the UK experience

You can still contact us using our Shaw mail accounts, also the travelling Lloyds one works good too. Our internet connections are weak to put it mildly. I thought we would Skype every night. Not possible, not even close due to our connection. Email is good. It would be nice to hear a bit of what is going on at home, keeping up so to speak.

Prices in the UK are good except for accommodations. We can have a nice family pub meal for about $75 CDN, even if Julia has two beers. Pubs are nice but everyone has the same menu (almost)

1. Fish and chips


2. Scampi


3. Jacket potato


4. Meat pie

All good, but once you have run the table, you are pretty much done. I had the Haggis, Neaps and Tatties two nights in a row. Turnips are one vegetable the Scots can do well. I love Haggis but the two pubs had exactly the same haggis. I think it is all made in the same big sheep’s stomach. If it was different from place to place I would have it every night in Scotland. Kids have to be out by 9 PM. If you have seen Julia after two beers you know this is a good rule.

At the Sainsbury we can get 10 thick slices of real cheddar for $1.60 CDN that would cost $6 back home. Fuel is costly, the price is 1.15 pounds per liter. That is about $1.90 CDN. We have leaned how to eat well at less cost. For breakfast we eat cereal and milk from the store, maybe a banana or scone too. If we have nothing we try to hit a bakery, for about $2 each we can get a light snack, hard to stay away from the sweet Danish or pies. For lunch a hot sandwich or meat pie is cheap and good. We have been very good sometimes and pack a lunch. Ham and cheese was great the first few days, then, not so much. Nobody in the UK can make a sausage coil. This would go great with the cheap brie cheese at 1.60 for a big wedge.

We bought two phones at the beginning of the trip from Car Phone Warehouse.

Two phones

Two 15 pound sim cards

1 family call plan, (call the twin phone for free)

Total $60 CDN, we keep the phones, pay as you go, no plan. Canada’s phone companies are pirates.

I should mention that one of the phones went through the wash yesterday; we’ll see how it recovers. You just can get a decent phone for $7 anymore.

We arrived in York today. Best hostel yet. The hostel in Edinburgh we in a great location but filthy. Scotland was greet, I felt sad leaving.