Nicki Iskander, RMT

The best part about travelling is you get to meet people from all over the world and use that as an excuse to visit them in their hometown.

I was reunited with in Dublin, Edel Harvey in Limerick, in Galway, Michael Gallagher in Derry, and finally Alex in Cambridge.

All this was en route to celebrate the woman responsible for this trip, Jen McCarthy (one of my very favourite humans).

I met Jen in Mexico in 2023 and we instantly knew we wanted to be in each other's lives forever. We've since visited each other's homes and travelled across four continents together with more to come.

Congratulations on marrying one hell of a man and giving me the best excuse to return to the UK! I love you always and forever.

Manchester is beautiful!

The architecture here is incredible. To be clear, I know nothing about architecture. I just like pretty old buildings.

We were disappointed that we couldn't find a musical walking tour considering how many bands hail from here: The Smiths, Joy Division & New Order, Oasis, the Stone Roses...

New business idea, anyone?

Our fifth and final country of the trip: Wales!

It's a beautiful place with a ridiculous language.

These are the gates from the Smiths song "Cemetry Gates." (Yes, that's how they spelled it.)

Smiths bassist Andy Rourke is buried here.

Glasgow was bustling with the Commonwealth Games. Fun fact: My massage therapist was here at the same time as me! She wouldn't give me a massage, though. Rude.

It's a hilly, walkable city with giant, breathtaking murals.

We saw an all-female stand-up comedy show inside a Victorian-era church. We got to see a comedian we loved from our visit to Edinburgh in 2023.

We toured the Necropolis and I got to do my daily morning run through another cemetery.

The Sunday Market was spectacular. I bought some jewelry and a vintage clutch to wear to my friend's wedding in Cambridge this weekend.

Next stop: Manchester! 🇬🇧

Nature!

Monday? Punday!

Belfast has a rustic charm. I lost time on my morning runs from stopping to snap shots of the graffiti and old buildings.

The Belfast Empire is a gorgeous Victorian-era church that has been converted into an entertainment venue. We saw stand-up there and the comedians were refreshingly diverse: an albino man, a woman (cast member from Derry Girls), and a hilarious autistic le***an. More, please!

Donkey sanctuary! Mine was named Tinkerbell.

P.S. Roosters are surprisingly soft.

My 40th country: Northern Ireland

It's easy to see why filmmakers love it here. Yes, that castle was featured in Game of Thrones.