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Published: July 10th 2007
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On this day, we arose with excitement for Scotland. We enjoyed one last breakfast and fabulous shower at the Marriott, checked out, and worked our way onto the tube back to my flat in Bloomsbury. We discovered that 30th birthday balloons are very helpful when lugging luggage onto the tube up and down stairs! (many kind people assisted our plight, and we welcomed it, despite us being very independent women).
Very quick turnaround, and we took just one suitcase this time, to the King's Cross train station. We got our train tickets stamped, found our platform, and then took pictures, of course! I heard someone say that these are the platforms they use when filming the Harry Potter 9 3/4 spots, so we wanted to make sure we had it preserved. These train stations are quite remarkable because there are always little grocery stores and plenty of other eating areas to stock up before getting on the train. We did just that, and then settled in for a nice 4 1/2 hour ride north. It was really a beautiful trip, and despite the fact that we probably would have enjoyed napping, we were like two little kids wanting to look
at everything, snapping pictures readily.
We did discover that having non-reserved seats is a bit tricky, in that we had to move a couple of times, but it wasn't that much of an inconvenience, so all was well.
We definitely noticed sheep and rolling meadows fairly quickily into the trip. They just seem to dot every piece of grass and are often intermixed with goats, cows, and horses too. Then came views of the North Sea, which were stunning, particularly since it was again sunny, and there are these glorious lighthouses. We wished we could stop and get out to see them, but will have to put it on future lists. When you see the cliffs along the sea though, you start to understand the term "craggy rocks along the shore." It just fits!
Upon arrival to Edinburgh Waverly Station, we marched up the stairs with our suitcase and started looking for the buses. It's pretty amazing again, how helpful people are, and we never felt put out once this week. We just asked! We had a funny experience right away on the bus. A little old man got on and sat next to us and proceeded to talk to
us. He was a linguistics professor at the university, very proud of his city, how the "countryside is really in the city," and also explained connections between Glasgow and Chicago, which I had never heard. But then he repeated these same things over and over and over, and he reeked of alcohol in his perfect tweed suit! He meant no harm, but he was both a bit senile and drunk, all with a Scottish accent!
We found our bed and breakfast, all the while looking at everything wide-eyed and excited to explore. The castle just sits right there and we immediately felt a difference here from London. The b and b hostess' daughter suggested a restaurant and we went right there. We had a beautiful meal at "The Apartment." We shared a bottle of wine with the following description: "Think of summer sun on the brow and naked frolicking haemadryads in dance. This wine's deliciously deep, chocolate and smokey, mellow wine could well induce something resembling a chromatic dream." All the explanations were like this and we asked if we could take the sheet with us, which they allowed us to do.
Following dinner which was amazing gnocchi and chicken
(moist and deliciously cooked), plus vegetables on this skewer and some salad and bread, we headed up to the castle and the Royal Mile. We walked up and up and up it seemed, trying to make our ghost tour we had planned out, but we couldn't get there in time. Yet there were dozens leaving, so we joined a different one, complete with a funny guide dressed more like dracula than a medieval Scottish ghost. Still he had some fun stories and made our tour of the area quite interesting. It was disgusting though since much of the ghosts in the area are from the time of the Plague, prostitution, filth, and body-snatching. He also made sure to explain details on witches and their executions. It really was a violent time and place back in the 13th-16th centuries. We got to see tiny little "closes" or alleyways, and hear stories of people who lived in and amongst them. We also noticed that it stays light until 10:30 or so there, which was amazing.
After a pint of Guinness at a "pub-club" where we did not get carded like so many of the girls who arrived after us did, we headed home for a quick sleep prior to the next day's adventure. We were already in love just with Edinburgh and the architecture and history there, so we didn't know what lay ahead but knew it had to be good!
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