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Published: February 21st 2009
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Weekend Trip to Edinburgh, the Capital of Scotland Departure from Leeds occurred at 8am (saturday) at the train station. However, my roommate Yong and I were taking a bus as part of a tourist group called "Don't Be a Tourist". The group is essentially a bunch of international student who want to partake in overnight, weekend trips to different parts of the UK. It is an easy way to get out and meet more international students living in your area.
The bus ride was probably close to five hours as we drove from Leeds to Edinburgh. On the way, we stopped and took a picture of the Angel of the North in Gate head. A massive metal statue of and Angel with outspread arms/wings.
Then we hopped back on the bus and continued to Edinburgh. Immediately after arrival, we checked into our hostel, Budget Backpackers. The hostel slept 8 people to a room and was generally very clean with sheets, bedding, a warm shower, and breakfast provided.
So we locked up our belongings and then hit the streets. We ventured down an adjacent street named Grassmarket. As we walked, we marveled at the city. It had a
very antiquated feel. Everything seemed old...in a good way. The city was clean in general and busy with people and tourists alike. We soon met up with our authentic Scottish tour guide, Kevin. Being a native of Scotland, he was VERY informative. He took us up and down many streets including Grassmarket and the Royal Mile, which leads to Edinburgh Castle. The city is very picturesque and has a deep and storied history. Much of has to do with haunting/spooky stories. The graveyard is said to be haunted. Some areas are actually closed of to the public, as demanded by Edinburgh Parliament in the last decade, because of unexplainable occurences. These occurences include faintings and becoming ill for no apparent reasons when going to the grounds.
The Greyfriers church was named after a loyal dog who went to his masters grave daily to pay respects. This story is told to everyone who comes, and a pub and statue of the dog is the result.
Later, in the night we made it to the Royal Mile where tartan patterns kilts and bag pipes were a common occurrence. At the end of the Royal Mile, we reached the Castle and
took many admiring pictures. However, we did not enter due to it being closed and costing 10 pounds to enter. The Castle is astonishing as it was the residence of the Scottish royalty for centuries, is well placed, and towers over the rest of the city. Views from the Castle ramp were incredible.
Finally, we got back on the Royal Mile entered a pub and watched a rugby match as it was time of the year for the six nations tourney (which includes Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, France, and Italy). The rugby match was intense and fun to watch. It was the first rugby match I had ever watched. A very interesting game it is. Kinda like a mix of soccer and football. At the pub we ordered a traditional dish...haggis. Haggis is sheeps heart, liver, and lungs. It is boiled and then minced very fine and mixed with a variety of spices. The taste was not bad at all and it was served with neeps and tatties (yellow turnips and potatoes).
Later on in the night, we caught up with a majority of the group at the Albanach. The Albanach was a bar serving over 100 different
types of Scotch. Scotch = scottish whiskey. I tried two different kinds, each going down very smooth and having uniquely different taste. Then we chatted up with friends and locals alike. Even later, we split from the Albanach and went to some bar/clubs down the street called Frankenstein and Espionage.
Finally, we hit the sack around 1am. Wake up time the next day occurred at 8:30am so we would be all packed up and ready for the hike up Arthur's Seat, an extinct Volcano overlooking the entire city. The hike was both fun and perilous. Reaching the top was the pinnacle of the trip because it was a rewarding experience with amazing views of the landscape and city. We made it up and down the seat in about an hour and a half. With our remaining time in the city, we dined at a student pub and made it to the Edinburgh Museum. The museum gave the entire history of Scotland from land formation to present day. A pretty exhausting experience after hiking a volcano. Note to self...do museum first!!! Overall, it was a very informative and well laid out museum. Plus it was Free.
Finally, before boarding
the bus, I gave in and bought a tartan patterned scarf and mug. Both have proven to be very useful as they are used on a daily basis.
Finally, we hopped back on the bus and arrived back in Leeds around 7.30pm on Sunday.
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