Scotland

Boy was it nice to get out of town for a few days. I left early on Friday morning (a little too early, actually but you can never be too careful when flying out of Stansted on an airline called "EasyJet") and landed in Edinburgh at one or so. I caught a bus to the city center right away and was on Waverly Bridge overlooking Edinburgh Castle, The Mound, Calton Hill, a bunch of stunning monuments, and the Museum of Edinburgh by quarter to two.

I had all of my hostel information in hand but I still managed to walk in the wrong direction off the bus. Luckily, I ran into a Visitor's Information Center (this is rarely the case when I get lost) and was able ask a nice woman where to go. She literally pointed out the window of the visitors center directly at my hostel when she read the address. I was very thankful that I was so close to everything and also very embarrassed. While I was there, I picked up a bunch of free maps and compulsively purchased a discounted student ticket to the Edinburgh Dungeon. Then I took 25 pictures from the grassy area near the center and walked to my hostel. Sites in Edinburgh are either at the top of a hill or at the bottom of a hill. Fortunately, my hostel was at the bottom. It was also right across from the Dungeon!

It took a while to check in because eight English men wearing football shirts were also in the process of checking in and the receptionist was trying to explain to them why she would have to keep their room keys until they paid the £250 damage deposit. By the time I got up to the counter, she was so furious and exhausted that she forgot to collect my deposit, told me to have fun, and then sent me up four flights of stairs to my room. The room was covered in gaudy floral murals and stupid sayings like "Mind, Body, Spirit, and Shoes" (OFFENSIVE) but the bathroom had a real, working shower, and the place was clean and smelled normal. I opted for the all-girl dorm partially because it was the least expensive but also because staying above that middle-aged Finnish man who slept naked in my London hostel was really traumatic.

Disgusting: It took me about 25 seconds to get settled in so I was at the Edinburgh Dungeon by 2:30 or so. The "Dungeon Experience" is in several cities throughout Europe (including Amsterdam and York) and if you ever get a chance to go, do not. Actors with pretend facial sores in ghoulish costumes walk guests through the "Dungeon" and tell stories about some of Edinburgh's creepiest historical figures. I don't regret going but I would never go again.

I walked straight from the Dungeon down to a footpath to the Museum of Edinburgh and then up the hill to a courtyard of a church of a theological school. From the church, I toured a tartan making factory and then walked up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle. Since it was the end of the day, I decided not to pay the huge fee to walk through the castle (I toured the Tower of London last week and I was pretty sure there would be some overlap) but I did enjoy the view from atop the mountain. Half way down the mile, I stopped into St. Giles Cathedral and ran into a girl from my program!! so we decided to grab dinner together. Luna ordered haggis (so I didn't have to) and I opted for the steak pie and Scottish beer. Haggis is gray and furry and tastes like the inside of a sheep. We walked the rest of the Mile after dinner and spent a bit of time at the foot of some stunning green cliffs. I went to bed at 9 p.m. after falling asleep in the upstairs of a Starbucks doing Sudoku.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 8:30 but because I was sharing my room with 10-12 girls, I had to wait until 10:30 to shower. Before my shower, I had a conversation with an older woman from Germany and two younger girls from New Zealand about all the reasons America is terrible and all Americans are ignorant. I agreed with most of the things she had to say but I still felt a little anxious/nauseous after our talk so I left the room as soon as I was fully clothed and set out for some important buildings and landmarks on Prince Street in New Town. I hit Calton Hill before noon and then found an old cemetery and the former Scottish Parliament building (the new building I saw the night before across the street from the Palace of Holyrood).

Actual view from Calton Hill: In the afternoon, I took a quick trip to Leith on the bus and toured the Royal Yacht Britannia. The highlight of the tour was getting to see the bedroom where Princess Di and Charles spent their first night as a married couple.

On a whim, I decided to take a three o'clock train to Glasgow. For £6, I got to see some solid Scottish countryside as well as spend the afternoon walking around the city. I saw the Cathedral and walked up and around the site of the Necropolis (a breathtaking cemetery on what looked to be the highest hill in Glasgow) and walked along the River Clyde.

Necropolis in Glasgow: I stopped to rest in the Glasgow Green and listened to an impromptu concert on the river featuring a man practicing his bagpipes. Glasgow had considerably less going on than Edinburgh and the streets were a bit dingier but it also seemed more fun and hip. I ate a great Japanese meal for dinner (I had the hardest time finding a spot to eat as the city had really limited options) and then headed back to Edinburgh at 9 p.m. As I was about to pay for my ticket home, a man approached me and handed me an extra return ticket his wife had accidentally purchased. The people I spoke to in Glasgow were much nicer than those I spoke with in Edinburgh.

I caught my plane out of Edinburgh at 9:45 a.m. and made it back to my flat in time for a great four-hour afternoon nap.

On my shuttle ride back to the city, I got excited about living in London again.