would have smiled hello and just let her enjoy her evening that she’d end up chatting across her table with us and before long we’re all laughing at stories of co-star antics on set…. Could’ve happened…. Here’s the real version. I was with four others at a bright and airy little pub in a London neighbourhood when I noticed Amy Adams was sitting just behind me. I was the last in my group to realized a celebrity was there, but the only one that could recall her name. Unfortunately, despite our attempts at discretion she noticed us noticing her and before we had a chance to show her we’d leave her alone, she and her husband finished the last of their beer and left. I feel really bad for spooking them away – sorry Amy! – but I can understand. So it may have been brief, but a legit brush with fame is fun anyway. Immediately after our table was all swapping celebrity stories and since I’d only just met this group I got to pull out my old “I hung out with Jackie Chan” stories again. All 5 of us had met famous people before, and clearly my own social status has been upped a notch or two now just from those few hours out! Ha!

And speaking of famous people, earlier that morning as I was walking a few blocks from my hotel I passed the house Alfred Hitchcock used to live it. (I tried to take a picture befitting of his genre) London is great for that, so much history and culture that’s strutted out for the rest of us.

While we’re on photos, here are a few more images from my 2 days in London. I have really been on an “over processing” kick lately with my pictures….. It’s probably just a fling, but fun for me while it lasts.