Begerk!!

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I met a random stranger last night (well, not that random, I s'pose... she is a fellow couchsurfer) and she just happens to be the coolest person in Edinburgh! I spent most of yesterday wandering aimlessly up and down the Royal Mile- a road in the middle of the old part of town leading to the castle, lined with hunreds of ancient imposing gothic buildings.

That in itself was pretty incredible, but then at about 5 o'clock I got a text message from a strange number asking if I wanted to go for a drink. Not having anything to do or anywhere to go for the next few hours, I agreed and went and waited in a pub and read my book (I'll be so glad to finish that bloody thing, but anyway...).

Then out of the blue appeared Dre- a 22 year old, hyperactive Saggi' with a mean sense of humour and an obsession with her dog. We had an instant rapport and skipped out introductions and 'so,-what-do-you-do's to launch straight into stupid daggy jokes and tales of our bizarre personal lives!

Later on she took me on a 'pub-tour' of Edinburgh starting with 'The Most Haunted Pub' in the city- which goes way underground into a labyrinth of all of these ancient vaults, then to a jazz bar aptly named 'Jazz Bar' that plays (REALLY GOOD) live jazz 7 NIGHTS a WEEK! AND they have a Jazz open mic on Mondays! After getting off on the really good soprano sax they had playing there, we went to The Brass Monkey where an entire room is just one big bed with blankets and pillows and a big screen playing movies all day, then finally to a folk bar where an old Scottish dude with a guitar started a session of folk tunes and was joined by me on uke and a guy with a blues harp. The craic was mighty!

So after many beers and a wicked introduction to Edinburgh night life we went and busked in a park and I couchsurfed at hers for the night! So there ya go! One completely random evening later and I've got me a new (crazy) friend just as good as the ones back home 😊

...on the matter of where I will sleep tonight, however, I'd better go and organise something now!

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Photos

Dre
'aint she purdy? :P