witsandnuts

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  • Category: UK

    • Cardiff Bay, Wales

      Posted at 8:59 pm by witsandnuts, on December 7, 2016

      Cardiff, Wales

      Is it possible to get ‘homesick’ each time I remember Wales? I am not Welsh and do not even know anyone there personally, but I insanely feel being homesick. When I watched this year’s Euro Cup, I followed Gareth Bale and the entire football team of Wales religiously. (And I promise to learn Rugby and watch one of the matches in Principality/ Millennium Stadium.) When I spray on the perfume that I particularly used in Cardiff, it reminds me of the cool breeze of Spring then. When I see images of castles, I associate those to Wales more than I think of England and Scotland not because they outdo the others, but just because #anythingwales. The list goes on. While my life is in order and I am happy with everything, in general, I am beginning to suspect that I am going went through something amazing and bothering at the same time. Upon researching, the one that made sense the most was this Welsh word,

      Hiraeth (noun) which means homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.

      It is good that my UK visa is already expired, otherwise, I would probably be broke now if I grabbed all those plane fare promotions to UK. Let the truth be told, I have postponed blogging about the other details of our trips to England and Scotland until I am done with the posts related to Wales. The challenge though was I had to get over this homesickness/ hiraeth first because I prefer not to be writing when I may tend to be illucid that I may over or understate some information.

      Cardiff, Wales

      I am ready now. I guess. While I am still trying to figure out why I seem to have consumed a love potion for Wales, I decided to write about Cardiff Bay because our visit here was among those I enjoyed the most. A portion of Cardiff Bay reminds me of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The wharf is actually more colorful. However, maybe it is the ‘soul’ of Cardiff itself that made it more striking. Continue reading →

      Posted in Travel, UK, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Cardiff, Cardiff Bay, Wales
    • Scottish Highlands

      Posted at 12:33 am by witsandnuts, on May 20, 2016

      Scotland, January 2016

      The first time in my life that I woke up to a 1 -degree C climate. The darkest 7:00 AM that greeted me as I looked through the window of our bed and breakfast accommodation.  Quite early to be moving, I thought.

      But we had to move fast.

      In early January 2016, we had a grand and meaningful Scottish Highlands experience for a day. As we look back, it did not need much motivation to overcome the chill that morning as we walked to Royal Mile to meet our guide and tour mates for our Loch Ness Hunter tour. Yes, we were about to see Nessie! Continue reading →

      Posted in Scotland, Travel, UK | 0 Comments | Tagged Scottish Highlands
    • Edinburgh, Scotland

      Posted at 4:37 pm by witsandnuts, on May 8, 2016

      Scotland, January 2016
      Scott Monument

      One of the best decisions we made for our UK winter trip was to spend a couple of nights and 3 days in Scotland before heading to Birmingham to attend my post-grad ceremonies. From King’s Cross (London) station, we took the Virgin Trains to Waverley station in Edinburgh (capital of Scotland). I enjoyed the 4-hour journey because (a) the first class coach service indeed delivered the value for money (i.e. cleanliness, free and sumptuous breakfast and snacks, spacious, etc.). We would not mind being in the standard coach (as we did in our April trip); however, we opted to consider some of the travelers’ review since it would be our first longest railway ride and it is of course, still relatively cheaper if you book ahead of time; and (b) the scenic views of England to Scotland was delightful.

      Scotland, January 2016

      As we got off from Waverley Station and walked to our bed and breakfast accommodation within the city centre, we were greeted by the Scott Monument (in honor of Sir Walter Scott), Jenners (arguably Scotland’s Harrods), the traditional Scottish music played by the street performer in his kilt (knee length skirt from Scottish Highlands) and splash of Georgian architecture. Continue reading →

      Posted in Scotland, Travel, UK | 7 Comments | Tagged Edinburgh, Edinburgh Castle, Princess Street Gardens, Scotland, St. Cuthbert Church's Kirkyard, St. Giles Cathedral, The Elephant House
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    • About witsandnuts

      Snapchat-5703935704258315256 Marhaba! That's "hello" in Arabic. I am an expatriate based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). I started writing about my adventures and misadventures few months before arriving here at winter of 2008. I have 2 cats and a dog who live harmoniously together. I am also surrounded by kindhearted, crazy, funny and indescribable humans! I was a dormant blogger for almost 3 years because of countless reasonable justifications like watching football, postgraduate studies, sleeping, traveling, caring for the world, and more! :) I am just so happy that I am back! It is never too late to catch up with the people and things we really care about. Feel free to look around.
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