Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Over the pond I go.

Well I’m off to England in June. The last time I was there I had my eleventh birthday…I think I was there for six weeks.

However my second visit did not begin out of great circumstances, but I plan to have fun as my granddad wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. He passed away two weeks ago today. I’m actually surprised that these are his wishes, that is to be brought back to England. I’m staying quiet on that as my Nana is impossible and drives me nuts. I’m going over the pond with my Nana and my husband to take his ashes to be with her family in Horwich. My mum isn’t in the city and I know she wouldn’t go, so I’m going.

I only get to be there ten days which includes travel time. I plan to be staying in Horwich and Nottingham with some of my relatives and we will visit my husband’s crew around London and just to walk around in his dad’s hometown of Rainhill. I feel bad as I won’t get to see all his or mine, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

I think I’m crazy for going only a bit, but it isn’t an option to stay longer. I hope to get some good eats in, visit some people (even though I’m horribly shy), my husband wants to visit some shop in Nottingham that deals with this sort of thing. What a coincidence - a hobbie that he’s into…and he happens to be going to the city where the HQ are! I’m craving a good pair of Docs. I have silly feet so I can’t order off the net and I can’t find a pair I like in Winnipeg, Calgary or Edmonton. I’ve always wanted a military style jacket. My old pen pals had many…well perhaps I am dellusional in thinking I can find one, but hey I might as well give myself a challenge while there.

Gee, I’ve always wanted a good kilt…one my Nana hasn’t picked out for me. I know I won't get one, but this trip brings back memories. UGH, those were *bad* days. I have pictures to prove it. I asked for one like my mum’s just before they left on several trips. Pardon, but I cannot remember the name of the one I liked, but it was basically dark blue and black…I got this horrid bright red one with black, yellow…I looked like a clown. Out of ten kilts we have, I only like two and I can't wear them due to their icky sizing. They asked me what I wanted from there...

Whenever my Grandparents went back to England my small family would get cool stuff, except me. I once was given a hat made out of jean material with buttons of places in the States. THE STATES?! You went to England...from Canada. Why?? It was the most horrid thing ever! Well I did get a Manchester United sweater, or I guess I should say jersey…however that was miles too big! I just can’t win. I once was given a lace tablecloth as a teenager - why I’ll never know…save it for ten years until I get my own place and let it sit in the cupboard? My brother once got way cool gadgets and my husband was given a cool old gnome (he collects)... I got underwear from Marks and Spencers.

Yet, my family tells me I'm their favourite. They are delusional like me <**wooo military jacket**>. I should break that trait.

I’m groaning though because we have to go via Air Canada - well I might as well kiss my luggage goodbye!!! I won’t go into that mess. I have always had a love for airplanes and was never scared before…but I’m actually secretly wishing I do not have to go as I have developed a small fear of flying in the past few year. I guess because of all the TV watching…crazy CNN….

Ugh, I didn’t have a dad after I was five so my Granddad tried his best to help me learn to skate, play hockey, baseball. He always wanted me just to be a Canadian kid. Trouble is I was the first one in my family, just like many others. I love how Mike Myers described his family while he was growing up with the whole British/Canadian dynamic. This is also my first family death I’ve had to deal with not including my long time bud Sally the dog who I had since I was ten. I really hope they don’t get all sappy on me.

Eek!

Gee, I said a lot! Sorry!!!! I was just going to ask if anyone knows any cool shops I could visit in and around Nottingham, Bolton, Liverpool, Blackpool…I’ll take any sort of suggestion. I guess I should put specifics in this post as to where I’ll be, but I don’t have that at the moment. Only what I have above. I thought it would be worth a shot - you never know. I don’t want to go to the horrid tourist traps and spend my time in a line up. I just want to wander around and stay out of the bad ends and not get jumped.

Well I hear the anthem being played…have to go and watch game one of the Habs and the Hurricanes.

Later

EDIT - Not even five minutes in and Montreal got scored on geeeeeesh! What a way to begin a Saturday night.

Sorry...but what does "avoid the GUNS" mean. Is it self explanitory or is it slang for something?

from this site

Sadly, he was probably being literally sarcastic.

Nottingham has gained something of a reputation in the last few years and statistically is rated as the city with the biggest gun crime in the UK. At one point, IIRC, it's police chief was hauled over the coals for saying that the city was completely out of control and the police couldn't cope with the murder rate. But that was a couple of years back.

Whether the stats mean much, of course, is debatable. It's probably like most big cities - be careful, watch where you wander, and you're probably as safe there as anywhere else these days.

LabRat

Boy, you really are going to see the highlights of our country, aren't you!

Have you been to these places before? It sounds like you have (even if you were 11). Think proud surviors of our fine industrial past, rather than quaint chocolate box towns. It's not that they're great places, just that they're not the Britain people from other countries might have come across before.

I had a friend who lived in Nottingham for 4 years until very recently, and although she moaned a bit about it, I didn't ever get the impression that it was that bad. I think just be a bit careful in the town centre late at night if you're not too keen on drunken revelry (although that goes for most places, and especially Blackpool)

We often went to a great pub that did great food in Nottingham, it's not in the town centre, so you might need transport to get there, but the food was great, even if you're a vegi: Victoria Hotel, Beeston (Lots of greats I know, but it really is great)

It's a tourist trap, but it's also worth going to the Trip to Jeruselum in the town centre (another pub - supposedly the oldest one in the UK)

Oh, and the caves under the mall (we say shopping centre) in the town centre are really cool.

I don't know much about Bolton or Liverpool...

Have you been to Blackpool before? It's a completely different side to life in the UK!!! I had one of my more, umm, memorable nights out there when I ended up in a transvestite cabaret bar...! Seaside towns are where you get the best fish and chips. Eat them walking along the prom. It's a tradition.

I'm not sure where the best place to get a proper kilt would be, since you're not going to Scotland. My guess is Liverpool because it's the biggest city. If you can't find a kilt shop (there might be one), try somewhere that sells evening/formal wear or even a wedding shop, but if you're a girl they might only stock men's ones. I've never bought a kilt in England, so I don't really know what is the best way to find one. (A cheat's way might be to find a Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop Edinburgh Woollen Mill - but they tend to cater for the tourist market...)

Do you mean an ex-army military style coat, if so try an army surpless store, most towns have at least one. If you want the fashion equivalent, it's a look that's sort of in fashion, so trawl the high street chain stores.

To find shops selling the particular things, try http://www.yell.com

Helga
(Wearing Marks and Sparks undies as she types )

Thanks for the info guys.

I would like to go to Blackpool again. I remember having fish and chips there. AH YUM. I'll have to do that again, thanks for the reminder.

All I remember is going on rides, lots of lights, sugar highs and playing on one arm bandits (at 11?! what's up with my memory) and other money hunger toys like Mr. Bean did in many of his skits. Boy did I get a lot of stuffed toys out of it. I have one left, called Evil Mr. Bunny; my husband name it that. He is pink, stands about six inches high and runs the bunny underground.

Oh dear. She's just die where I live.

It will be nice to get out on my own and see stuff through an adult's eyes.

Thanks Labrat and Helga.

If you're going to be near Liverpool, not far South there are two places to visit by all means:

Chester, which is one of the most beautiful English cities I've ever seen. There's the cathedral, and loads of medieval buildings. The city itself is very pleasant. I can even recommend a *great* place to eat: Weinholt's of Chester. Order welsh rarebit for lunch and make sure you come back around tea time for a cream tea (best scones I've ever eaten were in that place).

Then between Chester and Liverpool, there's my favourite shopping centre ever. It's an outlet centre called Cheshire Oaks. Loooooooooaaads of shops with a great outdoor layout, and if you go to BB's Muffins you'll get amazing muffins with fresh fruits in them. Strongly recommended!

If you can go a bit further East and visit the Manchester area, I strongly recommend going to Tatton Park - South of Manchester, very near the international airport.

Oh and of course if you have a chance to go to Nantwich (South-Cheshire), the best best best BEST Indian restaurant ever is on Welsh Row and is called the Indian Ocean. And if you go there, I'm going to be VERY VERY VERY VERY jealous!!!!!

Kaethel

ps: if you need extra recommendations of places where to eat or stuff to visit in the North of England, especially Cheshire, feel free to email me at the address in my profile.

mmmmm muffins Food shall come first on this trip.

I'm going to have to spend half a day in Rainhill. Gee I think I need a body double for this trip!

Thanks for the info - My husband is laughing at my lists I'm making. hey, I want to fit as much in as I can

Ahhh yes, that's Blackpool all right

Helga

Well I'm off on a plane in 12 hrs. No one would notice my absence, but I thought I'd say tahtah for now anyways.

I hope there is a lot of juicy stories available to read when I come back. I just printed off LST for my plane reading pleasure.

Cheers,
Roo

Have a nice trip, Roo!

See ya,
AnnaBtG.

Hi - Thanks AnnaBtG!!

Well I'm back and I never did finish LST - I realized on the plane ride home that I lost it! Ugh. I practically traumatized my printer when I made a hard copy, so I think I'll be glued to the computer screen when I finish it off

I never really got to do any proper shopping and no one would let my husband and I pay for any food or say parking for example

I did get my wish to watch a soccer/football match in a pub with a bunch of other people. I watched the England vs...oh my goodness I forgot! I think it was a Thursday match. I was in Fornby (husband's relatives). My husband really enjoyed this too. Wayne Rooney lived a few blocks away so everytime he came on the screen they'd shout Rooney and start singing...well it was hard to find a time when they were not singing.

I'm too brain-dead to tell where else I went in any detail. The rest is a blur at the moment - we got the super quick tour wherever we went. The relatives felt compelled to show us a lot in a small time frame and we were just happy seeing a few things in detail. Oh well. It was fun trying to put my memories together from my last trip I took when I was 10/11.

I am glad to be home b/c the air made me sick. I only felt good while I was in Fornby and on the beaches between there and Southport. I couldn't go for a daily jog where I stayed in Nottingham (Carlton) because the air just tasted horrible in some areas....so I gained weight!!! ACK. I could not combat it - I just loved Bird's products too much while I was there.

Now as I sit here typing I feel like I never went. I usually feel like this after a trip.

Friday - travel
Saturday - Heathrow to Nottingham
Sunday - Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, up the M6 to Preston roughly then on to Blackpool , Cleveleys, down a bunch of B roads back to the M6 to Nottingham.
Monday - WarHammer world in Nottingham, shopping I think....
Tuesday - Finally a day to ourselves so my husband and I went to two shopping malls downtown, the Lace Market and Nottingham Castle.
Wednesday - Nottingham to Horwich for the service. Horwich to Rainhill (Liverpool). Stayed in Rainhill for the night.
Thursday - tour of Liverpool (Liverpool Cathedral, Albert Docks). Stayed in Fornby for the night.
Friday - Back to Rainhill. Trip to North Wales (Moel Famau, Ruthin, Cerrigydrudion, Betws-y-coed, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay.
Saturday - 30 minute view of train history in Rainhill then back to Nottingham.
Sunday - Sit back on a bus back to Heathrow to home.

I wish we could have seen more of where my mum grew up and the same for my husband's dad. That was first on our list and yet we never really got to do that. We were at the whim of super nice relatives that were enthusiastic to show us elsewhere. I guess that is a reason for us to go back in about five years (cross fingers).

I'm glad to be back to read and I'm glad I didn't miss the Stanley Cup/last game. I'm glad to see Edmonton is still fighting!!!!!

Oh gee,

Cheers,
Roo

EDIT - found LST