Chesterfield 02-05.11.12

02.11:

I took the train from Holyhead to Chesterfield, well, trains. The scenery from the trains were amazing. I didn't realize how many ruins there were on top of hilltops, especially while we were still in Wales... I wonder what they were used for? Maybe like the Great Wall of China they used them to alert each other of danger? On the last train, from Stockport to Chesterfield the train was PACKED! Standing room only. I was standing to a nice girl who had also been to Australia though so we passed the time chatting together about what we'd seen and where we'd been. It's really cumbersome to have a giant suitcase when you travel by train by the way, it's just in the way most of the time.

After I dropped my things at the hotel I went to the pub I used to work in, Yates's and said hi to some of my old co-workers.

I met up with my friend Nicky at the Abacus for dinner. It was lovely to see Nicky again, it was like I had never even left, we just picked up right where we had left off. We talked about her plans to move to Turkey; just like I feel more at home in the UK than Norway she feels more at home in Turkey than in the UK. At least she feels at home in a warm sunny country, unlike me who wants to go to a country that's just a couple of degrees warmer than Norway. I hope she gets to move to Turkey asap without having to work herself to death. At least I've got an excuse to go on nice sunny holidays when she moves there, and she'll be able to show me all the non-touristy things!

It was good that seeing Nicky again was great because the food was terrible! Seriously, neither of us finished even though we didn't have much on our plates. We left the Abacus and went back to Yates's where we shared a bowl of chips and cheese while having a few drinks with my old co-workers.

03.11:

It's kind of nice to  be in a place that I used to live: I've seen everything and I can actually relax instead of run around and see as much as possible. Hence the lack of pictures. I had a relaxing morning before Nicky and I went to Meadowhall (aka Meadowhell) today for some shopping and dinner before I met some friends for drinks back in Chesterfield.

04.11:

A nice relaxing day again before heading to Nicky's for some Chinese take-away. Followed by drinks with some of the people that couldn't come out last night. I think my liver will be happy when I leave... But it's nice to feel like I actually have a life again!

05.11:

I had a great dinner with the family I used to au pair for here tonight. It was great seeing the girls again, they've grown so much!  Although the girls have grown, it still feels like I never even left! Their new au pair seems really nice, she's also studying child psychology, so I guess the job is helping her with her studies as well.

November 5th is Bonfire night in the UK so we heard fireworks being sent up everywhere we set off a Chinese lantern. I've never done it before, it looks really beautiful, they even gave me one to take home, maybe I'll sett it off on New Years Eve if it's not too windy.

I had a great time catching up with friends in Chesterfield. I wish I was still living there, I actually manage to have a life there, I have friends to go out with, to talk to. I need to get back to the UK!

Just a quick post....

...To ask you to check out my friend Nicky's blog. She's my friend that loves Marmaris, Turkey who I wrote about in this post.

Anyway, she's only just started her blog, she's very funny and it would be great if you would check it out!

Her blog is called: Little miss dreamer.

5 Countries

I got a letter from my American friend, A, a few days ago (I love writing and receiving "old-fashioned" hand-written letters). Like me, she loves travelling. She wrote that a Moroccan man had told her that she should just pick five countries, and that's it! A and I feel the same way about that: NO WAY!

Visiting only 5 countries might be alright for some, but I'm not one of them. I've already been to... 13 or 14 countries I think... N, a British friend of mine, would maybe be able to only visit 5 countries though. I have talked to N about what's following before, so I'm not gossiping about her behind her back...

Marmaris

N fell in love with Marmaris, Turkey, during her first visit in 2008 when she went with a friend C and C's family. In 2009 I went to Marmaris with her, I did tell her that if she wanted to go somewhere else in Turkey or another country since she'd already been to Marmaris, then we could do that, but she said she really enjoyed Marmaris and she knew it, so she wanted to go back. I did enjoy our trip, which was my first time to Turkey, but I have to say I preferred Alanya, which is where I went last year with my family, which was my second time in Turkey.

Alanya in the sunset

Last year N went to America with a friend D and D's family. They visited Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada while they were there. This year she's gone to Marmaris again, with D this time. D and N has also booked a trip back to Orlando for next year, but without the rest of the family this time.

I can understand why she wants to go back to Orlando, there were loads of things they didn't have time to see and do the last time, and there is loads of stuff to do there. But going back to Marmaris 3 times (Maybe more to come)? I don't get it, even if she does love the place. But maybe that's just because I haven't found a place that I love as much as she loves Marmaris?

I can understand why elderly people or people with small children would just want to go to the same place, maybe even in their own country. But I don't understand it about people with no obligations and with enough money to go to a new place. Like Marmaris, N could go to a different country, or just a different city in Turkey for the same amount of money...

I don't mean to say it's wrong or anything, I'm just saying I'm not the kind of person that could do that. What do you prefer? Going to just a few places/countries, maybe "getting to know it", or travel to as many places as possible?

If I had to choose only five countries that I was allowed to go to from now on, I think I would choose one from each continent. Yes, I know there are 7 continents. Most of the countries I've already been to are in Europe (although I would love to see even more), and although it would be fun to travel to Antarctica, just to say that I've been there, it's not on my must-see-list. I would also go to a different place in each country each time I went to visit one of the 5, so that I got to see as much as possible of them.

So the 5 countries I would pick are in no particular order (except for the two A's):

Australia (And I'm actually going there so; yay!)
America ("United States of" for all you nitpickers)
China
Kenya (Or possibly Egypt, so that I could see the pyramids...)
Brazil

Which 5 countries would you pick if you had to?

Turkey

I've recently been to Turkey, to Alanya to be more precise. It was really nice, although I would have preferred to go in the spring or autumn as it was too hot to actually do anything, we spent most of the time lying by the pool or indoors when that was too hot as well.

I had a Turkish bath on the second day there, it was lovely, most of the time anyway. They went a bit too far up my thighs for my liking, and the exfoliating wasn't exactly gentle, but other than that it was just heavenly, just lying there getting pampered, and I actually got a bit of a tan too, so I think it helped. I mean, I hardly ever get a tan, probably because I always remember to put on sun cream (I'd rather be pale than risk melanoma).

I tried some Turkish delight while I was in Turkey, and I just have to ask if anyone actually like it?! I'm sorry, but it's definitely not my cup of tea.

As usual in these places the people in the shops and in restaurants chase you down the streets trying to get you to buy something with them, I guess in a way they do actually work for their customers, but sometimes it can get too much. 

I got some birthday and Christmas presents while I was down there, yeah, I know it's only September, but I like starting early, this time last year I was nearly finished.

We went to Alanya Castle and watched the sunset one day, it was absolutely lovely! If any of you ever go to Alanya you should really go up to the Castle and see the sunset, loads of picture opportunities.

Bye for now