Liverpool, home of the Beatles

We had to leave Scotland much to soon. There would have been so much more to be seen. For our next trip there we would spent more times traveling around and no guided tour.
To get to Liverpool we took the train and met with Neil, a very good friend of mine at the Lime street station in the centre of the city. First he went with us to our hostel so we could get rid of our bags, the hostel was in an old warehouse area, the area was not used for a long time. It's good that they did not smash the houses down, the people fixed them and changed them into All the things needed in a town, shops, bars, hotels and hostels and apartments.
After checking in we went to the city centre, the shopping and food area is quite modern and invites you to relax in a nice small park. From there we went to the harbour and could see some ships and get to know which museum is where.

At night we went to the Cavern Club ( -> wonna know more ?), every day inside the club there is live music playing. The evening we got there was a Beatles revival band playing, so we could imagine how it would have been at one of their first concerts in the Cavern.

The next day Bernd and I went after breakfast to Albert dock, to see the Titanic and the yellow submarine during the day, both lying in the harbour and will not leave it. Both are used for parties and as kind of a hotel. Strange idea but the people might love it.

At the dock we went into the International Slavery museum ( -> don't wonna know more ?), telling us the horrible history and the part Liverpool played within it. Liverpool was the biggest harbour during this period and they sent sounds of people as slaves to the "New World". Bernd was totally shocked when he headed what humans have done to each other, only cause their skin has a different color. We couldn't stay in there long, Bernd felt so sick that he wanted to get out as fast as possible.
When we got out Bernd calmed down and we walked a long the quay and got to the Liverpool museum, inside of there we headed more about Liverpools history, nothing about slavery. Quite interesting in there also some interactive things and stuff you can try out. Like wearing a helmet, playing a quiz game, watching a video about football or the Beatles, seems they are everywhere and step on a scale to check in weight category for boxing you belong. When I stepped on the scale it told me that I'm not heavy enough for fly weight and should keep on training, did not belief that, stood on it also with my travelling stuff, only the backpack was missing.

We spent a lot of time at the harbour and the museums so we headed back to the centre and get something to eat. So in the evening we went to a restaurant called proper burgers, expecting a big burger we would get in a bar in Germany. We didn't get what we expected the burger wasn't much bigger than a simple cheeseburger and did cost a lot more. Don't know why they call it proper.

The next morning we went to the cathedral, inside the cathedral we took our breakfast, not sitting down somewhere and doing something prohibited, inside the cathedral was also a small restaurant. It felt kind of strange sitting in a church and having breakfast. Besides from the restaurant the cathedral is kept the way it was and is very nice.

Outside the cathedral we walked along in a park enjoying the sun and ended up in a much different area. There was a big gate, kind of leading us to a different world. In this case to China town. It felt like making one step from England to China.

Back in the centre we saw a guy with a strange spear staying around, when Bernd got closer he realised that it wasn't a human, it's a Predator (an alien from several movies), he thought that he might want to collect his skull, cause there was nobody like him around so he ran away as fast as he could.

It took me a while to find him hiding on the shoulder of John Lennons statue. I told him that the Predator wasn't real and only an actor, he did not belief me at all so we got to make a big detour to get home to make sure he would lose track.

Oh by the way I can walk on water

Tour through the Highlands

The first time during our journey we took a guided tour with a travel agency and got on a bus into the Highlands. Bus left from Edinburgh castle and lead us into the Highlands, the bus driver was very entertaining and told us a lot of stories, as it should be when taking a guided tour.
The first interesting castle we saw was the Sterling Castle, it was only at the route we were driving and we did not stop there. To bad the castle looked very interesting. Close by we could see the Wallace Monument, also from far away. Yes it's to remember William Wallace, most parts in the movie close to everyone knows about him are not true, the Scots say that it is a fact that he was born and torn into peaces in London. Not so glorious as in the movie, at least the end is the same. So first bad thing in taking a guided tour.

Doune Castle ( -> wonna know more ?) was our first stop on the tour, when we got there I could imagine the French soldier making fun about King Arthur. A great choice for Monty Python taking the film scenes. The castle is in a rather good condition, again because of the less time we got there we did not have as much time there to look around. Second negative for taking a tour. Bernd wasn't that upset cause he knew otherwise we would have to climb up all the stairs.

The next stop was at a weaving, they used to make a lot of different wool panels having the specific clan colours. Also we could take a look at some highland cows, but they were a bit too far away for taking a closer picture. When Bernd got closer to the fence they also came closer, seeming to be very hungry. I was only able to take one picture of Bernd before he got to a safer place, the fence was not enough for him.

Before our lunch break we stopped in a small village where a river is going through and being able to take a look at the waterfall. Well after Iceland this was a tiny waterfall and more like rapids. At least it was a stop not being listed in the guidance, the driver told us, maybe it was only to let the people think they get something real special.

Next after the break we stopped for a moment at Loch Awe to see one of the most famous Scottish castles, Kilchurn Castle ( -> wonna know more ?) . Due to it's location on the Loch and again the problem with the guided tour we did not get closer to it. At least we have seen it. Feel like I've seen that castle in thousands of movies.

We had a longer stop at Inveraray Castle located at Loch Fyne. In this castle still the owners live but they have a big area available for tourists to take a look around and see all the old things they keep inside. Some very old things. A lot of rifles, halberds and swords, the clans have been fighting a lot in the past.

Ohh and of course we have seen the beautiful landscape and had the chance of taking some pictures. So from that point of view it was absolutely worth getting on the trip. And also getting some closer informations about the Scottish history and about the movies made there. Braveheart, only few things true, novels left Sir Wallace and his soldiers alone, Wallace got captured and killed. Robert the Bruce was not involved and became king and also fought the Englishman and won. The Highlander, we have seen some places where the immortal was around.
And a more unknown Rob Roy McDonald. Who was good at stealing. He got betrayed by his clan leader Alistair McDonald, who disappeared with a lot of borrowed money, Roy got to take responsibility for the loss. Our guide told us that no one found him, but the Scottish say he went to north America and opened a restaurant. Maybe there would still be his restaurant.

And before we bot back to Edinburgh we stopped for some minutes at Sterling castle, it was already to late to get in, so we could only see the big walls. Our guide offered us to get there, also when it's not on the route.
Bernd and I thought of never taking such a trip again, next time we'll keep our trips as usual exploring as we want to.

Dùn Èideann - Edinburgh

We had a good time in Iceland and now time has come to travel on. After relaxing at the Blue Lagoon we got on the bus to get to the airport. On the bus was a guy from Scotland asking if we also going to Edinburgh, after saying yes he said to me that I do not sound Scottish, well not typical that Germans travel from Iceland to Scotland.
We waited a long time at the airport in Kevlavik, realising that it is forbidden to cook and camp inside the airport building.
Late at night we arrived and took one of this double decker busses to get to our hostel, Bernd got very tired and luckily we only had to walk a few metres from the Haymarket to the hostel. Bernd got to bed as soon as we finished our check in, cause I wasn't that tired I stayed in the lounge and talked to an Australian girl staying for two days here and going to study in Germany. She took the chance to practice her German so it got very late until we got to bed.
First place we went to the next day was the castle, well not directly to it more like to a spot were we could have a good view on it.

When we headed to get to the castle by chance met the Australian girl and the guy who checked us in close to the castle. He was giving her a tour through Edinburgh and they invited us to join them. So we walked around with them and also could listen to the stories he knew about Edinburgh. He lead us to the Grassmarket were they did not only bring the cows to feed and trade them, the place was also used for hanging criminals. There was a woman who's name was Maggie Dickson, she survived the hanging and first the guys wanted to hang her again, but a judge stopped them because she already got her punishment. Since that people called her 'Half Hangit' Maggie' (-> wonna know more ?)  Interesting story, gave the next persons going to be killed there a bit of hope surviving.

Because J. K. Rowling was writing the Harry Potter books in Edinburgh he showed us some places from were she got the ideas. Like the school next to the Greyfriars Kirkyard (-> wonna know more ?) were she got the ideas of the names of some persons in the book. Like a grave from Thomas Riddle and some others, our guide was still searching for Snapes grave.

Also from the cemetery we could take a look to the school from were she got the idea of the appearance of Hogwarts and with the four houses. So seems worth getting to this town when you're a big Harry Potter fan. Bernd still doesn't like him and was not so interested in the stories. What was more interesting for him was the story about a homeless getting into the mausoleum of McKenzie and breaking through the floor, people hearing him thought that there was a poltergeist and since then the mausoleum was known as the Black Mausoleum.

After passing by at Rowlings favourite pub we went to the St. Giles Cathedral were we had to split up, so from that point Bernd and I kept on exploring on our own. We took a look inside the cathedral taking our time of looking at all the Christian arts in there and got to the castle of Edinburgh, or better said to Edinburgh, before we were only in the city around it.

And we have seen an invisible man reading his newspaper at the street. Strange he might be able to do amazing things, maybe he got bored of the things you might think of when you'd be invisible.

There were like millions of people wanting to get in so we decided to try later and keep on exploring, so he went away from the castle down the street and went to Calton Hill (-> wonna know more ?)were we felt like sent to Greece, there was a building with high columns looking like a Greek temple. The National Monument of Scotland, some Britain's call it Greek folly. From up there we also got a great view to a mountain looking like a huge cliff, first Bernd wasn't in the mood of getting up there, but after thinking of having a good view from there above Edinburgh he loved the idea.

So we walked down the hill, passing through a park to the Palace of Holyroodhouse a place we would not have seen that day if we were not heading to the hill. Because Bernd got so excited into the idea of getting up the hill we more like passed by at the palace, especially it was already closing when we got there.

Not far from there we walked up the cliffs, which belong to the Holyrood Park, so supposed to be close by. It was an easy walk up there and the view was amazing, also the weather was with us so it did not rain at all.
But the hill was not high enough for Bernd, so we climbed up to Arthur's Seat and not only got a view on Edinburgh, we also could see more around the landside and into the highlands.

After the trip up there we walked all the way back to the hostel, stopping by at the ruins of an old chapel. It seems we always walk to much and do not have enough breaks, so Bernd got to bed when we came back during I was talking with some other travellers.