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Published: June 22nd 2009
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Edinburgh feels like a home to me. As soon as I had I arrived I felt I belonged to this city and confidently walked the streets. Not only is this a beautiful city but it is small and you can easily hoof it just about anywhere. So far I average about 10 miles a day on foot exploring, people watching, and discovering.
The hostel I am staying it is located in a posh area fifteen minutes walk from the city center and is in an old cathedral that has been converted into a hostel in the 90s. It is called Belford and while the noise is bothersome because most the rooms do not have ceilings the staff are friendly and helpful.
In my wanderings I have seen castles, cathedrals, the Queen’s gardens, hidden streets with oasis of foliage and flowers, men in beautiful kilts, and enormous hills covered in grasses that move like the ocean in a breeze. Edinburgh is breath taking and I am glad I made the jump from Prague to Scotland, it has been worth it so far.
I arrived at my hostel, Belford, easily enough and got to know some of the people staying there. Most of
the staff were travelers themselves and wound up staying and working in the hostel for room and board so as to find a job nearby. I made friends with some of the workers and with two of the girls staying in my room. The first night we all went out together to several popular hot spots. The first bar was called The Tron and had pints for a pound, the second bar was called Opium and was well suited for a punk rock crowd. The evening was the usual: drinks, talk, and banter. It ended with a long trek back to the hostel and a quick retreat to much needed sleep.
The days that have followed have been filled with my meandering. I went to see the art at the National Gallery. There they had everything from Scottish of heather covered landscapes to paintings by Monet. For a small gallery it was very diverse and had much to offer.
That same day I saw the Caledonian band bang out Scottish tunes on massive drums and squeeze the enchanting music from the bag pipes. The men looked like they had walked right off the moors and wore rough kilts with animal
skins hanging from their belts; some had long hair and beards, and sinewy arms covered in Celtic tattoos. They were a sight to be seen and their music drew hundreds of people off the street. I enjoyed myself immensely and watched them perform for the better part of half an hour. Soon I moved on to wander into the Old City and wonder at the beautiful stone buildings on Princes Street and the Royal Mile.
One of my next visits was to Arthur Seat. Here on the outskirts of Edinburgh was a mountainous hill and crags that rose out of emerald green grasses to scrape against the low clouds and azure sky. It took an hour to reach the hills and then another two to climb and wander around them. With every step I told myself that rest would only come when I reached the highest point and that I could sit down then. I trudged on and stopped to take pictures and wonder at the beautiful view. I felt that I could see all of Edinburgh and continued to climb.
The winds were far more daunting than any height. I kept being pushed back by the force of the
gale and at times would kneel down to get my bearings and make sure all my clothing and gear was in place. But despite the high wind I enjoyed myself and followed after a few of the people I could see at the top and continued on my way. The highest hill had a winding rough staircase that I walked up within thirty minutes. I continued on across a flat area of the hill only to climb a narrow path up to the highest point. There were people my age crowded around small stone pillars to keep themselves sheltered from the wind. I sat at the tallest point with my back against one of these small pillars. I looked out over the landscape and could see the edges of the horizon fade into the clouds and the beginnings of the sea with glimpses of islands I did not no the names of. It was beautiful and I sighed to myself pleased that I had managed to reach the top and had not stopped until I did so. Just when I thought I could not take in any more of the beautiful view I turned around and behold, a rainbow shot
up out of the sea and into the low clouds in the sky. I so was bewildered and delighted that I turned to the other people and shouted for them to take and look, pointing at the arching beam of color. Everyone’s faces split into grins and cameras were removed from pockets as we hurriedly snapped photos of the phenomenon.
I continued to watch the rainbow until it had all but faded. That was my cue and I headed down the other side of the mountain to walk back into town. The trek was long and I was tire but I felt incredibly elated and refreshed. How can such beauty exist at once in a world that can be filled with such darkness? But I knew the answer and figured that you cannot have beauty or know beauty without first having known darkness and ugliness. You cannot have one without the other anymore than you can have day without night. It is part of the balance that is the natural world.
The rest of the first week I spent hanging out with different people from the hostel, seeking out pubs where locals played their folk songs and sharing beers with
strangers. One such night a few of us found a pub called the Royal Oak. A girl named Stephanie from Australia, a guy named Shin from China, and a Spaniard named Broja. There we listened to Scottish songs played on guitar and warbling voices declaring war and love. We knew some of the lyrics and joined in with the crowd, singing along to some of the chorus’s. One of the guitar players heard me sing and soon I found myself in a room full of strangers singing American folk songs I could remember. They Scots were delighted and an old man insisted I had 35 marriage proposals from one side of the room.
It was great to not only be a part of a local scene but to exchange songs and stories across cultural boundaries that dissolved with a pint and a smile. After all we are all just people in a huge global community and all people love good stories and beautiful music.
I fell in love with this city the moment I started walking through it but my first week seemed to lure me in even more and it is safe to say that one day I hope
to come back to Edinburgh and live here. But until then I have one more week here and plan to see some more of Scotland.
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Gillian
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I'm not surprised you feel that way about Edinburgh. It is one of a very few cities that I have said I would live in. I too loved Edinburgh! I visited years ago with my father; Charles MacDonald Brown, now that's a good Scottish name! There is a fabulous zoo, you should go! Hugs, G