Appunti di viaggio

I came back home. To tell you the truth i came back a week ago I was busy surprising my parents, start again my old life and visit my friends, so i didn’t want to write here.

It was a beautiful experience, i saw lots of different places, but above all i met many great people. Now it’s time to stop for a while. And to organize lots of dinners … i don’t want to write here, but i want to tell stories

A new journey starts now, it’s name is “find a job”!

see ya

I’m in Nottingham. I still couldn’t see Robin Hood, maybe it will be easier to meet the sheriff. Even tho they say that someone shoot him (but he didn’t shoot the deputy).

I’m coming from a couple of relaxing days spent in Wortley, close to Sheffield. Small village, in the middle of green fields and silence…except for the heating of the hotel.

And before Wortley i was again in Manchester. I must admit i appreciated it much more this time. I saw new parts of the city that are very nice. I had good company. And along the curry-mile you can eat really well, if you like curry of course!

…if there’s a ferry

I liked Ireland, landscapes are beautiful both inland and along the coasts, music is wonderful, people are friendly, beer is great! But i can’t say i was stupefied by it as it seems it happened to lots of people i’ve met. So today i’ll go back to England, to visit old friends and meet new ones.

Yes, i did it again. I was in Limerick (nothing special as a city, but there’s a nice student life) trying to find an open wireless connection to look for an answer from some couchsurfers. I stop on a sidewalk ’cause there had been a car accident. After a short while a guy stop close to me to ask me what happened, we start chatting, i tell him about couchsurf and that i was looking for a “couch”. After less than 10 minutes he tells me, well, why don’t you come at my place tonight? i immediately reply to him: sure!

It is a students house, there is him (an irish), an irish girl, a french girl, a french guy, and an italian girl. No, it’s not a joke It was nice to talk again in italian, and the evening was very interesting. All of them were nice and hospitable and soon enough there will be 4 more couchsurfers

Since on monday, the next day, started the rag week, a week dedicated to charity, but in reality an excuse for students to organize parties, they told me: you should stay! you can’t miss the rag week! Ok! Thanks and here it comes again a great night!

At the moment i’m in Dublin, just arrived after visiting Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a nice town, small and easily visiting by feet, the only problem was that almost everything was closed since we’re not in the touristic season. And the distillery too, even tho it’s his 300th anniversary, is open only two months during summer.

But they have nice nights in Kilkenny. I’ve been in an open mic night. Small bands, or soloists were playing a bit of everything on the stage. Everyone was very good! The only downside? No irish music

Quick update from a pub in Galway. I’m in Ireland! Paddy’s day has been nice, but not exceptional, i was in a city called Sligo, and to tell the truth, i didn’t like it. Giant’s causeway is wonderful, funny the friday night in galway: good music, happy people (3 germans, 2 americans, a couple of true irish, a french, 4 portuguese + everyone else i didn’t met ). Today i’ll go to Limerik. ciao ciao

view from the italian chapel

Orkney Islands are without trees,but except for that are beautiful. And cold In these days it snowed almost every day, and froze during the night. Sea and snow, a nice mix Even tho they are small, they can offer a lot. From 5000 years old tombs, standing stones (a group of stones spread in the south part of the main land (stenness)), an italian chapel build by italian war prisoners in the ’43. Beyond the historical part, there’s the nowadays part (seriously?!) there are lots of pubs, where it’s nice to go in and feel “at home”. Scottish welcome is lovely and warm! And live folk music (you can find it everywhere in Scotland!), if you happen to be in Kirkwall during the weekend, go to “the reel” cafe’ on a saturday night, you’ll be surprised by a group of musician who gather together freely to play some good music.

Kyleakin visto dall'altra sponda

A name that makes you cold (“actually it doesn’t makes sense in english, the joke is that “inverno” in italian means winter, so inverno/inverness…ok i’ll stop here). Nessie is close by, but i couldn’t see her…if she doesn’t like cat’s food, next time i’ll give her risotto, maybe she has sophisticated taste.

Monsters aside, Scotland is really beautiful, and the Highlands are gorgeous, and the views along the coast remember me of Norway. I’ve stopped for a couple of days in Kyleakin, a small maritime village on the Skye island, on the point close to the mainland. It is not a touristic season, and so there were no tourists the first day (except me). Only a group of americans with an organized tour stopped there for a night. In the hostel where i was sleeping i was the only customer. And because of that the village was much more beautiful. Only Seagulls and small birds to keep me company.

Today i’m going to Ullapool, funny name, they told me it’s nice, but i don’t know anything about it. And i’ll stop till Monday morning, but only because there are no buses on Sunday :/

Relaxing morning drinking ginger tea before going to Glasgow.

Ayr is a maritime town, quiet at the moment, but probably full of turists and people on the beach during summer. Nice parks and the coastline, but there’s not much else to see, unless you have a bike or a car and you can drive in the nearby villages.

Remi's snowman

Let’s jump over new year’s eve, ’cause there’s nothing particular to tell, and go straight to Llandrindod Wells. I’ve been there for 4 days, one more than planned, because i couldn’t find/decide the next stop and ’cause i were snowed in. The next day the roads weren’t better, of course, but at least there was a marvellous bright sky!

The Welsh mountains are really gorgeous. They surely are nice also in summer, but during the winter, seeing all that white, with some green spots here and there, and being surrounded by silence, except for some bleating, is something wonderful. And you can also randomly meet some semi/wild horses like those two:

ma ciao cavallini!

The only inconvenient is having to walk for 3 miles (more or less 5 km) to reach the village to buy some food supplies. Hoping not to slide and fall thanks to the ice buried and hidden by the snow. But you can have fun building snowmen along the path to amuse yourself