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Posts from the ‘United Kingdom’ Category

Jul 31

27 Comments

An ode to British summers

View down the River Avon, Bath

Summers in Britain can be hit-and-miss, governed by the famously unpredictable weather patterns that are such a talking point among the local populace. Last Friday we witnessed a spectacular opening ceremony for the Olympics, celebrating British culture and featuring several key episodes of the nation’s history. Watching these clips brought pangs of nostalgia for the rainy islands that I called home for four influential years of my life. Read more

Jul 19

16 Comments

Chasing Sunsets, London 2008

When I’m jetlagged, one of my favourite ways of passing the time is to dig up some of my older travel pictures. Exactly three years ago I was spending the summer in London, working as an intern at a multinational firm and living across the road from the spires of St. Pancras. Before I left I decided to take advantage of the long days, sprinting around the city (via the underground) to some of its most recognisable sites. Read more

Aug 21

1 Comment

Honey-coloured sunsets – Bath, England.

The end of my whirlwind tour around Western Europe was a signal that my life was about to take a very different course. After 4½ years of study, I was going to leave England for good. Read more

Aug 20

In Search of William Wallace – Stirling, Scotland.

After two days of exploring Edinburgh, I was ready to seek some form of relief from the tourist hordes. So we jumped aboard a train bound for Stirling, a small historic city just 50-55 minutes away. Read more

Aug 11

4 Comments

A View from the Top – Edinburgh, Scotland.

After the tranquility of Oban and the Western Isles, Edinburgh seemed like a world away in comparison. Scotland’s pulsating capital is often regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, so it comes as no surprise that it is such a major tourist draw. Read more

Aug 5

Mulling it over – The Road to Iona, Scotland.

It is a damp Sunday morning and we are down at the pier, amongst a crowd of weekend day-trippers from as far afield as America and New Zealand. We are boarding the 9:50 ferry out of Oban, on what is the first leg of a 2-hour journey to the fabled island of Iona. Read more

Jul 25

A Little Slice of New Zealand – Oban, Scotland.

Just 3 hours away from the hustle and bustle of Glasgow is the little town of Oban (OH-bin), Scotland’s self-proclaimed seafood capital and the ‘Gateway to the Isles’. I am here with my mother on a week-long trip through the land of bagpipes and haggis, where people speak with a burr and the lakes are all called lochs. Read more

Jul 22

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Of Quads and Dreaming Spires – Oxford, England.

When we arrive in Oxford, it dawns on me that I am a walking example of the stereotypical Asian tourist, except with a very big twist. My partner in crime is Ángela, a Spanish exchange student I met back in January. Armed with our big cameras and speaking primarily in Spanish, we went from college to college, confounding many of the locals along the way. Read more

Jun 8

7 Comments

Liver Birds and Lambananas – Liverpool, England.

“You’re going to Liverpool?” The barber’s eyes widened, as though I had just told him I was off to some no-man’s land in Iraq or Afghanistan. Read more

May 31

The Beginning of the Adventure

7:30 pm. I left the studio for the last time and slowly made my way home. As the bus trundled down the hill I was treated to the most majestic view of the city: the setting sun cast hues of gold onto the honey-coloured stone buildings, and its soft light reflected in the multitude of Georgian sash windows. Bath looked as beautiful as ever. I admired the view and breathed a great sigh of relief – it is quite the feeling knowing that 4½ years of university are practically over. And what a tough 4½ years it has been. Read more

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