Live in Edinburgh

I woke up at around 3:30ish this morning to take a cold shower (had no choice), pack my junk, and catch my cab to the airport. I arranged the cab the night before and so I was expecting it. When I walk out of the hostel doors I see the nice-looking old London Cab. I step inside. It has zebra patterned upholstery. Awesome! The ride to the airport was unusual. We had to drive up and over a big hill in this tiny car and through the fog. It was spooky. His headlights even started to flicker as we drove into the unknown. Sure enough we made it and I was able to get through the airport without any trouble. I did have to check my bag though.....frick'n easyJet and their 20 pound charge. Their bag bin to measure your bag couldn't even fit my laptop computer. But seriously, my bag fit snug in the thing and he still wouldn't let me carry it on. They are just reaching too far to make money. It's crazy.

For some reason I wasn't feeling to well when I got to the airport. Maybe I was just too tired. My stomach was killing me. I got on the place and we took off. I remember watching the plane take off and then next thing I remember is an announcement over the intercom saying that the stewardesses need to prepare for landing. I was out the ENTIRE flight. It was nice, but my stomach had felt worse. I made it to the bus and still felt sick. The whole ride it was bugging me. At one point I felt like I was going to produce some liquid laughter (or insert you own here). I will say that the ride into the city center was very nice. There were so many little B&Bs and some you could see had bars in them. It was pretty cool. I'd like to try one of these one day. The closer to the city center we got the more beautiful the view became. Even though my stomach hurt, I knew right away that I was going to like Edinburgh. The city is amazing! Gorgeous!

I found my hostel which is a tiny little castle looking thing. It even has armored knights along the stairways. It has four lounges and a kitchen for us to use. It has a pool table, a jukebox, some fireplaces, a piano, free Internet, and the best part....they'll wash, dry, and fold your laundry. Awesome! All the rooms have themes to them. I'm in the "Happy Days" room. All of the bunks have names too. I'm sleeping in Jenny Piccolo and Joanie is on top. Yuck! But, I'm right next to the Fonz and Richie so it's okay. I walked around and some of the other themed rooms (also with unique bunk names) there is: Lord of the Rings, Winnie the Pooh, The Matrix, The Underware Room, and the Virgin Room. I asked the lady at the desk what the bunk names were for the Virgin Room and she said, "There is Madonna, Mick Jagger, Ron Jeremy....." Awesome!

The Happy Days Room

By this time my stomach was feeling better. I decided to walk around. Edinburgh is incredible! There are little alley ways all over, old buildings, churches, etc. It's awesome! I found a spooky graveyard so I had to go look around....."Hmmm, I need to come back at night."

Spooky Graveyard

I walked on. The views are amazing and there are surprises around every turn. I walked through the Princess Street Gardens and then made my way to the Scott Monument. I had to climb up! The stairs of the monument were all spiral and narrow. It got so narrow at the top that I could barely fit. At the top I met a man who was born in Edinburgh, but he was living in Leeds. He said he was a Governor at the college. Not sure what that means, but he was super nice to talk with. I took a lot of photos at the top. One thing I forgot to mention is that ever since I arrived I could hear the faint sound of bagpipe music. At one point I thought, "Are they pumping this music through the sewer vents?" I honestly thought I was crazy and that it was just me with my overactive imagination. However, it wasn't. When I got the top of the monument I could hear the music clearer on one side over the other. I looked down. Sure enough I saw a guy in a kilt playing the bagpipes on the corner. You could hear this one guy from across town. Amazing! While I was up there he even played my favorite bagpipe song, "Amazing Grace". It sounds so beautiful on the bagpipes!

View of the Scott Monument from a Small Alley

The Melville Monument

Princess Street Gardens

View of Calton Hill

I walked all over, but I barely covered the town. There is this one street called, "Rose Street" that has a ton of pubs on it. I walked into a unique looking one. When I looked at the menu I knew what I had to have. Haggis! I had to try it at least once in my life. Well, that dish came out and it looked a little odd, but not bad. Smelled good. I tasted it and it's not too bad. Better than that pickled egg I had in Belfast. It was a big portion so it was a lot of haggis to eat. Not a dish I could have all the time, but it was still good. Not at all what I expected. I was expecting this gamey, ugly colored, piece of meat on my plate. It was almost like a stuffing. I ate the whole thing.

Haggis, Tatties and Neeps

A quote on the wall of the pub read: "Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. I liked it! Anyway, I had a coffee and planned out a few things. I got tired from walking around just due to my lack of sleep so I went back to the hostel to rest a while. My stomach is beginning to hurt again as well. Later tonight I'll talk to Jeff on Skype and talk about meeting up with him in Germany. I look forward to it. Then it is straight to bed because even now I am overly exhausted! Tomorrow I'll cover some more of the town. I seriously love this place!! I could live here! I'd retire in Dingle, but I'd live here!!!!!