Scottish Holiday

Edinburgh, Scotland proved to be a worthy destination for our final school-sponsored overnight excursion.  Prior to boarding the train, my excitement wasn't exactly earth-shattering, but I was still thrilled to be getting the chance to get a taste of Scotland.  The home of "Edinburgh Castle," RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) and J.K. Rowling, this deceptively small city actually has a lot to offer.

A quick self-timer shot courtesy of Zach

From the "Scotch Whiskey Experience," to the free ghost tours, to bus tours that showcase the majestic beauty of the Scottish Highlands, there really is something for everyone.

So what did we do?

Everything and nothing, I suppose.  In contrast to the do-everything-at-all-costs mentality in Rome (aka Romarobics), 48 hours in Scotland was incredibly relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable.  We didn't do everything, in fact, on paper it would seem like we did next-to-nothing, but yet I still managed to have an absolute blast.

After a five-ish hour journey north via national rail, we arrived at the Edinburgh station.  Despite traveling at speeds at or above 100 MPH, we still had to stop at every station along the route (saves money, but not your your patience).

Throughout March, we've stayed in quite a few hostels and they all seem to conjured up a similar reaction: mediocre, but fantastically simple.  They all get the job done and as long as my sheets/pillow seem relatively clean (no visible dirt), I couldn't care less.

So what were we up to and how did I feel about all of it?

Day 1: Travel and Theatre

 The Scott Monument

Rainey tried one of these. So good!

After settling into our hostel and realizing just how small the city was, we went in search of a theatre. Bri had found a theatrical adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I'm not really into fantasy, but I had heard a lot about The Hobbit, read a bit of the book and figured it wouldn't hurt to tag along for 10.00 Pounds.

Thoughts/feelings? I had a few.

The first was the overwhelming feeling of drowsiness.  Ten or fifteen minutes into the production, I felt like I had taken ten Tylenol PM.  My eye lids felt like lead weights and it became a struggle to keep them open (granted I was pretty pooped from the extended train ride, but I shouldn't have been that tired at 8:00 PM).

Secondly, after I heard Rainey mention the show was geared toward the ten year-old demographic, everything became much easier to watch and, as a result, my eye lids got a little lighter.  Overall, I'm not sure I'd see it again, but it was definitely an awesome experience to see The Hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien's hometown. 

Day Two: A bit of exploration

While Steph, Rainey and Zach embarked on an epic twelve hour bus tour of the Scottish Highlands, Bri, Dave and I took our time in the AM and had a traditional Scottish breakfast at the cafe next door to our hostel.

One thing I failed to grasp at breakfast was the Scottish staple haggis.  Containing sheep's "pluck" (heart, liver and lungs), onions, oatmeal, suet (remember this?), spices and vegetable stock, this famed sausage-like mélange of ingredients has quite a following.  Some reviews suggest it is best served with a glass of whiskey on the rocks. Delicious.

The rest of the day went something like this:

Apart from some serious souvenir shopping to which I didn't participate (much haha), we hiked up a big hill (surprise, surprise), saw a procession of bag-pipers, took a rather long walk to the waterside, spent some time in a waterfront mall aptly named "Ocean-Terminal," saw the royal yacht "Brittania" and watched the new movie Green Zone with Matt Damon.

Downtown Edinburgh

Toss in a healthy dose of laughter and you have one memorable day. 

Like I said, it doesn't scream "fun" on the surface, but Bri, Dave and I definitely made "Edinburgh on a budget" a definite success.

Day Three: Brunch at "The Elephant House" 

Before our five hour trip back to London, we had brunch at "The Elephant House." Claim to fame: the birthplace of Harry Potter! That's right, J.K. Rowling scribbled down the first Harry Potter book while drinking coffee and eating pastries at this place.

The atmosphere was relaxed and included plenty of big tables, free wifi and great service.  I mention the service because my meal, smoked salmon and toast, ended up taking around 20 minutes to appear from the kitchen. When the waiter brought the food, he gave me my money back. It was a nice gesture that really showed the what kind of place it was. Gotta love the Scottish hospitality.

It's mid-week and Paris is already around the corner! The last overnight trip before my last month in London promises to be wonderful.

I hope everyone is enjoying the 70+ degree weather back in the States!!!

Cheers!