Leila est en route

February 2018:  On a mild winter day in mid february, I start my journey to my favourite country in the world: England. My flight to Manchester is operated by Eurowings, my favourite airline when it comes to cheap, but still high quality and comfortable flights. From Manchester Airport, you can reach Manchester Piccadilly (one of the main train stations) within 20 minutes or less. When being the first time in Manchester, I would recommend Piccadilly station as it's directly in the city centre and you can reach everything in no minute basically. Coming out of the station, head left and follow Piccadilly Street until you reach Portland Street where almost every hotel seems to be located. I chose Britannia Hotel  for my first night and a youth hostel (YHA Manchester) in Castlefield which is about 15 minutes far from Albert Square and Manchester Town Hall and the city centre. For your first lunch in Manchester, the well-known British chain Pret-à-Manger seems to be a good optio...

As part of my first stay abroad, I also visited Hereford, a tiny, but very charming city in the West Midlands. Located near the Welsh border, it's more of a rural area. You'll find lots of forests, green spaces and small cafés in the town centre.  One of the best sights is the cathedral of Hereford, very old and historic. It hosts the Mappa Mundi, a medieval world map from the 13th century.  Once dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Ethelbert The King, it has an impressive crypt and memorable library. It's also lucky to possess one of the Magna Carta which is sometimes shown next to the Mappa Mundi . When you've finished your leisurely, thoughtful and attentive walk surrounding the Cathedral, you'll soon reach a harmonious, tranquil park that may be a perfect venue for a picnic amongst friends or family. If you're missing a bit of a big city spirit, you may like the centre with the shopping streets and the Old House or the Black and White ...