Seven Days, Four Cities, One Duffel Bag: My trip around the UK

I finally returned Thursday night after the hectic, improvised journey that took me to the farmlands of Western England, then to big-city Manchester, historic Edinburgh and for a brief time, York. I can't expand on every detail here but there is a lot I want to discuss. The trip, for all it's ups and downs, made me think about my life past, present and future and what I want to get out of it. The sad truth is: I don't have the answer yet and I'm not sure I will for a long time. However, the trip, which I undertook by myself, tested my ability to survive. It may seem silly to put a lot of weight on a supposed vacation but finding shelter, food and transportation on a daily basis and having little clue on how you're going to end up the next day is a tough chore and it makes you grateful for what you have.

With that said, here is a summary of my trip (with photos!):


^Shropshire is a small county near the border with Wales that encompasses the city of Wolverhampton, traditional villages such as Ludlow and plenty of rolling hills and farmlands. Here is a view of those hills from the front yard of the Kirkup's home. The Kirkups, old friends of my mother, hosted me at their home over the weekend.


^Roger and Vilna Kirkup saw me off at the train station Monday afternoon and posed for this photo.


^After leaving the Kirkups I stayed Monday night in a grungy hostel in the northern city of Manchester. I was able to get some scenic views Tuesday morning of the downtown city.


^I arrived in Edinburgh Tuesday afternoon after a four hour train ride from Manchester. The next morning I was able to take a free tour of the city courtesy of New Europe, a travel company offering inexpensive and free activities for tourists. I snapped this photo of the famous Edinburgh Castle.


^When in Scotland, do as the Scottish do. With that in mind, there was no way I could pass on haggis, the infamous dish made of innards cooked in sheep stomach. It tasted like peppered ground beef! Here you see my plate of fried haggis served with Scotch Whiskey, another true-blue Scottish treat.


^I left Edinburgh Thursday afternoon and made a train transfer in York, a scenic college town in eastern England. I had a two hour wait for my next train so I took a few photos including this one of a medieval fort along the city's Ouse River.