25th Birthday Week Touring the UK!!!

~ Text & Photos by Aireen Navarro ~

My 25th birthday was very special :) I was lucky enough to celebrate it in 2 continents -- left Manila on November 1, 2003 and arrived London on the same date --- COOL!!!

Hey, one of the perks of being a Travel Consultant is free travel. Why do you think I took BS Tourism and worked in the Tourism industry??? I love the phrases 'ocular inspection,' 'look-see,' and 'educational trip.'

Yup, my first trip to Europe was an 'educational trip.' I was part of the Sales Team of the General Sales Agent of Globus & Cosmos Coach Tours here in Manila (under Baron Travel). All of us (Sales & Operations Members) were given the chance to travel to Europe. My turn came in 2003.

On that year, the itinerary was a week exploring the UK. Just a week? That's too short to explore a country. So, as expected - it's a compressed itinerary rushing from one tourist attraction to another destination highlight that propelled a certain area to global popularity. Coach tours are only recommended if you're on a budget and want to take advantage of 'group rate' and the type of traveller who doesn't really care about an area's culture/way of life. A traveller who just wants to tick off his/her list of 'must-visit/must-see' places of interest/tourist attraction, take a photo as proof then off to the next destination on the list. If you don't want to be rushed and adjust to your fellow travelers, this type of touring is not for you.

First off, London. Unfortunately, I got there in the evening and was too tired to explore this city. It's FREEZING as well, so I stayed put. The next day was a typical British weather - foggy/dreary/gloomy then it turns into a clear/sunny day -- experienced 4 seasons in a day. We explored England's highlights - travelled south to Stonehenge. Now this place is eerie - very mysterious as well. When you're there, you're actually humbled at how these huge edifice was put in place hundreds/thousands of years ago. Many researchers/scientists still have conflicting theories on how it got there....but I think they're getting there (monitor it through National Geographic or Discovery Channel)....

From Stonehenge, we're off to Salisbury, a quaint town where we had a lunch of 'fish & chips' before having just enough time to take photos and check out the Salisbury Anglican Church. From Salisbury, we're off to Bath -- have you heard of the 'Roman baths'? This is the place :)

We just walked around the area before heading to William Shakespeare's birthplace - Stratford-upon-Avon with a quick stop at Anne Hathaway's cottage. We just had enough time to walk around its little streets, grab some snacks before departing for Llangollen - where the international competition of musicians and poets are held. Then last leg of our journey for the day was Cardiff, Wales where we spent the night after managing to attend an early evening Roman Catholic mass. That was a loooong day!!!

Third day was another long coach travel from Cardiff, quick stop in Chester, then passing through Liverpool before having lunch at the Lake District in Lake Windermere, Grasmere. Now I like this area - very scenic and a lot of locals who love to go hiking/trekking/camping. We passed several campers in the area - tents on the banks of the lake. I couldn't resist buying a backpack - my souvenir!!! The fall colors were just awesome as well - very deep reds and yellows!!!

After the Lake District, we're off to a short stop at Gretna Green, goodbye England and welcome to Scotland!!! Are you familiar with Barbara Cartland? Come on, admit it - you've read one of her books - hehehe :) She's the lady who wrote a lot of 'romance' novels, mostly with heroines/heroes being members of the peerage. Yup, that's her. She always had her heroines/heroes elope and get married in Gretna Green!

We arrived Edinburgh early evening - with enough time to freshen up before having dinner. Geez - Scotland IS cold!!! There were a lot of people as usual - the Europe MTV Awards was scheduled in 2 days, so just imagine how crowded the city was. A stay in Edinburgh is not complete without a tour of the Edinburgh Castle.

I like walking along Princes St as well. People in Edinburgh (the Scots) are more charming/friendlier compared to those in London and other parts of England.


We had dinner that included a cultural show - ceremony of the Haggis. Wines were pouring, so everyone's happily tipsy / drunk :)

Another long day on the road followed. The usual photo stop at the border of Scotland and England - just one step away and you're in Scotland, another step back in England.....hehehe.

A visit to one of the ruins/parts of Hadrian's Wall can't be missed as well. It's just a quick photo stop though. Then we set off for York where we walked its streets/checked shops and spent the night.

Leaving York the next day, we headed to Cambridge. Walked around the campus and had lunch before finally heading back to London where I spent another night. A pity I missed out on the broadway musicals :( I wanted to watch Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables but tickets were sold out days in advance. Only Lion King was available but I wasn't too keen on wathing it -- I should have!!!

The next day - I'm off to my extended vacation this time not for free....hehehe...Hey, I was already in Europe and the countries of continental europe's waiting for me. So I shelled out for another tour (since I'm a budget traveler - I joined another Cosmos coach tour which left London for the continent via Dover-Calais route.....

Off to another adventure in other parts of Europe :)