Jeremy and I are bopping around Europe for 6 weeks. So far we’ve spent 2 nights in Milan, 3 nights in Budapest, 1 night in Gyor, 2 nights in Bratislava, 3 nights in Vienna, 3 nights in Prague, 2 nights in Wroclaw, 3 nights in Krakow, and 3 nights in Warsaw. Now, we are headed to part two of the trip…. England!
Chapter 1 of our trip was dedicated to exploring Central Europe. Chapter 2 is England!
We headed to England for a few reasons:
- -Jeremy’s favorite football team was playing a few “friendlys” in Newcastle.
- -Jeremy’s mom and step-dad would be in the country, meaning the perfect chance to see them without flying to Australia.
- -Our friend Patrick would be heading down to Portugal for a week, and offered that we could stay in his London apartment.
This section of the trip wasn’t nearly as hectic as Central Europe, and we dedicated time to taking it easy with slow mornings, relaxed wanderings, and quite a few Yahtzee games (which I dominated.)
Here’s a brief rundown of how we spent 11 days in England.
Stop 1: Newcastle, 3 Nights
Jeremy has been a supporter of Newcastle United his whole life. So when he was able to snag tickets to a few “friendly games”, we put Newcastle into our travel plans to see the Geordies take the field.
Newcastle’s Past
Newcastle is a working class town with roots in the coal mining industry. Mining began in the early 1800s, and by 1872, the factory was pumping out a whopping 75-100 tons of coal each day. It was one of the most productive coal factories in the world. As the mines declined in the mid 20th century, so did the city’s population.
Out with one industry, in with the next!
The region shifted it’s focus to the Port of Tyne, which is now one of the most important deep sea ports in the UK. It’s a major hub for goods from Japan as well as forest products. The port also recycles scrap metal, that’s then shipped off across the world.
My Experience of Newcastle’s Present
Newcastle has a working-class atmosphere with big city amenities. There are loads of pubs with people knocking back a few pints at all hours of the day. But there’s also a vibrant artsy district with bakeries, galleries, and craft breweries. The riverfront walk is beautiful and the city has a quaint charm. However, based on what I saw, drug and alcohol use seem to be quite high. A pattern that isn’t uncommon for ex-mining towns.
Football, soccer for my American readers, is a huge deal in Newcastle. St. James Park can accommodate 52,000 people and it’s located smack dab in the middle of the city. Locals are fervently passionate about the club, and it just so happens that my husband is too.
The point of visiting Newcastle was to go to a pre-season game, known as a friendly. And it was super fun! Watching sports on TV isn’t my favorite pastime, but put me in a stadium and I’m all in.
Stop 2: Manchester, 1 Night
We headed South to meet Jeremy’s mom and step-dad in Manchester. The time was dedicated to chatting and catching up on life. We got a great lunch at an Indian spot in the city, and we discovered that I am quite terrible at pool. There were plenty of beers, games of Yahtzee, and dedicated quality time. Day 2, they took us to the little town just north of Manchester where they were renting an AirBnB.
It was lush, green, and relaxingly remote. Much of the countryside reminded me of Virginia, and it was refreshing to get out of city hubbub for a few hours.
Stop 3: London, 7 Nights
We hopped on a train in Manchester and made our way down to London. Jeremy lived in London for a bit in his youth, but it was my first time visiting this global city. As per usual, we pounded pavement for the 5 full days we were there. Instead of breaking down everything we did and ate like my usual travel blogs, I’m going to share 5 observations.
1. There’s personality everywhere
Each building and street has its own story to tell. There are the world famous icons like Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace. But there are thousands of impressive buildings housing stores, restaurants, offices, coffee shops, etc with histories that go back hundreds of years.
The city has an old soul that has retained the past while still keeping up with modern trends. It somehow feels wise. A unique juxtaposition to the sometimes reckless, young and dumb, energy New York City has.
2. The market scene is impeccable
London has the most impressive market scene I’ve experienced in Western Europe. There are little pop up markets here and there for every niche imaginable. (The neighborhood we stayed in, Chiswick, had a market entirely dedicated to cheese one Sunday.) There are huge, daily markets in established buildings that serve up cuisine from across the world. Then there are also random markets sprinkled all about that have anything from antiques to used clothes to flowers.
My favorites were Spitalfields Market, Pettycoat Lane Market (get the scoop on the deal we got HERE), and The Truman Brewery Markets. Borough Market and the Sunday antique market at Portabello Road were impressive, but too crowded. Camden Market was a bust.
But as a market lover, stumbling upon random pockets of stalls here and there thrilled me to no end.
3. Many facets of life are eco-friendly compared to the US.
There are many little things about life in London that just make sense from a waste and environmental standpoint.
- -The electrical sockets have “on/off” switches so they aren’t continuously using energy.
- -Cars are smaller.
- -People usually hang dry clothes rather than use a machine.
- -The train system, both in London and throughout Europe, is highly convenient and efficient, meaning more people take public transit.
- -There are EV charging stations everywhere.
- -Many markets, malls, and complexes are open air, meaning less heating and cooling is necessary.
- – Many apartments and homes don’t have AC. (Although, it seems like London rarely gets hot enough where one would need AC.)
Many of these extend to other countries in Europe and across the world. And it pushes me to look at my own habits to see what I can do to be less wasteful.
4. There seems to be a general confusion as to what side of the street to walk on.
People drive on the left, so intuitively I’d think you’d walk on the left. But reality proves that logic wrong.
Getting down the sidewalk is an elaborate dance of shuffling side to side. Sometimes Simon (the signs on the street) say “Keep Left.” Sometimes Simon says “Keep Right.”
I posed the question to my friends on Instagram, and I got differing answers from people born and raised in the UK. I posed the question to Google which proved just as confusing.
It seems like more people vote for “walk right.” But the results haven’t hit the mainstream yet. So prepare for sidewalk chaos.
5. It feels like life is meant to be enjoyed.
London is a massive metropolitan city that generates an enormous amount of wealth. Yet, I didn’t sense the same frenetic rat race that New York has. Squads of business men would be sipping on pints in the sun during their lunch break. Coffee shops always seemed to be filled with people ingesting caffeine whilst reading books. People on the subway seem less miserable and angry.
Life isn’t just about making money, having things, making more money to have more things, then dying. It’s nice to see.
Total Cost of 11 days in England
Hotels: $298.32USD
Train Rides Between Cities: $294.58
Food Out: $650.59
Groceries: $227.99
Transport Around Cities: $107.06
Other Random Items and Activities: $135.38
Total: $1,713.92USD
The exchange rate of $1USD to £.76 got us. It’s easy to look at prices and think it’s 1:1, but the credit card bill proved otherwise. The train costs also got us. While the train system is efficient, quick, and easy, it ain’t cheap! Given the fact we had 7 nights of the 11 free due to friends and credit card points, $155USD per day is higher than we would have liked. But I also suppose $78pp per day for a trip around England isn’t too shabby.
Our 11 days in England were relaxing and fun.
Plus, I discovered a deep love for the grocery store Marks and Spencer…
Next stop… Paris!
