You didn't need to tell me twice, the Pandemic was cruel to us all for different reasons! Truthfully, my only 'Departure Lounge' was my parents living room in the West Midlands, England! As policies unlocked and the 'virus' supposedly retreated, I was able to travel once again with flights considered! I was done with day trips within my home region! Let's fly-away!
I had not flown since February 2020, I needed to get back into the skies! I was desperate to feel the acceleration of a commercial aircraft once again, I was more than OK with a UK trip to Edinburgh, Scotland! I landed into a very bright Edinburgh, with every penny accounted for, I tried my best to take public transport or walk as I made my way from the airport to my Royal Mile hostel. They had cancelled the '2021 Edinburgh Fringe', that saw the hotels slashed in price, I wanted to take advantage of that mishap! Being able to revisit the castle allowed me to fully appreciate both times I had visited before that 2021 moment. The weather was gorgeous and it was just golden to be visiting somewhere in a technically different country, I had long-awaited new content for my blog! Climbing up to the top of Calton Hill to capture views of the city's skyline, you know that the 'Stewart Dugald Monument' was in that panorama! I did drink some whisky but had to be mindful of my budget, also those rules made sitting in a pub not that fun.
I tried 'Haggis, Neeps & Tatties', that Scottish delight was interesting to say the very least, I actually enjoyed it! I went to St. Andrews Monument, walking out of the city towards 'New Town' and the 'Water of Leith'. I challenged myself to see the 'Forth Bridge' in Queensferry. I had a lovely Scotch Breakfast and enjoyed a lovely creamy bowl of Scotch oats also, it was wonderful. I had missed traveling dearly, I had no idea how depressed I would feel after the trip had finished! Now, I cherish every single trip with a deeper level of love and I try to savour every moment because life snatched my ability to freely travel during that dark period of our lives. Edinburgh was the tonic, it was also the opening of a door to a life that I had known well before the evils of 'COVID-19' took my world! Even the short easyJet flight from Birmingham to Edinburgh was a thrill, masks were still mandatory at that time but it wasn't that deep! Edinburgh taught me a lot, Scotland's capital taught me how to value the smallest of trips! Oh!
January 2022 gave me the opportunity to make a previously cancelled travel plan into a reality, I would be able to be a 'Bargain Loving Brit Abroad' in Benidorm! I had already had that March 2020 Jet2.com flight cancelled as the announcement of Spain's lockdown was made official! With Brexit done and dusted, I wasn't upset that my British Passport needed to be stamped on arrival into Alicante Airport, Spain! To be frank, I was more than happy to be out of the country after having 2 years limit me to England and Scotland! Benidorm was amazing, it served Spanish beach town and Brits Abroad tack in one breath. I made it my mission to experience a more Spanish side of that city, choosing 'Old Benidorm' brought 'Tapas' and 'Churros' back into my life! Those 'Hotel Sol Pelicanos' full English breakfasts hit different as I stayed at the official 'Benidorm' series filming location! Aside from sausage rolls, I ordered my 'pollo asado, con arroz y huevos' in Spanish at 'Mariano's!' It was just beautiful to speak Spanish again! ¡Ay, qué bueno!
No, I had big plans for that five day much needed international getaway because Benidorm wouldn't be the only destination visited during that trip! Making moves a few miles along the coast to 'Altea' made me feel as if I was in a completely different part of Spain! To se the bluer than blue waters away from Benidorm's noise was like a fantasy, only that fantasy was real life! The tram allowed me to have a quick day out in the nearby city of Alicante, it felt correct to see unmarked and unassuming street corners with glorious details served. Those glasses of red wine were super cheap and delicious, the Europeans really do it better! Taking the 'ALSA Bus' from Benidorm to 'Callosa d'en Sarrià', felt like another world away from the iconic Benidorm! I was able to see another filming location! Callosa's winding alleys and tiny streets were darling, the nearby waterfalls were equally as pleasing to the eyes. With this new lease of 'international travel, I really took every single detail to publish almost a dozen blog posts from that trip! Dios!
Since vacating China in February 2020, by the time Spring 2022 came around I was shocked that I was still in the UK! Still? I never gave up hope of a return to China because all of the finer details would be resolved, in the meantime I needed some place to travel to within the UK! I was lucky enough to get a voucher for a return flight to 'Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK).' It made sense to revisit another part of the United Kingdom that I had overlooked during a Dublin trip in 2013. I tried a 'Belfast Bap', clocked the 'City Hall' and walked along the 'Lagan River', that was a busy first afternoon with Bangor visited! I took myself on a 'Game of Thrones' coach tour, where I saw the effortless beauty of the 'North Antrim Coast', making stops at 'Carrickfergus' and 'Carnlough Harbour' to name a few. The breath-taking views from the 'Giant's Causeway' was an absolute treat! Trad music and Guinness became my 'Sunday Service', it was the best Craic! In the neutral city centre, a Protestant woman was bitterly jealous of my British birth right! Crazy!
I challenged myself by visiting Belfast's 'Shankill Road' for an Ulster Fry, also to see how the UK favouring Unionists spent their Monday mornings. I loved my Ulster Fry with those potato farls, expressing how many Union Jacks you don't see in England on the daily! Hopping over the peace line, I was able to be my own 'Taxi Tour' as I found Clonard Monastery independently. For me, that day out had been building up to that 'McEnaney's' pub visit for three pints of Guinness for £10, I drank six pints to make up for it! Taking the train over to Derry afforded me the chance to see the home of 'Derry Girls' and the 'Girls Aloud' icon, 'Nadine Coyle'. Venturing down to Bogside allowed me to see the murals and 'Free Derry Corner'. My four day visit to Northern Ireland meant more to me during that 2022 time, I had gone beneath the surface and pushed myself to see tonnes more than I did previously! Obviously, it was a bonus to keep my UK mobile signal even though I experienced a lot of Irish charm! Another Jet2.com flight? Yes!
2021 showed up for me but 2022 kept those travel opportunities hot to go! A one week trip to Türkiye? July 2022 saw me jetting off from Birmingham Airport to Dalaman near the region of Fethiye. My passport was going through it, that burgundy document had been neglected for such a long time! Given wings to fly, it was blessed to spend a week away with family for a special reason. Being with my niece and nephew for their first flights and overseas trip was a memory to cherish. I got back to the joys of Turkish cuisine, devouring a freshly baked 'Lahmacun' with a glass of fresh 'Ayran' was such a treat! It felt like I had regained my traveling prowess after a forced period of confinement. The boat trip was a great day, paired with a profound meaning, those drinks were consumed seriously! Hangovers were experienced during that 'Fethiye' day out, we were not well at all! Getting back up to 'Hisarönü' felt correct, that drag show was questionable but the evening was a laugh! Those nonstop seven days of July 2022 were so busy!
For me, I didn't want to visit the weekly markets because the heat really was a lot to deal with, I loved swimming in the pool at the villa we hired. If COVID never happened, my reasons to visit Türkiye may had never been possible with my 'now' school holidays negating the allotted time I have off from teaching. Istanbul and other parts of the country will be visited in the near future, that I know as much! Yes, an eventful day beside the river in Yanıklar saw things kick off briefly as we tried to enjoy our BBQ peacefully! Sipping on red wine and eating Kokoreç in Üzümlü concluded my Turkish summer holiday, I needed one more sunset at the beach before Birmingham Airport would slap me with that July madness! Now, I was starting to wonder when my life in China would return? Getting back into the world was amazing but I needed to make more of my own choices! Those dark days of destination searches didn't last forever, turning provincial into international, things got better! You already know that I had just got restarted!
How About Paris?
Desperately Seeking Adventure
