A Day in... Leeds

Day 1

One thing you get used to as an au pair in England, especially with kids that go to a private school, is that they have a lot of school breaks. Since the kids have two to three weeks of holiday again, two friends and I decided to go on a little trip around the North of England. Well, they pretty much planned it and I was too chicken to admit I had the week off, too, until almost a month later. Ups...

Anyway, the first stop on our tour was Leeds. The bus trip was almost 4,5h long that I spent reading Game of Thrones, maybe one day I'll even finish it. Once we arrived we still had a few hours until the check-in which we spent sitting in a park eating lunch. The weather was nice for a change and we knew it wouldn't last for long - another thing you learn quickly here. When we gathered our luggage to find our hostel we didn't know we were on our way to hell.

The place we were supposed to stay at is called Russell Scott Backpackers, is outside the city centre and privately owned. We joked around that the picture on the internet looks like a small, old lady will open the door and fuss around. Instead we had to call the reception to even get into the building in the first place. While waiting there we also figured out that I booked the next bus at the wrong time which means I had to cancel and rebook. The woman that came to open the door for us let me use her PC and then we were off on our way our rooms.
We lived in another building down the street. Not only were we not able to lok the front door or the door to the first room we were let into but the whole place was dirty and unsave - the fire alarms were not activated, anybody could have walked into the house and our room, the floor was loose in some places and the whole thing smelled like nobody opened the windows in ten years.
We were brought to a new room which had a double bed on the first floor. My room didn't have a key, so I decided to go into a 4-bed room were another girl was in apparently. We wanted to meet up with an ex-au pair so we left our things behind and left.

Since we still had an hour we went into the Leeds City Museum at the Millenium Square which has a nice exhibition about the LGBT+ community and past in the city as well as a short overview of the history. When we meet our friend in front of the building we decided to get a drink since the three of us really needed it at this point. SHe showed us a little pub in a side street with cheap drink and nice looking locals and we catched up on how we were and what we did. After that we went to another bar that was more 'public' and then went for a burger at Five Guys. It's weird to see how laid back the city is after living in the rather hectic London and looking after kids most of the time. All of us were exhausted and it was obvious we just wanted to sleep, so we said goodbye and left rather quickly.

However, going back to our hostel wasn't exactly relaxing. A guy that lived in our house as well was turning weirder and made us more uncomfortable with every minute we talked to him to the point were I actually took a knife with me upstairs cause I wasn't sure he wouldn't be dangerous - he made enough jokes about it anyway.
Needless to say I didn't get a good night's sleep.

Day 2

After an aweful night and a unsatisfying breakfast my friends and I packed our bags and left for the reception to give back the key.... and complain about the state of the building. We had to wait a few minutes for the owner to come to the house, but once she did and we told her evrything that was wrong, including the meeting with the gay and how unsafe we felt, we managed to get a refund. In better spirits, we took our luggage into the city only to find out we had to carry them with us because the lockers were way too expensive.

We spent most of the day strolling through shops (where I actually found two jackets I could use for my Harley Quinn cosplay for comic con next month - yeah!), avery cool modern shopping centre and getting something to eat. We walked through the Corn Exchange and Kirkgate Market but we weren't able to find something we all wanted.

In the end we went to a place called "Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen" that was recommanded to us by our friend and where they sell cheap but amazing pizza (first two pieces half-price!) and that had a hipster vibe going on. Apparently they do music and movie events, too, you should really check it out! I think I could spent our there.

Anyway, the only museum we were really interested in was across the river so we headed that way. The Royal Armouries Museum is big and more interesting than you would think when you hear the name. They even had lockers were we could leave our bags for a little while. We came just in time

for a little tour by a guy in costume who explained different weapons and how they were used at the time. Great thing, the only problem is that is closes at 5pm already. Later we went straight to the coach station to wait for our bus to Manchester without having to carry all of our bags around again. It hurts your back after a while.

All in all, the hostel and the bus dilemma put a strain on the whole Leeds-experience, but thanks to our friend Megan (it was nice seeming you again!) it wasn' totally aweful. I think the laid-back mentality and the little bars and secrets in every corner actually put it pretty high on my list of 'possible semester abroad places'. If you are more of a tide-up person you won't find it very endearing, but for me it sends a don't-give-a-fuck vibe that's very appealing when you are used to stress about everything.

St. Patricks Day

If you are planning to stay in London for St. Patricks Day, you should be prepared for a lot of people.
Though, only a few are actually dressed up apart from a bit of green make-up smears on their faces. I actually saw a few with green wigs, green dyed beards and hair and more unusual clothes.

And lets be honest, a lot of people see this holiday as an opportunity to get shitfaced. So if you have a problem with any of these you should find another activity.

Anyway, the first thing we saw after getting dinner was the parade at Picadilly Circus with several trucks including dance groups, bands, a marching band playing "Uptown Funk" and even a football team. In between smaller groups of Irish people and kids walked along, waving at the people behind the barriers. We came just in time to see a gigantic thing drive along, to this day I have no idea what it even is. Looked cool, though!

To my surprise, Picadilly Circus was still fairly empty at this point. Maybe because it was rather early or most of the visitors were standing somewhere else along the way. So we made our to Trafalgar Square where we finally found more people. At this point we were actually concerned that we were the only ones dressing up at least a bit. I mean, we actually painted our lips green with eyeliner, that's commitment right there!

Trafalgar Square had a gigantic stage. In the time I was there, which wasn't for very long to be honest, several bands performed a few songs each, mostly traditional Irish or at least with an Irish touch to it. The crowd was nice and there was still space to move around and breath, though I don't know how it got once it was late. To catch our breaths we took a break and went to Waterstones for a bit. Books are just relaxing, especially after standing in a already slightly drunk group of strangers. That's also the reason why I split up after and went to a comic book store instead of joining the others.

So no, sadly I can't say a lot about St. Patricks Day or spill some secret stories or tips. I don't like hugh crowds, even during concerts I can barely tolerate them. It's the feeling of being restricted and the difficulty to breath that I just can't stand. Not to forget that I wasn't feeling very social that day.
But, as always, I'm happy to have tried it. It was quite an experience after all, and I had a reason to wear my little green hat I got in Dublin in February. And the glances you get when you step into the tub with green lips was definitely worth it, too.

A Day in.... Dublin

Dublin. The capital of the Republic of Ireland.

A beautiful city, even when you are ill and don't feel like doing much more than lie down and sleep for about 50 years.

Sadly, it takes a 12 hours bus drive to get there from London. It only gets worse when there are four guys right next to you who can't seem to shut the fuck up. The whole trip also includes an about 3 hours long trip on the ferry, which is nice cause you are able to sleep. And if you are bored, there is a mini cinema waiting for you.

Day 1

Anyway, after arriving at 6am on Tuesday during the half-term holidays at the coach station right around the corner of our hostel Jacob's Inn, we made our way there to check-in or at least lock away our bags. By the way, in my case that meant a rucksack and a bag. That was all I needed. Minimal package is the best.

They actually allowed us to shower in the 'public' showers (meaning they are for a whole floor and not just a single room) and have breakfast for free. The lockers, which are really big, were free, too. That was already a huge bonus since we were really tired. I only got about 2,5h of sleep on the ferry! After spending maybe three hours in the louge we decided to explore the city north of the river. To be more specific, the botanic garden. We had to walk quiet a bit, but it was totally worth it. Th garden is beautiful, even in the winter, and really warm which was one of the reasons we spent so much time there. We just didn't want to go outside again.

The garden is devided in several houses which are dedicated to different continents. Little signs explain everything you need to know. Very lovely, I wish I could see it when everything is blooming.When we came back we pretty much just walked through the shopping streets for a bit to get a sense of what we wanted to do the next few days.

The only two things we did after that was go back to the hostel to unpack our stuff in our room (10 bed room mixed) and then go for a Guinness at the famous Temple Bar. It was great, a lot of people and a very good singer. And to be honest, Guinness isn't half bad. I'm not a beer fan (even though I'm from Bavaria...) but the dark beverage didn't want to make me throw up as much as others.

The great thing about the hostel: there were two other Germans, medicine students who came here for holiday. A nice couple, sadly we didn't exchange numbers or social media names.

Day 2

Our first full day started with a nice breakfast (toast and cereals) and a trip to Trinity College. A nice place to walk around as long as it's not too cold – which it was. So we flet into the old library which includes an exhibition about the Book of Kells. It was 10€ and for the both of us the exhibition was a bit too boring, but that always depends on what you like. After that, the trip to the science museum on campus took longer than expected. The exhibits are partly interactive and play with your mind. Three installments, which were made by an artist who is afraid to lose his hands in an accident or because of illness due to age, made it clear to us just how difficult it can be to do easy everyday tasks like opening a jar when you can't properly use your hands. Another experiment shows why waterboarding as an interogation technique doesn't work since your memory suffers due to stress caused by imitating drowning. And that was in a safe environment with our previous consent!

A hugh part of the day was over already at this point, so we went to the Nation History Museum for an hour, only after walking around the university again by accident, and then back to the hostel. The last place we went to was the cinema to see Deadpool, which is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Seriously, I normally never go into a movie twice, but Deadpool would be an exception. If someone asked me, I would say yes in an instance. It's sassy and witty, fast-paced and breaks the fourth wall several times – just like in th comics. And it's th only superhero movie I can think of that has a lot of swearing in it and therefore doesn't pass a PG13 rating – sorry kids.

Day 3

Our last day. Sadly.

We were allowed to keep our bags in the locker and went out for our last tour. First we visited the Dublin Castle and booked a tour as well. That way you can see more areas and get some background knowleadge along the way. I was really ill by that time which makes it a bit of a problem to walk around in the cold as well as the rather wet underground areas, but there is nothing you can do about that. The tour guide was nice and it didn't take more than 45 minutes as far as I remember to finish.

Slowly, we made our way to the prison Kilmainham Gaol only to find out that there was a hugh queue and that the next tour wouldn't be for another two hours so we ditched that plan and went to the nearby Phoenix Park and the Wellington Monument instead. The weather was still crisp so we sat down and enjoyed the silence and the view before heading back, which seemed to take ages. On our way back we went to the main shopping street for a bit to buy postcards and because I had to return something to Penny's, which is the exactly the same as Primark but named differently. Sadly, there it happened.

I got robbed.

Not my wallet, and I have to say it is partly my fault. I went from the cashier to the cash & wrapping department to customer service only to have to change till because the first one was broken. At that point I was just exhausted, irritated and hungry so when I finally got my money back, I left my shopping back behind.

In there was my dark green Dublin sweater, presents and an already filled our and stamped postcard. I noticed an hour later and went back only to find out that the woman behind me picked it up and left with it. Great.

Because why give it to the nice lady at the customer service you are already standing at anyway, am I right? Why be a decent human being when you can steal tourist stuff from an ill teenage girl? At first I was angry and sad, but by now I'm mostly disappointed.

When our coach came two hours later, I had mostly come to terms with the fact that I'll never see my stuff again. I hope the woman that took it sees my postcard and feels guilty and ashamed. I don't care what your reason was, I just hope you will remember it every time you wear my sweater and feel bad about it.

That night, I didn't sleep at all – not even because of my stolen stuff, but because it was too early on the ferry to sleep there and I can't sleep on buses. So instead, I saw Star Wars in a miniature private cinema on the ship and listened to music on the bus. Just like Deadpool, this is a movie that's just as great as everyone says. The effects were great (and the rocking of the ship during the flight scenes was an unexpected bonus), the story is close to the original movies but with not too many parallels in much else and the characters are interesting. And don't even get me started on the fact that the three main characters are a girl, a black ex-Stormtrooper and a Hispanic pilot.

A wonderful holiday in a beautiful city. I am really happy I went there and would recommand it to anyone who has a few days off.

A Day in... Edinburgh (1)

First Christmas alone. A lot of au pairs go home for the festive holiday, but I decided to stay in the UK and visit Scotlands capital city instead. Well, not on Christmas itself, but right before that.

Taking a coach like I did has its pros and cons. It is way cheaper than a train and you can take a night bus, but it isn't as comfortable and fast. But this can also vary depending on the person. I was not able to get a good nights sleep on my way to Edinburgh, just a few little naps. Arriving at 7:45am, I took my backpack and headed to the next McDonalds to get some breakfast. And this was amazing already; standing on the street that is so different from London, on the top of a hill with a good look at the sea. However, my way was headed for the castle. My hostel Castle Rock Hostel was basically right at the base of the castles hill. It's great, everyone is very helpful, the rooms are big, there is hot water in the shower and the facilities are very comfy. 10/10!

(view from the front door)

DAY 1

Anyways, I was so tired that I hang around the breakfast/ meeting room for another hour before going on a little tour through the city. First I went into a little church since it was Sunday and the 4. Advent. The people there were really welcoming, three people asked me independently who I was and how I was doing as they didn't see me before. While having a cup of tea right after the mess I talked to some of the locals, or at least people now living in Edinburgh, who gave me the typical tourist places to go to, told me to try Haggis no matter what and so on. I already knew I wanted to go to the Harry Potter Trail in the afternoon, but until then I got to see the Christmas Market, got lunch and just wandered around a bit.

The Harry Potter Trail is a great, and free!, walking tour for every Harry Potter fan. It's only about 90 min long and takes you to the graveyard that inspired some of the characters names which is right next to the real life Hogwarts, the uni Rowling graduated from, the two cafès where Rowing wrote the books as well as the inspiration for Diagon Alley. The tour guide comes in full outfit and lends everyone a diy wand. Really great experience, which also lets you find new friends. 

I, for example, went to get a delicious hot chocolate in the Elephant House - "Birthplace of Harry Potter" with a girl from Germany I met on the tour; don't forget to check out the bathrooms for Harry Potter grafiti including letters to Rowling, quotes from both movies and books and sketches. Later we went for Haggis and let me tell you, it really is better than everyone makes it out to be. Really, it's not different from any sausage you eat, maybe a bit more spicy.

After that I went to my hostel and like I said, the rooms are really big. Everyone has his own locker (free, and don't forget a locket!), the bunks are against walls or divider and grant enough privacy for everyone and there is another space to walk around without feeling cramped. The washrooms are for everyone on the level, but they are spacy and hot, so that's ok. And seriously, nobody cares if you walk around in your PJs, everyone does it.

DAY 2

The day starts with a breakfast (1,5 pound) consisting of a bread roll, cereals and orange juice. The atmosphere is very relaxed and sleepy. Taking into account I was still rather tired and slept in, it was a great and easy way to wake up.

After breakfast I headed straight for St. Giles Cathedral, a beautiful place to start the day. I got postcards for my family and friends and went on to Calton Hill with the National Monument of Scotland. It was dizzy and windy, but once I made the first few pictures the weather cleared up. It's a great place to see Edinburgh from about while still seeing a lot of details. Up there is the old astronomy tower with the old telescope, a half finished monument in ancient greek style as well as a small little cafè. In total I spent about 1,5 hours up there taking photos, reading the info charts and enjoying the view.

Next stop is the National Portrait Gallery to come down and getting warm again. Apart from the old portraits (lets be honest, you get tired of those) there was also an exhibition about portaits of differents styles from all over the world. It is amazing to see how different the drawing and painting styles are. There were the once that looks so photorealistic you had to look twice, the once with minimalistic lines and colours, the expressionists and realists. Truely breath-taking.

And that was about it. The first part of my vacation was mostly a mix of museums and walking, really. Photos tomorrow!