My hostel was right off of the Royal Mile: The Place To Be. Yes, it deserves all those capital letters because it was such a central part of Edinburgh in the revitalized Old Town. I decided to go on the free walking tour of the city despite my aversion to tours in foreign cities, which was probably the best decision I made this trip. The entire tour took over three hours walking around most of Old Town as well as part of New Town. The city of Edinburgh wasn’t anything what I was expecting. People had told me how beautiful it was, but I didn’t fully believe them. I mean, everyone has their own opinions. It seems the majority opinion is more than correct when it comes to the city. On the tour, I had met up with several other people that were traveling alone, which was very nice. We ended up all grabbing a bite to eat for dinner. Someone ordered a side of haggis for all of us to share and I swear… I was going to try it. But if anyone knows my eating pickiness, haggis would definitely go on my “No Way in Hell”. It’s still there. However, I did manage to successfully cross off another local specialty off my list—fried Mars bar. It was quite interesting, very good and I could definitely eat one again… just give me about a year to get this one through my system. Later that night, an Australian girl (that I met on the tour) and I took a night/ghost tour of Edinburgh. It was okay… I’m sure there are better ones out there, but I still saw a lot more of Edinburgh and ended the night with a free pint… not a bad end to my first day.
My second full day in Scotland was when I decided to actually “do” some of the sites. My first major site was Edinburgh Castle, which just dominates the landscape of the city. It sits at the beginning of the Royal Mile. You just have to respect it because it has an amazing view and is basically on the edge of a cliff. I looked over the side of the railing and it was just a straight drop down. I did end up going into the Castle and it was even more impressive. The way they showcase the Scottish Royal Jewels is really interesting because they tell you their history. I definitely noticed a difference over the British (anally protecting them in the Tower of London) or the French (showcasing them in the Louvre), but in Scotland there’s just a reverence in between the two. And it’s probably best I compare them between the French and the British because they Scots always seem to be stuck in between them in history—as learned in class and reinforced by the history in Edinburgh. I went into the Writer’s Museum also, which was kind of special for me. Now, I’m not THAT interested in Scottish writers, but the actual museum is through an alley and faces Wardrop’s Court. It’s very weird seeing a name that is so familiar to me on a sign in Scotland, but I’m so glad I found it. The actual museum itself was dedicated to Burns, Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. I know who all the authors are and what they wrote, but I’m ashamed to say that when I was going through the museum I kept going back to the versions I had seen of the books done by Wishbone or The Muppets.
My second day probably included one of the most memorable moments for me. I was hiking up to the top of Carlton Hill, which was said to be the closest point between the faerie realm and the mortal realm for the Celts. This is where they have the Beltane flame and all that. Anyways, when I got to the top of the hill, it really began to get windy and rain pretty hard. All of the sudden, a huge and bright rainbow broke out of the sky right over the hill. It was pretty and it lasted forever. All I could do is just sit and watch it because it was so beautiful I feel like I’ll keep repeating myself, but you gotta wonder if the Celts maybe knew something that we don’t… After I climbed down, I was feeling adventurous so I decided to hike up the dead volcano at the edge of Old Town, close to the Scottish Parliament and the Queen’s Residence. It was such a long walk and it felt like I was totally out of the city. I mean completely. And the weather got worse when I was out but I still enjoyed every moment of it and I realized that I don’t actually mind hiking (I’m keeping that in my memory box for future usage or when my feet get tired).
And now what most of the people have been waiting for… this is also the night where my beloved Coach wristlet was stolen. Looking back, I think I’m most mad at the fact that it was that wristlet. I bought that thing with my graduation money almost four years ago now. A moment of silence, please… Anyways, that night I had gone down to the bar in the hostel and ended up talking about cultural differences with two guys, one from Argentina and another from New Zealand. However, when I left I also left my wristlet. I got up to my room (maybe like 1.4 minutes later) and realize I had left my wristlet, so I go back and check and it’s gone… this is when my trip really starts to get interesting.
The next day all I had was the money in my pocket, my passport, copies of my credit cards, my ipod, and my camera. And the money in my pocket amounted to 2 pounds, 30 pence. The bus to the airport costs a lovely 2 pounds, 50 pence. Luckily, everyone in the hostel was very, very nice and helpful, but especially the guy from New Zealand who lent me money and even offered to buy me breakfast that morning. I took him up on the money for the bus, but just stuck to the toast the hostel gave me. However, his niceness now makes me want to go to New Zealand (after Canada)! When I got to the airport, it was go time to try and figure out what I was going to do. I ended up calling up American Express and talking to a lovely woman who ended helping me out tremendously. She found a place to wire me money and made sure I’d be fine for the rest of my trip (which at this point I still had 4 days, okay 5 but I didn’t know that at the time, to go). Then came the security questions. The most bogus part of the day and the only thing that really drove me up the wall, I mean, seriously…
• What are all the make/model/year of the vehicles registered at your address? I’m suppose to know the year? We’ve had some of those cars since I was in elementary school!
• What’s the name of the subdivision you live in? I live in a subdivision? No, I don’t! (I almost had a nervous breakdown over this question)
• What’s your driver’s license number? The easiest question… thank God I had a copy of my license.
I eventually ended up boarding the IKEA-esque plane (serious, RyanAir made me feel like I was flying IKEA Airlines) and landed in Dublin where I had Euros awaiting me. A quick stop at customs (along with a joke at the Scots expense) and I was off to my hostel where I had no idea where it was… and apparently no one else did. I walked in wrong directions in the dark, but I managed to find it and couldn’t have been happier. I was in Dublin, finally.• What’s the name of the subdivision you live in? I live in a subdivision? No, I don’t! (I almost had a nervous breakdown over this question)
• What’s your driver’s license number? The easiest question… thank God I had a copy of my license.
I’ll Be Back: Edinburgh was by far my favorite city and I cannot wait to go back (whenever that is). There’s so much more I want to do in the city and in the countryside
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