She was a day-tripper!

Summer is pretty much finished - weather hasn't been great for the last week or so, already caught my first cold of the season... But I had time to do some day trips here and there while the sun was still shining on the British Islands. 

Me and my dad went for a day out in New Brighton - just across the river from Liverpool. The wind was really strong but we had a nice day out on English beach, with all that involves: fish&chips, lots of sand blown everywhere by the wind and a pint in the beer garden!

The lighthouse at New Brighton beach ... the water was cooooold!

Also took a day trip to York - only got to spend a few hours there but loved it. Old pubs, old cobbled street and the York Minster, the old Cathedral dates back to 1220 and it reminded me of the churches on the continent....  

The last trip of all was a week end in Edinburgh, in occasion of the Fringe Festival. It's the largest art festival in the world, with more than 300 venues and show going on until late at night ... the comedian of the one we saw at 00:45 am started  the show asking "how dirty do you want this to get?" The city is beautiful but it gets even more lively, busy and intense over the month of August when the festival is on. Managed to see 12 show in 3 days, we really packed it but I had a really nice time and I cannot wait to go back for the third round next year! 

The Edinburgh Castle, built on a volcanic rock

The Great British Summer

It has been surprisingly hot in the last few days in the UK... they call it a heatwave! Temperatures have gone all the way up to the late 20s and British people never fail to complain about the weather... rain or shine!

But it has been really enjoyable... and I got to do British-in-the-summer time things that do not involved umbrellas and cups of tea!

I felt like a true German on holidays,  lying on the towel before 10am at a beach near Formby, in the UK... they also have these "Iron Men" statues that look like people swimming when the tide is in!  - to this my mother said it was an example of British humour, but I am not sure she knows what she is talking about!

Once I got the tan out of the way (who knew English sun could burn!!), I proceeded with another passtime of mine: food! Barbeque at the ready - well... a little small one from the pound shop but sure! We still managed to burn the buns while the cider was warming up in the sun!

Christmas food!

For the first in two years, I nipped home for Christmas - it was a quick one but just in time to have some Italian food for the holidays... and a browse around the market in Bologna!

But also come back on time for my first English Christmas dinner - featuring turkey, gravy, Yorshire puddings, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy. Missing from the plate are Brussels sprouts (can you blame us?) and pigs in blankets, sausages wrapped in bacon.

Lake me up

Long time, no write... Things have changed a wee bit and I am back in the old continent!

After long travels, I have settled in Liverpool - just for the time being!

Need to recharge my batteries, buy a DVD player, have a couch and get a normal job... beofre I get bored of it all and leave again!

The travel bug has not left me yet so I am slowly exploring the British Isle while I am here, I was lucky enought to be swept away for a week end to the Lake District - the temperatures were cold but plenty of ales and pub grub kept us going. We stayed in Windermere, not a metropolis... but plenty restaurants, pubs and walks to keep us warm!