It’s Not Londonderry!

Bogside outside Derry

I decided to come to Derry at the last minute and am extremely glad I did. I stayed with a CS’er, Darren, and we literally spent the entire two days without much separation. There may or may not have been a few breaks for showers… He introduced me to a few of his friends, showed me the diversity of the Derry nightlife, provided an impressive amount of Irish history as we toured the murals at the bogside, rocked out a bit on his new electric, and we even had a cup of tea (Two in fact) at 2am from the Christian Society outside the Student Union.

I'd hate to see this place crowded

Though I ended up not seeing Giant’s Causeway, I’m not that disappointed. After talking with Darren, I’d like to see it in the middle of winter after a light snowfall anyway. You can probably explore Derry on a day trip from Belfast and be satisfied, but I would love to go back and spend a summer there. I found the history of Derry to be much more impacting than that of Belfast. That’s probably because Belfast is a large city and Derry remains a fairly small town. From The Walls, you can really get a sense of what it was like to be there. It is complimented by a very small city center that erupts every night with all kinds of live music from traditional Irish to rock cover bands that remind me of Blue Beet back home (Can I get some Sweet Caroline!). It’s not often when you go out on a Tuesday night and are arm to arm in every place you go. Then someone tells you it’s a really quiet night…

You do what you gotta do! (Darren)

2011 Europe - Derry

The Heart of the Green and Orange

Waterfront

I arrived in Belfast late on a Monday night and was staying at a hostel, but I needed to get there. I had my directions and from the station, I headed down Sandy Row Street to Lisburn Road. I didn’t know this at the time, but apparently Sandy Row isn’t the best of places. I didn’t have a care in the world and when I came across a mural that said, “Welcome to Sandy Row,” I took a photo. Further up the street, there was a dummy hanging from a street light. Quality.

Watch your back!

I found my hostel with a bit of help and in the morning met an American girl looking to do a black taxi tour. There were two German girls that were also interested and the four of us went for it. It was a good way to get a quick rundown of Belfast and learn the basics of what one needs to know about the catholic/protestant conflict on the cheap. Call Walter. We actually drove through Sandy Row and he showed us a mural I didn’t see. On this one there was a Republican with an ak-47… We went up along both sides of the Peace Wall and I even wrote something on the Shankill Road side. Maybe when I go back someday, it’ll still be there. I broke from the group and walked around the city for the day before meeting Pilar, my CS host. All smiles and she’s good fun. She was busy during the days, but we did get to hang out in the evenings. I spent my days exploring Belfast. I really love walking around cities, but Belfast was quite intriguing. It’s small enough to walk from one end to the other in a reasonable amount of time, but large enough to get lost and find something new every time. I didn’t see everything, but I made it through the Botanic Gardens, Ulster Museum, Ormeau Park, City Hall, The Crown Bar for a pint, lots of back alleys, a few galleries, and some pubs that locals can’t even enter.

I call the council into session...

After two nights, I was switching hosts to stay with Roger. I had previously arranged a lunch meeting for the three of us. Pilar made a Spanish omelet that was hmmm tasty. Roger was good people and we hit it off really well. He was able to provide a private room during my stay and it really made me feel like i was a roommate, which provided a feeling like I was home. It helped that we had lots of common interests: enjoyed live jazz at Belfast Empire, took a hike up Cave Hill; talked global impact; and had plenty to drink. Friday, Roger had plans to attend a concert so I arranged to meet up with another CS’er for drinks in town. I was a bit nervous that it was going to be awkward, but turned out to be a pretty awesome night. Ursula and her cousin took me to Kelly’s Cellar for some live “not-so” Irish music and a couple pints with great conversation. The next day I went for a run and did some laundry (Very exciting stuff…). But that evening, Roger and I met up with Pilar on for some drinks and dancing at Lavery’s. It’s a solid place that has it all. The upstairs is a club, the downstairs has two bars (One that plays classic rock and the other a dance party), and there is a beer garden. Something for everyone!

View from atop Cave Hill

2011 Europe - Belfast

Quick Stop Through Glasgow

Me in Kelvingrove Park

Hitching from Edinburgh was far too easy and I arrived in less than 2 hours. I was picked up by two highway patrol guys that took me half way and then an airport shuttle driver took me the rest of the way (And totally gave me two free beers!). Once I arrived in Glasgow, I hit the tourist center for maps and then jumped into a wifi zone to catch up on some emails and CouchSurfing requests. A city with lots of potential to really enjoy, but my stay was disrupted because I focused entirely too much on trying to CouchSurf rather than just jumping into a hostel (Epic fail). I gave up and once I arrived at the hostel, I caught up on some sleep. I had breakfast with a German guy that was staying in the same room and turns out he was hitching through Scotland for 10 days on a holiday break. I gave him some tips about Edinburgh and we went off in our separate directions. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to pay another 18 pounds to sleep in a hostel, so I checked out and explored the city on foot. I walked around for a while but never really went anywhere specific.

City Centre

Somehow, I came across the Blue Sky Hostel. I really wish I found this place on Friday. It was 12 pounds for a weekend night and I met a great mix of travelers there. I fired up some stir fry for dinner and sat around chatting with a few guys from Scotland and a few girls that were working as au pairs in Scotland but on holiday. The lot of us partied a bit over some flip cup (Ah… how I miss Mutt’s) and then tried to go out. A few of the girls were a bit tossed and couldn’t get into the bars, so we ended up back at the hostel for our own dance party. The next morning, I checked out and took a stroll up to the Kelvingrove Park and Museum. A pretty sizable collection with a number of galleries, I’d recommend a stop if you make it to Glasgow. After a couple hours of browsing, I made my trek back across the city to my Sunday night CS host, Hareesh.  On my way, I came across a couple Lithuanian guys that were definitely NOT Polish.

Adamantly... We are Lithuanian, NOT Polish!

I took the evening to relax and recover from the previous night while getting to know my host and his flatmates. An incredible group of guys with such graciousness, I felt extremely fortunate to have met them and only wish I could have spent more time with them in Glasgow. Sitting at the table discussing the world with Ahmed was extremely enlightening. I had a good bit of Monday to explore more of the city before catching my bus. The guys were kind enough to let me leave my things and head out to the Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis.  I know it goes without saying, but the cathedral has such beautiful stained glass windows. The necropolis was cool because I think it might actually be the highest point (That isn’t a building) in the city itself. It’s always enjoyable to catch a bird’s eye view for free!

Glasgow Necropolis view

My departure from Glasgow was via coach to Stranraer where I caught a ferry to Belfast. It was far more expensive than just flying to Derry, but I have to say it was totally worth it. The bus follows the Scottish coast and since it was towards the end of the day, I was able to see the sunset over the Irish Sea. Of course, I left my damn camera under the bus and can’t provide a photo of how beautiful it was, but I have a mental snapshot that means so much more :)

2011 Europe - Glasgow

Edinburgh Photos

2011 Europe - Edinburgh

Edinburgh… Back for More!

I was only supposed to be back in Edinburgh for the night before heading to Glasgow. Four days later, I was actually able to get myself out of the city; impressive, I know.

Three fingers... Nay Garry

I ended up meeting some people on the Highlands tour that asked me to hang with them when we returned to the city. It was only one night as they had to return home Monday. A cool group and we ended up hanging out at a bar next to the hostel that had an open mic night followed by a visit to The Hive off the Royal Mile. It turns out that this is a club not worthy of being a urinal. Case in point, two drunken Scotsmen… This also reinforces my previous posting about the Scottish Napoleon complex. Anyway, one of the girl’s that was out with us, Jess, had some sort of exchange with what I’ll call the guy in the orange shirt. Now… I could really try and explain what happened between them in detail, but I honestly don’t think it will help in the slightest, nor do I really know. Basically, they didn’t like each other. I’ll give credit to TGITOS’s (The guy in the orange shirt, pronounced Tee Guy Toes) friend because he actually tried, at least initially, to separate them. However, at one point TGITOS (That’s… Tee Guy Toes) stood up and started punching his fist into his palm at Jess. I couldn’t believe it and he caught me eyeballing him from where I was sitting. He immediately turned his attention to me and asked if I wanted a piece of him too. I laughed hysterically for a moment and he started to walk toward our group. To clarify positions, Jess was between TGITOS (Say it with me… Tee Guy Toes) and me. I interpreted this as an advance at me, or worse, her (standing 4’11”). To be fair to TGITOS, I really don’t think he had seen me standing up at this point. No matter, once I stood up, he didn’t hesitate with any forward movement. I grabbed the girl, Jess, and slid her to the side of me and was expecting a punch or some sort of manly effort from TGITOS. Nah… Pretty pathetic of a push to my shoulder; I just grabbed his wrist and twisted enough to make him stumble into the wall. At this point, I hadn’t released TGITOS’s wrist and his friend rushed forward to try and push me. I wasn’t having any of that so I used TGITOS himself to balance me a bit, thus further thrusting him into the wall, and proceeded to shove his buddy into the wall next to him. You all probably have this vision of a drunken melee in the middle of a nightclub, but it was really mellow and unless you were staring at us, you probably had no idea anything was happening. Having said that, the Drunk Samaritan came rushing past me from the bar (Drink in hand and slurring) to tell the two dumbasses that were now stumbling against the wall to calm down. That’s when the bouncers approached to throw the three of them out of the bar. That’s correct… not myself or anyone that was in my group. I’m a stealth ninja assassin. Don’t worry, I vouched for the Drunk Samaritan and the staff released him back to the bar for more drinks. Au revoir TGITOS!

Jen, me, and ... Go Lakers!

The rest of the time in Edinburgh was spent back at James’ place. Turns out… the basketball team had its last game of the season Wednesday and there was a team dinner that evening followed by a night on the town. The team played a good second half, but wasn’t able to come back and win the match. Regardless of the outcome, I’m sure it wouldn’t have altered the enjoyment of the evening. A fun night indeed, but far too damaging to one’s liver (I’m sorry my friend…).  Met some more cool dudes and was introduced to a wonderful drinking game that I fully intend to use the rest of my life, when feasible. Thank you Alex! Saint Patty’s was pretty mellow in comparison, so I’d like to think that I carried over the previous evening as part of my Irish celebration. James, Jen, Alex and I were going to hit up a jazz club, but with a 5 pound cover we decided to shift course and enjoy a bar up the street. An evening centered more on talking to each other rather than slamming green beer and stealing Guinness caps, it was an excellent final night to my nearly two weeks in Edinburgh!

A lovely two weeks

Wild in Scotland

The Highlands were amazing. I ended up jumping into a tour because the weather report wasn’t looking good. This ended up being very smart because it rained, snowed, hailed, and sleeted for pretty much the entire week. Not to mention, the winds were usually blowing fast enough to watch the clouds fly by like airplanes. I’m sure I would have enjoyed hitching much more overall, but I was thankful to be in shelters when the hail was pelting. I chose Wild in Scotland and can’t say enough about them. The tour isn’t a boozefest like others. You do have plenty of fun with the group, but it’s much more about the beauty and history of the country. There weren’t really any amazing stories that warrant telling. I mean, I stayed in a castle for two nights and toured a whiskey distillery, but that’s just basic stuff. Oh, yea… I totally stayed in a castle, jealous? Other than that, it was a lot of scenery and beauty with a few people that I got to know along the way. And I totally found out Braveheart is bullshit!! God damn you Mel Gibson… Long live Robert the Bruce! Oh, actually, my brother might appreciate this the most. While touring, I saw the Doune Castle. You may recognize it from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It wasn’t as cool as the Eilean Donan Castle from Highlander, but it still holds a place in my heart. The highlight of the trip was the Isle of Skye. Utterly beautiful and a must see... Rather than describe everything, here are the pictures...

2011 Europe - Scottish Highlands (1)

2011 Europe - Scottish Highlands (2)

Edinburgh... You Have My Love (When It's Sunny)

I last left you all at the end of my hitching journey. It couldn’t have been any easier, or luckier I suppose, to find my host’s flat. However, when I arrived, no one was home. Okay, no worries. I was expected, but when was an entirely different story. My luck continued when I found a guy walking by that let me borrow his mobile to call my host, James. With no answer, I dropped a message and intelligently asked him to call me back when he had a moment. I hadn’t slept in a while people, cut me some slack! Turns out, he was still at work, but rushed home quickly to find me sitting on the stairs outside. The best part was that both his roommates were in fact home. I got a good laugh out of this. What can I say, I roll with the punches! The best part is after spending the week with them, I can totally see why they didn’t answer the door. While staying, I was able to meet 4 other surfers. James and his flatmates provide a strong foundation for the Edinburgh CS community.

Not much to report for my first day in a new city. I spent all day Wednesday recovering from a seriously long two days hitching. Aleem, Krist, and James were awesome in allowing me to literally sleep well past any type of reasonable hour (noon I think). And even when I woke up, there was no pressure to leave and get out of the flat. Once I did, I ended up spending the rest of the day learning a bit of the city layout and collecting maps. I rode the bus system all over getting ideas of places I wanted to visit. That brings us to Thursday…

Botanical Gardens

This was my gungho day of tourist crap because I really had no idea how long I was in Edinburgh. I jumped into the city and went for it. My first stop was the hike up to Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Garden. Little did I know, when I got to the top I had to turn right back around because they were doing construction at the connection point. Okay, no biggie, I’ll head down and go around. Boom!! Detour my friends. I looked across the street and saw the National Gallery with a clear and legible sign that said, “Free Admission.” Sold… I'm not exactly a museum connoisseur, but I rather enjoyed my visit. It isn't a very large museum compared to say (jumping forward in my travels) the Ulster Museum, but I enjoyed the information and artistic displays that were exhibited. Afterwards, I headed to the Botanical Gardens. You all know what they are so I don’t need to go into it. What you do need to know is that they are massive. If this is something you want to see, go in late spring so you can get some color; otherwise, you’re just going to see lots of trees and shrubs that are finely pruned and some mothers pushing their baby strollers around.

View from Arthur's Seat

I spent Friday doing a hike up to Arthur’s Seat. I started with a hearty meal at The Mosque Kitchen. If you ever visit Edinburgh, you want to have lunch here. It’s a mosque near the university that has a kitchen open every afternoon dishing out curry. For 4 pounds, you can get a substantial meal that will leave you smiling and satisfied. I couldn’t tell you why Arthur’s Seat is titled so or it’s importance, but it is a definite stop on any trip. It’ll take you about 2-3 hours to hike up and back depending on how many pictures you snap and the quality of the weather. I could easily see spending an entire 8 hours doing it though. They’ve basically turned it into a recreational park where you will see mountain bikers, hikers, tourists, picnickers, dog walkers, etc. The view from the top is 360 degrees and you can see all of Edinburgh, the Firth of Fourth, and beyond. Well worth it. On my way back to the flat, I stopped in to a city pub for the staple Scottish fair, haggis. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s a little, furry, ugly bastard of a rodent with the face (and size) of an armadillo but the body of a rat. The interesting thing about them is that their legs are shorter on one side of their body to make running around hills more efficient. It’s the weirdest thing I have ever seen. That being said, they are a rather tasty little critter. If you aren’t a fan of pepper, you may want to stay away as it is heavily used in its preparation. Traditionally served with neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes), it is a very wholesome and carb loaded meal… yummy!

Scottish Haggis before...

Scottish Haggis after...

The rest of the weekend was a fiesta getting to know James, Aleem, and Krist. You can see pictures posted on Facebook for a detailed reenactment of said events, because it’s all a bit hazy for me. I do remember having an awesome time and I was clearly not drunk enough because I continuously stepped in far too soon to assist James with a few squabbles. The Scottish people enjoy their Napoleon complexes when they’re boozed up. All is well and I ended up staying 7, instead of 3, nights with the guys.

James, Krist, and me... deadly!

Special Edition

Leslie… Okay, now for the story of how and where I slept on Monday, the 28^th of February. It all began after Ian dropped me off at a petrol stop in Darlington next to a McDonald’s around 10pm. I was ultimately hoping to make it into Newcastle this evening, but the number of people on the road was dwindling… and fast! The first car that stopped is how I met Leslie and her friends. They lived in Darlington, but stopped because Leslie was curious why someone was standing in 0 degree weather at this hour of the night. When she realized I was American, she jumped out of the car and asked for a hug. I obliged because at this point I was laughing my ass off. They graciously offered me the opportunity to join them for the night. I politely declined in the hopes I would make it to Newcastle. I didn’t give them a second thought for about an hour when no one was stopping and I started doing pushups and jumping jacks to stay warm. At this point, I was seriously pissed that I failed to act in the spirit of my trip and go with them.

I was still carrying a bit of luck. Around 2am, another car stopped. Lo and behold, the window drops and Leslie pops her head out and screams, “You’re still out here?!” Somehow, they managed to add people in the car and it was full with no room for me. Not to worry, Leslie said, “Wait here!” I looked at her a bit cross and humorously asked, “Where the hell do you expect me to go?” She was taking them home and would come back to pick me up so I could have somewhere to go for the night. I’m still not sure how I got myself into this situation, but when she got back we stopped at the Tesco for a case of beer and started driving around Darlington (I assumed back to her brother’s). Along the way, some blue lights started flashing. Yea, those blue lights. My new friend ended up being booked for a DUI. Since I don’t have a license in the UK, one of the officers drove the car back to the police station. In all honesty, it was a bit of a sketchy operation on their part. We conversed on the ride and I told him what I was doing in the UK and where I was going, but he never asked me for my identification or anything. This might not seem odd, but he left me in the car with the keys while Leslie was being booked for the night. I could easily have stolen the car and driven to Edinburgh and then ditched it. Hitching over!

I figured that she would be in the station through the morning, so rather than leave I just slept in the car. It’s a lot more comfortable than on the curb, trust me! Things obviously work differently in England. They released her about an hour later even though she was still officially unfit to drive. The officer was then kind enough to drive her car back home. Talk about chauffeur service! By this time, it was about 4am or so and I was freaking exhausted. Soon, I would be able to drop onto the couch and pass the hell out. Nope! I ended up sitting in the living room talking with her brother until after 5 in the morning. I honestly don’t remember any of the conversation because I passed out in the middle of a sentence. I only slept until 7am so that I could catch the commuting traffic to Newcastle.

You obviously know because you're reading this after it has happened, but I'm putting it on the record... I was and am safe.

Two Days from London... Edinburgh

I started Tuesday from a petrol stop about 10 minutes north of Darlington. I grabbed a quick bite from the café across the street and then strolled over to the roundabout to thumb my way north. I was hoping to make it up to Newcastle early enough to catch a ride to Edinburgh by noon. Boy was I a bit optimistic… It only took me about 10 minutes to catch a ride with the morning traffic from a businessman called Ben. He reminded me a bit of Ian, but not nearly as easy to talk with. The ride was only 45 minutes or so into the city and we talked mostly about the economy and politics of the US and England. We arrived to Newcastle around 10am and I was stoked at how good I was doing on time.  I will tell you, walking through Newcastle from the south to the north is an absolute pain in the ass! I spent nearly all day trying to get to the A1 north out of the city. It actually turned out to be a bit of a treat since I was able to walk through the city and see the landscape. There is a breaking point where you just want to stop walking and get to your damn hitching post though. Mine came around 2pm after I had been walking for 4 hours…

River Tynes

At 4:30pm, I arrived at the rotary for the A1 north out of the city. Finally! Maybe, just maybe there was someone who would be traveling back to Edinburgh after spending the day in the city. Well, I wouldn’t get that lucky, but I did get picked up by Chris. He wasn’t going very far, but he was kind enough to drop me off at a parking area on the A1 about 5 miles north. This allowed me to avoid people that were using the rotary to go south or west, instead of north. This proved to be very helpful because I only ended up waiting about 15 minutes for Peter to offer me a ride. He is an absolute blessing of a man. Apparently, he had been traveling south to drop off someone and saw me trying to hitch a ride. On his way back north, I was still standing on the side of the road, so he stopped. He is such a wonderful and generous man that really went out of his way to get me as far as he could. Ultimately, he drove 45 minutes past his turn off to drop me off in Berwick-upon-Tweed (2 hours east of Edinburgh). All along the way, he pointed out castles and landscapes and provided lots of useful knowledge. Easily the kindest driver that has picked me up so far in my hitching experiences.

My final ride of the day came from a trucker called Michael. It was totally my first time in a trucker’s cab. Those things are roomy! Michael turned out to be a wealth of knowledge on Scotland. The ride was very easy because he provided most of the talking and I pretty much just listened and relaxed. It was great because even though I wasn’t waiting long, I was extremely exhausted and did not have the energy to engage someone for two hours. He took me all the way to Edinburgh and dropped me off near the airport. I didn’t know it at the time, but this turned out to be the PERFECT point.

It was a big part of our conversation: whether I should hitch into the city while he continued on the bypass or to go to the south of the city with him and try to figure it out from there.  Opting for the later, I ended up catching a bus towards the city centre and asked the driver if he could let me know when we got to a transfer I needed. When he called back, I was in the middle of nowhere and had no map or idea of where to go. There were a few people standing around waiting for their buses at the stop, so I asked a man that seemed to be a local. He looked up and said, “I can’t tell you where this street is at lad, but (He pointed) that is called the Calders.” Could this get any better?! I walked across the street and boom… Calder View. What’s not to love about Positive Mental Awareness (PMA)?

Edinburgh Castle

It took me two days and 8 lifts to cover about 400 miles hitching from London to Edinburgh… Mission Accomplished!

To Manchester… Well, Darlington. In the Bag!

I made some breakfast and put together my bad ass sign that we found on the way back from the pub last night. On one side, I wrote “E D N B R G” and the other “M N C S T R” in the event I needed a closer destination. Looking back now, “N O R T H” would have probably been a better choice. It took me until almost 1pm to get from east London to the start of the M1 in north London. During that time I was able to walk through Regents Park… in the rain. What is it with my luck hitching and shit weather?

I plowed on and stopped at a petrol station that I believed to be near the M1. To be certain, I even walked inside and asked the cashier if this was the last petrol station before the M1. He promptly responded, “Yes, it is.” So, I stepped outside and started making friends for 30 minutes trying to find a ride to Scotland (Or closer…). I was in luck! I approached two construction guys and asked if they were heading north. Success! They were heading to Glasgow (About 2 hours west of Edinburgh). I literally jumped in the air from shock and asked if they wanted some company for the ride. Before I hit the ground, one of the guys said he was bullshitting me… Not funny in the slightest. I know you’re laughing right now, but I definitely am not. I don’t know why the British find it hilarious to screw with people. He wasn’t the first and definitely hasn’t been the last. He was still rather helpful and suggested I continue on the road a bit to try a service station (Truck stop). I heeded his advice and moved locations. This was a very wise move as 20 minutes of walking later and 3 damn petrol stations, I found the M1. I hate people who don’t know things but answer anyway, a la previously mentioned petrol cashier. I don’t want to get on a rant here, but the worst knowledge you can share is false knowledge people! Moving on… I approached a walking bridge and as I started to crossover I noticed another traveler attempting to hitch along the road below. I yelled down to him asking if he thought two people would have better luck. He said no, but he’d enjoy the company anyway. This is how I met the man Commonly Known as Dom. You can Facebook him under that search name. He’s an extremely anti-establishment activist. In fact, we were approached by two highway patrolmen (Not police) because we were standing on the wrong side of a street sign. I found it hilarious because all they could do was ask us to move and should we fail to follow their orders a call to the “real” police would be made. It ended up being a fun day with him and I definitely learned some interesting conspiracy theories and legal information.

Thankful for my headlamp!

Dom and I ended up standing in north London for over 4 hours trying to get picked up. Finally, a plumber named Matthew pulled over and offered us a ride. It was an awesome first ride in the UK. He only had one front seat so I ended up jumping in the back, which was full of toolboxes and had no windows. I was actually able to situate myself quite comfortably and took a nap while we drove north. I didn't get to chat with Matthew, but I was extremely grateful for the lift. He was able to take us as far north as Leicester. From there, we were picked up by Sabrina and Selena about 15 minutes later. The two worked at a hospital in Sheffield (Only about an hour north of Leicester) and a big conversation topic was why on earth they stopped to pick up two male hitchers at 8pm. Sabrina threw Selena under the bus and confessed that she told Sabrina to pass on and not to stop. Thankfully, Sabrina was considerate enough to ignore that and offer a random act of kindness. Her ultimate reason for pulling over was to have some conversation for the remainder of the ride. Oddly enough, about 10 minutes into the drive, they stopped carrying on a conversation with us. Granted, Dom had passed out because he was exhausted. I really find it difficult to converse with some people when they answer any conversation starter with one sentence statements that warrant absolutely no response whatsoever. Perhaps, one of you can offer a solution to this dilemma…

Once we arrived in Sheffield, we were again picked up relatively quickly by Ian. He was on his way back to Darlington from Bristol. I can’t say enough about him in this post, but I will say that I don’t think I’ll ever be picked up by someone cooler. Not only did he offer us snacks, but he was a great conversationalist. He even went out of his way to drop us off at stations more likely to have traffic heading where we needed to go. Dom was still drifting in and out of sleep, but we ended up splitting ways after an hour or so. I decided that Ian was heading far enough north to skip out on trying to get to Manchester. It was a very long, yet successful day of hitching and I was ready for a solid night of sleep. However, I would end up having to suffer several trials before securing the shitty night of sleep I was in for…