The Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel turned out to be a great option considering its cheap price and fantastic location. The other people in our rooms turned out to be very nice (what little we got to know of them--we didn't spend much time there), but man, the nights are rough there. On Saturday night I think I finally fell asleep somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 a.m. in the midst of a man snoring in the bunk above me and a domestic fight on the street below. Needless to say, we were all pretty psyched to return to our super nice single rooms with bathrooms here at Lincoln last night.
We never got lunch on Friday because we thought the train would arrive earlier, so by the time we dropped our stuff at the hostel, it was 6 p.m. and we were starving. We grabbed a yummy dinner at an European chain called Bella Italia and then wandered our way down the Royal Mile to the Queen's palace and the tower where Mary, Queen of Scots was held for years. Pretty cool. We stopped for drinks at the Tolbooth Tavern (supposedly haunted), looped back near New Town for some pretty views of the skyline at night, and then hit the beds hard around 11:30.
On Saturday morning, we hiked up to Arthur's Seat. This is definitely THE thing to do in Edinburgh...simply stunning. I met a bunch of UVA students at the top, too--we did a little WahooWa cheer for good times sake. The only thing that made me a little sad is when they asked me what year I was; I answered "03." One of them said, in such a kind way, "Oh, that's way before our time." That and all of the drunken hen parties at 9 a.m. made me feel old-ha! Check out the video of us at the top:
We headed to Sainbury's, our favorite local grocery store in the U.K., to grab some treats for a picnic lunch (hummus, anyone? we looove it!), which we enjoyed in a cute park in New Town. A walk around the upscale shopping district and lots more hens and stags rounded out our afternoon. We headed back to the hostel to shower and regroup for the evening.
Saturday night started with a scotch tasting. Lucky for us, we befriended a man at Whiskies who offered to pay for us if we took a picture with him. One picture turned into a whole photo shoot inside the bar, but hey, we got to try several types of scotch from around the country for free. We then tried to get a table at this swanky vegetarian restuarant in town, but the waiting list was days long (literally), so plan B was to check out The Outsider, which turned out to be PERFECT. We enjoyed a relaxing, delicious dinner in a beautiful restaurant in the heart of the city. The bread before dinner was also super yummy--a plus! After dinner we checked out Biblios, an adorable bar that looks like a library, and shared some Pimm's (the national drink) and then moved on to a couple of clubs with the intention of going dancing...but, once again, the stags and hens were out in full force. I have never seen so many dummy dolls, antlers, and pageant sashes before in my life. What cracked us up was the fact that these groups were mainly comprised of the bride's/groom's friends, parents, grandparents, and other older family friends. At one point, I turned around on the dance floor only to see a woman who must have been 60 chugging a beer and hiking up her skirt as she danced along to a 90's rap song. We laughed at it for awhile, but the heat in the clubs (they were packed) finally got to us and we headed home around 1 a.m. The grandmother was still going as I left...
Sunday was spent walking up to the Edinburgh Castle and then buying a few Scottish things: blankets, scarfs, kilts (just kidding--no one got a kilt). Another lunch in the park and we were back on the train to Oxford. This time we snagged a set of four seats around a table and thoroughly enjoyed our time together on the train, reading and laughing and sharing stories. I think that is what I will most remember about Edinburgh--not the sights, but the fantastic three women I shared the experience with who made me laugh and think and enjoy myself all weekend long. Bread Loaf is a long five years, but when you have some special friends to share it with, it can be a gift of a summer enrichment experience. Annie, Ali, Jessie, and I have been through BL together for the most part, so it seemed fitting to share this final adventure with them. Good times!
We never got lunch on Friday because we thought the train would arrive earlier, so by the time we dropped our stuff at the hostel, it was 6 p.m. and we were starving. We grabbed a yummy dinner at an European chain called Bella Italia and then wandered our way down the Royal Mile to the Queen's palace and the tower where Mary, Queen of Scots was held for years. Pretty cool. We stopped for drinks at the Tolbooth Tavern (supposedly haunted), looped back near New Town for some pretty views of the skyline at night, and then hit the beds hard around 11:30.
On Saturday morning, we hiked up to Arthur's Seat. This is definitely THE thing to do in Edinburgh...simply stunning. I met a bunch of UVA students at the top, too--we did a little WahooWa cheer for good times sake. The only thing that made me a little sad is when they asked me what year I was; I answered "03." One of them said, in such a kind way, "Oh, that's way before our time." That and all of the drunken hen parties at 9 a.m. made me feel old-ha! Check out the video of us at the top:
We headed to Sainbury's, our favorite local grocery store in the U.K., to grab some treats for a picnic lunch (hummus, anyone? we looove it!), which we enjoyed in a cute park in New Town. A walk around the upscale shopping district and lots more hens and stags rounded out our afternoon. We headed back to the hostel to shower and regroup for the evening.
Saturday night started with a scotch tasting. Lucky for us, we befriended a man at Whiskies who offered to pay for us if we took a picture with him. One picture turned into a whole photo shoot inside the bar, but hey, we got to try several types of scotch from around the country for free. We then tried to get a table at this swanky vegetarian restuarant in town, but the waiting list was days long (literally), so plan B was to check out The Outsider, which turned out to be PERFECT. We enjoyed a relaxing, delicious dinner in a beautiful restaurant in the heart of the city. The bread before dinner was also super yummy--a plus! After dinner we checked out Biblios, an adorable bar that looks like a library, and shared some Pimm's (the national drink) and then moved on to a couple of clubs with the intention of going dancing...but, once again, the stags and hens were out in full force. I have never seen so many dummy dolls, antlers, and pageant sashes before in my life. What cracked us up was the fact that these groups were mainly comprised of the bride's/groom's friends, parents, grandparents, and other older family friends. At one point, I turned around on the dance floor only to see a woman who must have been 60 chugging a beer and hiking up her skirt as she danced along to a 90's rap song. We laughed at it for awhile, but the heat in the clubs (they were packed) finally got to us and we headed home around 1 a.m. The grandmother was still going as I left...
Sunday was spent walking up to the Edinburgh Castle and then buying a few Scottish things: blankets, scarfs, kilts (just kidding--no one got a kilt). Another lunch in the park and we were back on the train to Oxford. This time we snagged a set of four seats around a table and thoroughly enjoyed our time together on the train, reading and laughing and sharing stories. I think that is what I will most remember about Edinburgh--not the sights, but the fantastic three women I shared the experience with who made me laugh and think and enjoy myself all weekend long. Bread Loaf is a long five years, but when you have some special friends to share it with, it can be a gift of a summer enrichment experience. Annie, Ali, Jessie, and I have been through BL together for the most part, so it seemed fitting to share this final adventure with them. Good times!
1 comment:
Sara, this video is great! I loved this entry and was so happy to have this trip with you. xoxo.
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