Well, I browse here quite often and I have nothing to do while waiting for my flight in 5 hours so I figured I would share my experiences with anyone who is interested.

I’m currently studying in Glasgow and since the semester just ended, I had about 2 weeks break and why not explore the UK? I have been to Europe before and I prefer solo travelling because it feels much more liberating for me, and I learnt a few good lessons on my two-week stint.

13th Dec - 17th Dec: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Took a late afternoon bus from Glasgow to the ferry terminal which would then cross the Irish Sea into Northern Ireland. But I actually missed my stop to alight at the terminal, and I missed the 8pm ferry. The only ferry left was the one at 11pm so.. after some explaining they agreed to let me on the ferry and I had to wait. I was literally the only foot passenger on the ferry and it was such a great experience. Low-key panicking though before that as to what I would do if they didnt allow me on the ferry since my accomodation was at Belfast and i needed to cross the sea badly, but thankfully it worked out great.

And Belfast was amazing. Spent the first day at the Titanic Mueseum area, the second seeing the city such as the Crumlin Road Gaol, the Peace Wall, St George’s Market and of course the shopping district. The only thing I didnt do due to lack of time was the Black Cab Tour, but I will surely be back for it one day! And the last day, I took a day trip to the Giant’s Causeway. Definitely worth it, I have never seen anything like it and really shows how magical nature can be.

17th Dec - 20th Dec: Dublin, Ireland

From Belfast I took a bus down to Dublin. However, I starter feeling unwell on the last day in Belfast, and when I arrived at my hostel in Dublin, it had escalated. My stomach was in excruciating pain (Im not sure why) and my head was throbbing, so I ran to the nearest pharmacy and crashed for the night. The next few days I took it slow as I was still recovering from my sudden decline in health.

In my days in Dublin, I saw the Trinity College, had some traditional Irish Stew at the Brazen’s Head (Ireland’s oldest pub), The Little Museum of Dublin, The Irish Emigration Museum, chilled at the Temple Bar and again, shopping at Henry and Grafton Streets. Beautiful city. The only thing I skipped was the Guinness Storehouse Tour, because I still wasnt feel well enough to consume alcohol and my friend who was there a few days prior told me the tour was meh. Its a shame, but maybe next time!

20th - 24th: Bristol, England + Day Trips

I took a flight from Dublin to Bristol, and used Bristol as a base for me to do day trips to Cardiff in Wales and Bath. On the first day, naturally I toured Bristol. I spent the day at the M Shed, SS Great Britain, went up the Cabot Tower, saw the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Watershed, the Bristol Cathedral and of course, shopping at the shopping district and the Christmas Market. It is a very small and quaint city, and the harbour areas were beautiful (with beautifully painted houses lining the river).

On the 22nd, I took a bus to Cardiff. I saw the Cardiff Castle, the shopping areas, had lunch at Cafe Minuet (best meal so far - little Italian cafe serving homemade food) and tried welshcakes (from Fabulous Welshcakes - delicious). For the rest of the day, I took a boat to Mermaid Quay and Cardiff Bay and just spent my time walking around. The Barrage area was fantastic, perfect for chilling and just taking in the sea and the breeze.

On the 23rd, I took another bus to Bath. The only reason I wanted to go there was to see the Roman Baths, and did I spend a few good hours there. Truly amazing and deeply entrenched in history. I then also saw the Bath Abbey, and ate at one of the many hipster and quaint cafes around the area (there are loads). Walked around the shopping area around the Roman Baths, contemplated if I wanted to shell out £40 to enjoy a spa at the Thermae Bath Spa but in the end didnt, and I was feeling a little bored at this moment. Turns out, there really isnt much to do in Bath, so I changed my train ticket to an earlier timing and got back to Bristol a few hours earlier.

24th - 27th Dec: London

I actually only went to London to meet some friends, as I have been in London for work before. So theres nothing much that I did here that was new. The only thing that was interesting was that London was completely closed on Christmas, and therefore without any public transport. I was badly craving Chinese, and Chinatown is one the only places that were up and running, so I “hiked” across the city to get there from my accomodation (somewhere in Lewisham). Took me five hours at a leisurely pace, but I got to experience a side of London that was rare - a quiet ghost city and feeling the empty streets that we are so used to rush through on buses or the tube on a typical day in London. It was and will be an unforgettable memory.

And now, Im waiting for my flight back to Glasgow. Solo travel has been really fun, and Im looking forward to my next one after my next semester, probably Eastern Europe or somewhere like Israel.