So on Sunday the 10th, I went to Scotland with several of the Californians. . .Edinburgh to be exact. The coach ride up there was interesting to say the least. There was confusion because there were two coaches and they were sending people every which way so by the time we got onto the right coach we were seated all the was in the back in the seats that don't recline. I was seated in the middle of the aisle next to some skinny guy who surprisingly took up a ton of space. So overall very uncomfortable. It was an overnight coach and I have no idea how I survived. But approximately 8.5 hours later we were in Edinburgh where the fog was ridiculous and it was freezing. We made out way to the hostel which was literally just next to Edinburgh Castle. We sat on the big comfy leather couches and I slept a little bit. We then went out to explore a bit before the others who were coming from Liverpool met us. Spent some time in the National Gallery and wandering through the old and new town.
Edinburgh is divided into Old Town and New Town. Basically Old Town is about a mile long and has the Royal Mile running through it and less than a mile wide, so they expanded Edinburgh to include new town which is more modern and has all the shops and such you would expect any town to have.
So after meeting the others, we checked into our room, which was Happy Days themed. My bed was Potsy. . .who I could not remember for the life of me. I guess Potsy was kind of a dork who wore glasses? It was actually a nice place. We had the room to ourselves everynight but the 1st.
(okay I wrote a huge amount. . .and then my computer froze and as a result I lost it all. I will try my hardest to remember what I wrote)
After, we ventured out once again. We walked down the Royal Mile popping into shops and small museums along the way including a ridiculously good fudge shop that offered free samples. The Royal Mile ends at a palace, which was under construction, so we went to the nearby park area and hung out for a bit before trekking back to our room. We grabbed some dinner at a nearby pub and then headed out to Grassmarket (one of the main streets which houses a ton of restaurants and pubs and was known for the murders that 2 men, who sadly I cannot remember the names of, which shouldn't be this hard, back in the day). We did a mini-pub crawl to get acquainted with the area. But overall called it an early night.
Day 2. Tuesday Feb 12-
We woke up and got some food in our systems before heading out for our free walking tour. We went all along the Royal Mile and the streets surrounding it. Our tour guide was really good so of course we tipped her. Even though we had been on our feet for close to 4 hours, we decided to hike up to King Arthurs Seat, the highest point which offers absolutely gorgeous views of the city. We spent about 45 minutes at the top and then as the sun set we decided to take a shortcut which looked like a path but wasn't. It was just rocks and dirt, which would have been easier to climb up. So at then end of it my jeans and shoes were covered in dirt from a few falls, but it was fun. We then trekked back up the Royal Mile to our hostel to quickly wash up a bit. Then we headed to dinner. I was craving Indian so we went to this nice Indian place on Grassmarket and ate everything they put in front of us. I think the cook saw us devour the food, because he came out and asked how we liked it. It was definitely worth the money.
Then while some others went exploring, Sarah and I called it a night and just relaxed in the hostel for a bit.
Day 3. Wed Feb 13
We wanted to go see the castle, but it was too expensive (no student prices!) so we went for a walk around new town instead. We ate lunch in Princes Gardens and waited for a shot that is fired everyday from the castle at 1 p.m. Since we couldnt see the procession, we decided to sit below the castle and wait for the shot. And just when we thought we must have missed it, it went off unexpectedly and made me jump a bit. We spent the rest of the day wandering around new town and going to museums. And then we went to the Elephant House, the cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and had some tea and chatted for about an hour. We then went back to the hostel and rested a bit before we went to a comedy club to see some stand-up. The first act was really funny, and we understood most of his jokes. The second act had a much heavier accent and tended to mumble so most of what he said flew right over our heads but it was a nice outing. We then found a place to grab a bite to eat since we had been rushed before and headed back to the hostel
Day 4 Thur Feb 14 . . . good bye Edinburgh.
This was pretty much an independent exploration and shopping day. We all got some souvenirs and then ate a late lunch. I went with one of the girls exploring the little known streets of Edinburgh. We went to the grocery store and got a box of chocolates for everyone for Valentines Day and then headed the the hostel to collect our things. We grabbed some sandwichs to eat on the train and headed for the station. The train > the coach. BY FAR!
The train ride was long but I spent most of it talking to Rebekah who was my seat mate. About half way through we went to find the others to give them their chocolate. Once back to London we grabbed our train home and I slept for a long time. . .
Okay. . I tried to upload some of my pictures but my internet couldn't stay on for long enough for them to load. . .so I will have to find some other way. . .
I will write more later as this took way longer than expected thanks to the internet and my freezing computer.
Up next: Leeds and Canterbury Castle, Oxford and the Cotswolds as well as my weekend in Wales.
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