the end of Edinburgh

Day #2 in Edinburgh

On our second day in Edinuburgh, we spent a good chunk of our day doing “class.” We sat in sofas in the lounge downstairs and discussed Beatrix Potter for the first 2 hours and broke for lunch. The second chunk of class was dedicated to the first four Harry Potter books, which led into a great discussion. JK Rowling lives in Edinburgh and there are several inspirations around town for her books, for instant the Night Bus (slightly less magical, of course) and streets like Neville and Granger. She really pulled a lot from the British/Scottish culture to create the books. Afterwards, I went out with Sarah hitting some shops up and down the Royal mile. We spent a good chunk of time trying to figure out what tour to take on our free day. By the time we decided on one later that evening, the spots were gone and the similar ones weren’t available anymore. It was a bit of a disappointment.

For dinner, we went to Bella Italia and I ordered a pasta dish with spinach and goat cheese. It was delicious. Afterwards, Ellie and I went to Starbucks to write, chill, and access the internet. I’ve quite a bit of difficulty with the internet. The hostel was such a tease, because they advertise free internet and even handed me a slip of paper with the information on it, but I have not met one person who has accessed it. I checked every now and then to see if it was working, but I gave up yesterday evening and bought some time at the Starbucks to talk to folks back home. I used the camera/microphone on my computer to chat with Albert, which was really fun. I’m still new to all that, but it was fun to talk to someone face-to-face from a coffee shop in Scotland!!

My evening was spent trying hopelessly to book a tour for a few of us and listening to a book on tape. I finally gave up and went to bed. It was one of the more casual days of the trip, and I was disappointed about the tour not working out because I would have been able to see a bit more.

Day #3 in Edinburgh

Sarah, Ellie, Amanda, Peggy, and I spent our morning hiking up St. Andrews Seat in the Holyrood Gardens which was beautiful! Our heart rates went up and with each step, the views across the city were breathtaking! The first leg of the walk was a bit uncomfortable, as I had a growing headache/earache. Things are looking pretty good now though,.. no worries. ;o) We stopped for lunch at a place called Lazy Lohans which was really tiny, but they had delicious food. Our waiter was a pretty lax guy in his 30’s named Ben who was amusing to talk to.

We went into a couple shops, before heading back to the hostel to gather up our stuff for another adventure. Amanda, Sarah, and I are now sitting on a train headed for the Stirling Castle! It’s a bit nerve racking to go on a self-guided venture an hours outside of the city, but hopefully it will be worth it. More to come…!

*** update ***

The Stirling Castle was a great trip! It was quite tricky getting there on our own. We got a bit lost in Stirling, trying to make our way to the castle. We went a round about way and it was all uphill. Once we got there, there were definitely some stunning views!.. both looking towards the castle and away from it. Sarah was really looking forward to the opportunity to go, so we made the extra effort and Amanda came along for the ride too.

We had about an hour before closing to walk around and take pictures. The castle was loosely labeled, but we kept finding little rooms or pathways that weren't advertised but were available to the public. At one point, we went up a random stairwell and found ourselves looking out from the tower where the flag was flying. It was great! We didn't have an official tour, so I don't have the entire scoop on the Castle's history or relation to William Wallace. I do know that the film Braveheart was shot at the castle.. or at least, bits of it.

So.. here I am, sitting at the Starbucks trying to use up the last of my minutes before it shuts down. Tonight is a laundry night for me!.. but tomorrow we will be traveling to London, but spending our day in York! Should be fun!

Cheers! ;o)

Bethany

ps. Sorry the pictures are late! <3 It's was a little tricky in Edinburgh!!..