The day the Aussies lost the Ashes

It took me until I entered The Oval for it to sink in that I was watching the Ashes in England. I had paid a lot of money and waited a long time for the day to arrive. I had a ticket to day four of the final test, which turned out to be the decider and with the Aussies at 0-80 chasing 546 it wasn't exactly the situation I had expected.
The stadium was at capacity as everybody was asking 'could Australia somehow pull off a win or hold on for a draw. As expected the crowd was very nearly completely English, luckily I had an Aussie sitting next to me. We were the only two sitting in our bay. We were sitting in great seats in the second row in the Surrey members section. Getting the tickets was a long process but basically I was very lucky to know someone who knew someone, who knew someone, who knew someone who could get tickets. We watched as the Aussies casually went through their warm ups then listened as the English fans loudly welcomed their boys to the field.
The opening pair of Watson and Katich didn't last long and so Ponting and Hussey were both fresh at the crease. Ponting received a standing ovation from the whole crowd, a rarity in England. The two put together a strong partnership as the English fans started getting a little worried. Then in his final test Flintoff threw down the stumps to run out Ponting and change the momentum of the game. The crowd jumped to their feet and went crazy as Ponting went back to the pavilion. Michael Clarke didn't last long and neither did Marcus North as the English dream of winning back to the Ashes was becoming a reality.
After the North wicket I left my seat to get a calm nerving beer and absolutely copped it from the crowd. I was of course wearing my Aussie shirt and there was just no way to reply.
The session following the tea break was when it all fell apart and it was only a question of whether it would be all over on day four or if they Aussies could hold on till the end of the day.
Haddin and Hussey held together for a solid partnership before Haddin was dismissed leaving only the tailenders to hold on for the Aussies. Harmison took the late wickets of Siddle and Clark in succession and the fans began their celebration. I had been listened to the action on a small headphone only after tea I couldn't hear a thing. The English fans were cheering every ball. Hussey was the last man out with a respectable 121 his best for the series but it didn't matter the English had won.
Following the last wicket a received a few handshakes from the surrounding English fans offering their condolences. They were absolutely loving their teams victory. I stayed through to watch the presentations as fireworks were let off and the ground covered in confetti. The Aussies left the field as soon as the presentations ended and the English boys did a lap of honour. I then left the ground as the fans English fans stayed for every moment of celebrations.
After leaving I caught a bus to Hyde Park where everybody is a tourist and I figured I wouldn't receive any comments about my shirt. Luckily I didn't and I could enjoy a couple more hours in the sun in what had been a warm London day.
Supporting your country when they compete overseas is a memorable experience. Watching the Aussies lose the Ashes in England is something I am not sure I will ever forget.

Football and exploring in London

Last Thursday night I made my way to Craven Cottage in South West London to attend my first English football game. I went along to see Fulham FC take on Amkar Perm in the Europa League group stage with my mate Andy.
The two of us had seats right on the fence in the middle of the Fulham members and we watched as Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer let through only one goal as his Fulham team beat the Russian team 3-1. The stadium was only three quarters full but the fans were in full voice. Some of the chants I could distinguish, others I have no idea what they were singing.
I returned to London from Leeds last Monday and exploring some of the sights I have not yet seen. On Tuesday Andy and I spent the morning at the Natural History Museum which was full of children as it is the middle of the shool holidays. In the afternoon we wandering the streets hunting down Banksy artwork which is still visible. Banksy is a stencil graffiti artist who has drawn artwork throughout London and all over the world. Much of his work has been painted over or cut out of walls and sold at auctions. Some of his remaining artwork has been covered in perplex glass to try and save it. This tour took us to some nice parts of London I would have otherwise never seen.
When the final Ashes test started I watched and waited anxiously as I had a ticket for the fourth day. I was really hoping it would last till the fourth day. When the Aussies went all out for 160 it didn't help. Andy and I watched the third day in Regents Park with about 10,000 other people, the majority obviously English and they were loving it as their team set the Aussies an almost impossible target. Luckily the test did reach a fourth day and I got my chance to see a day of the Ashes in England.
I will write about my day at the cricket in the next blog.

Climbing Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands and at 1344 metres high it is the highest in the UK. My friend Sarah and I thought it would be a good idea to go and climb it. The two of us were picked up in Leeds by a mate of ours from Topdeck John and we drove to Glasgow to collect Blackey, another Topdeck mate.
We then continued our drive towards Glen Nevis in the pouring rain. Luckily when we got to camp late in the night the rain stopped long enough for us to set up our tents. Then the rain continued throughout the night.
We woke up early Saturday morning and began our climb. We followed the main tourist path the whole way to the top. For the first hour or so of our walk it did not rain then we entered the level of the clouds from which point everything was moist and i began to get wet. The track was well maintained and as we walked up the visibility decreased and the conditions grew worse and worse. As we reached an area close to the summit it became very exposed and the wind became very strong, the rain was now coming in at all angles.
We reached the summit about three and a half hours after setting off and the visibility was disappointingly very minimal and their was still a large piece of snow just near the top. On a clear day it is said you can see views up to 190 kilometres. When we reached the top we couldn't see more than 20 metres.
My hands were numb by the time we reached the top and my whole body was shaking. So I wasn't hanging around for long. After having a quick look at the disused observatory and war memorial I began the decent. At the top was the coldest I can ever remember being.
Considering the conditions the track was very busy, people were walking their dogs and another group of men had refrigerators tied to their back as part of a charity fundraiser.
As we descended conditions grew worse, the rain became heavier and the wind increased until we again reached below the level of the clouds where it was raining little but not as cold.
Our descent took roughly two and a half hours and once we reached the base we stopped at the pub to warm up and celebrate our achievement. We ended up staying for a couple or hours to thaw out and then headed back to camp. We didn't stay long at camp realising we were better off to head back to the pub where it was much warmer. We ended up staying at the pub for another few hours before going back to camp to sleep.
Our Sunday we made our way back to Leeds dropping Blackey off in Glasgow on the way through. John drove the whole way and back, after dropping Sarah and I in Leeds he continued home to Devon almost at the bottom of England. He had driving almost the length of the UK and back in the one weekend.

Laughing aloud in Edinburgh

If you do not like crowds stay away from Edinburgh in August. If you want to be a part of the biggest arts festival in the World then head to the Scottish capital. Edinburgh comes alive throughout the month as men in kilts share the streets with men in underwear juggling knives atop a ladder as part of the Fringe Festival.
I was lucky enough to have friends living in Edinburgh. I again stayed with Sandy and Alyce for a few nights because accommodation is very expensive and hard to come by.
I was swept up in all the excitement and spent four days watching some very funny and not so funny comedians. The most acclaimed comedian I saw was Australian Wil Anderson. His one hour stand up show 'Wilosophy' was hilarious and also helped me catch up on some of the Australian news I had missed in the last four months. My second favourite comedian was Kevin Tomilson who used audience comments as part of his sketch comedy show.
I spent the nights drinking underneath a giant upside down blow up purple cow and other beer gardens with friends and strangers. The Scots love the festival as much as the tourists and they love to share their tips with the newcombers such as myself.
When I couldn't decide who to watch I just walked up and down the Royal Mile in the centre of town where street performers entertain thousands of onlookers. This is also where I got a quick glimpse of the Military Tattoo. Marching bands from all over the world come and perform at the foot of the castle throughout August. I stood and watched as they all filed out to the sound of bagpipes.
I also spent a bit of time exploring the city and did a few tours to learn the stories of horrific murders and executions which took place in the city. I also went through the Castle to see the Scottish Crown jewels and the coronation stone. I also stopped in at Greyfriars Kirkyard. A site many say is the most haunted place on Earth. Dolly the sheep the World's first cloned mammal is stuffed and placed inside the National Museum and so I went to see it. Funnily enough it looked like a stuffed sheep.
I am not a big fan of Harry Potter, I have only read the first novel but I can appreciate why it is so popular. After visiting Edinburgh where JK Rowling started the series I can see who see came up with some of her crazy storylines.
My Edinburgh experience was complete after the last comedian I watched on his last joke was heckled by an audience member. I thought I was gong to leave the Fringe without hearing somebody heckle a comedian.

A wee tour of Scotland

"Scotland is lovely, you will like it there." This is what many of my friends told me when I mentioned I was planning to explore Scotland. They were not wrong I did love it there.
I arrived in Edinburgh, had a day to look around. I climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat for panoramic views across the city. Then I caught up with my mates Sandy and Alyce from my Topdeck trip and stayed with them for the night.
Early Tuesday morning I walked into town and met my new tour mates who I was to spend the next four days with. It was a random mix, seven Taiwanese girls, two Spanish, an Indian, a Kiwi, an Italian, myself and two other Aussies. We left Edinburgh and began our wee (Scottish for small) tour of Scotland.
On the first day we drove towards Loch Ness, stopping a few times to learn some of the Scottish history. We spotted some salmon jumping up a waterfall on one of our walks and then at the end of the day I went for a swim in Loch Ness. There was no sign of any monster but the water was surprisingly quite warm. We also got our first taste of local Scottish whisky, something the Scots love and their whisky is World reknowned.
Our second and third days were spent on the Isle of Skye where I tasted fresh scallops caught straight from a Loch. We also climbed a mountain to see a rock formation known as the Old Man of Storr. We also stopped to take photos of some Heeland Coos (Highland Cows). I also learnt the process of making whisky at the Tallisker Distillery.
We rode the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig to get back on the mainland and entered the Highlands. We walked for about thirty minutes to a waterfall lookout near Fort William only to get there and turn around and head back straight away because we were being bitten by Midgies. Midgies are tiny mosquito like insects that suck your blood.
Our final night was spent on a Loch in the middle of nowhere where we cooked up a big meal with haggis for the whole group. On our final day back to Edinburgh we learnt the stories of Rob Roy and Robert the Bruce a couple of Scottish heroes. On arrival into Edinburgh I had a chance to take a quick walk through the town which was now full of people in interesting costumes performing in the streets as part of the Fringe Festival.
I stayed a couple of nights in Glasgow before returning to Edinburgh. I did not really do a lot on my day in Glasgow just wandered around the shops. I was exhausted after my trip.

Staring at stones and roman baths

On Saturday the 1st of August I went on a day trip to Stonehenge and Bath. The trip was organised by BUNAC, the organisation who I organised my British visa and the rest. In true English style it rained all day.
We left London and our first stop was Stonehenge and with the help of an audio tour I learnt the mysteries surrounding the stones. The rain made it all more eerie. We did not stop long at Stonehenge, just long enough to walk around and take a few photos.
Our next stop was Bath and our first point of call was the Roman Baths. We spent a couple of hours wandering through the different rooms learning the Roman traditions before reaching the very photogenic main bath. At the Baths we were also told of the history through an audio tour, this time it included the voice of Bill Bryson. He is a very funny travel writer although I felt his comments did not add a lot of insight.
Following the Roman Baths we ate some lunch before walking through the rainy city. The rain made it difficult to appreciate the beautiful architecture.
We all then boarded the bus back to London. I stayed Friday night and Saturday night with my cousin Summa and her friend Tia. On Sunday I went back to see my mates at the Pedal Boats in Hyde Park.
On Sunday night it was almost warm enough to feel like summer so Summa, Tia and I had a BBQ dinner before I got on an overnight bus to Edinburgh, Scotland.

By the seaside in Brighton

The sun was shining when I got off the train in Brighton, this began a few relaxing days in the seaside city. I left the station and walked down the hill towards the ocean for my first view of the pebbled beach. Although it was quite windy there were still many people on the beach.
I did not do a lot while in Brighton. I spent time just wandering the shops and the beach. The pier is the most famous icon of the city and is full of amusement rides. I did play a few of the cheap games but did not go on any of the rides. One afternoon I took a walk along the pebbles past the beach boxes and into the city of Hove to visit the Sussex County cricket ground.
Brighton was preparing itself for its annual Gay Pride day which was held the day after I left. All the shop windows had the rainbow flag hanging in their shop window. Brighton is known as the gay capital of England and therefore they take their Pride day seriously.
My impressions of Brighton were soured a little on the last night, not by any fault of the city but because I had the world's loudest snorer sleeping in the bunk directly above me. I have now stayed in many dorm rooms in many hostels with snorers but never with anyway this loud. With the help of my Ipod I did manage to get some sleep only to wake up in the middle of the night to find not only the person above me was snoring but so too was the person next to me. I did not get a lot of sleep.
While it was raining in Brighton which it often did I planned the next part of my trip to Scotland.