Tom in Wien and the Land of the Changeable Weather

A long time ago, in a galaxy that just so happens to be the same one we are in now, I decided to go on holiday to the good old United Kingdom! Such a trip is fraught with dangers, mostly the danger that the required scheduling is so monstrously complicated that it grows into a hideous multi-headed creature and eats you. This did not however occur, though somehow my meticulously forged itinerary does still make me a bit uneasy. I remember a time when one didn't have to be organised! I guess that was a time before I had just under two weeks to try and visit as many friends and family as possible while they were scattered across the country and leading busy lives...

The whole trip was something of a whirlwind, in 12 days I visited 7 different places and saw goodness knows how many people, but many were still left out. I regret each and every one but unfortunately unlimited time was not in my possession.

Exeter cathedral

I'll keep the actual itinerary recount brief, as a lot of the time what I was there for were the people, not the places! But there were some new things. A lot of time was spent in London, from which I made day excursions to Oxford (which never changes, actually met a french girl who studied decadence, albeit the literary movement epitomised by Oscar Wilde et al), and Milton Keynes (not half as bad if you go there for a conference about space things). I also made a longer excursion to Exeter, my sister's university town. As well as putting a face to her life and anecdotes of the last years, this afforded an excellent opportunity to be a real proper tourist in my own country. Seen through Austrian eyes, there is a lot to like about the historical towns and cities of Britain!

New College Oxford. What a lawn.

My biggest trip by far was via Ediburgh and Glasgow (briefly) to team up with my friend Gavia for a crazy, spontaneous trip to Orkney! Just off the tip of John 'O Groats this archipelago is chock full of history and scenery and being an island and very northern represents a combination of two of my favourite things! After a train journey to Aberdeen and a short plane hop we had a very enjoyable time, albeit less than 72 hours I think... The scottish weather threw up the usual mix of sun, rain and dramatic clouds which meshed nicely with the 5000+ year old monuments, Viking runes, Viking cathedrals and tasty foods/whisky on offer.

An island in Orkney

Britain is pretty great for a holiday y'all! You should, like, go sometime. A very abbreviated set of photos of my travels can be found by carrying out the usual operation.

Der Tom

PS possibly incomplete list of British foods eaten: fish and chips, curry, boiled beef + english mustard in a bun, devon pasty, victoria sponge, haggis (stuffed in a chicken), cullen skink + oatcakes.