End of London Stress Madness pre-amble (also check last london post for a few more pics): On the 5th we decide we have "just enough time" for a special meal before we caught our train, so we sit down at a hoity-toity Indian place, where the menu informs us that, " Guests may be asked to leave at any time for no reason." We are subtly but persistently made to feel as though this was directed at us. The service is so slow "for our kind" (unpressed pants, american-like accents, too many bags?...), that we head back to our hostel to collect our bags from the baggage room a little flustered. We head up to Overzealous Night Manager's desk only to be informed that there are no bags at all in the luggage room..............................................................................................................................but of course what feels like ten minutes later he lets on that it's just an HILARIOUS joke! So we hustle and bustle to the station, quite nervous at this point with the realization that we only have 45 minutes to deal with the Tube AND find our bus (if you've ever taken london transportation you'll understand). We pick out what we think is the right train, ask TWO people to confirm that its heading to Victoria Station, only to have it go out of service two stops later on the wrong line. Things were starting to look pretty seriously daaaaaannnnnggg by this point: 20 minutes to head back to our original station, find the right train, get to Victoria, and find the bus. As Lins mentioned, this story ends as all such stories do... performing bus schedule calculus while staring up at the big sign to figure out our platform.... squinting confusedly at signs pointing on ambiguous diagonals to try to find the bus station (it's in the ceiling?).... and finally sprinting and panting with all our bags flapping (and who-knows-what faling out) to arrive just on time. The bus may have been filled with obnoxious drunken kids who managed to lock themselves in the bathroom and pass out, but we were still most pleased to be on it. And now we're in....
Ed-in-butta!!
Edinburgh is more relaxing than London, and quirkily charming. Particularly noteworthy:
- love of 90s music: we've heard loads of Alanis, REM, vintage Greenday, that Semi-Tone kind of life song.... And not just in the background... at open mics, on people's ipods.
- big boots, pleated dresses
- thistle themes (have some pics to post next time!)
- veggie burgers= piles of beanslop on a bun
- old-fashioned "sky-scrapers".... the architecture here is a weird combination of oldschool materials and today's go big or go home attitude. There are lots of fun creepy nooks to explore.
I read in the blurb for the ghost tour that Lins and I took that there are active witch covens at work in Edinburgh, and I had visions of making wiccan friends that would show us underground historical sites, druid circles, and ocean bonfires unbeknownst to other tourists, but no luck finding them yet. A girl at the hostel checkout counter had a pentagram on, but they are kind of fashionable here, and the temple they had on the ghost tour looked LAME. If anyone wants to look into contacts/events for me in Wales or Ireland (since my net time is limited), please do, and I'll reward you with pictures and tales of occult yore. Oh, the yore!
Home sweet hostel
Apr. 6th: Julia's Great Journey I've got lunch, my insoles, my writing book... and I'm off up that big hill I'd been admiring from afar-
- only to realize 45 minutes later that I'd actually scaled a smaller, less impressive hill. The hill I was SUPPOSED climb is pictured below, from the exact point where I realized my mistake. Those familiar with my navigational skills will not be surprised.
When you get lost as often as I do, you can't afford to be a quitter. On the way over to the REAL hill, I passed by the parliament (I think). I remember hearing that these odd little structures are "thinking pods" so that politicians can look out and reflect and gather wisdom.
The journey begins! (again)
The parliament buildings from higher up.
Edinburgh Castle.
So much steepness ahead... and I've already walked so far!
The epic forces of time and geology unite in a beautiful celebration of... the macarena.
So many steep steps... sheesh.
Triumph! (yes, that is a slightly higher peak in my background, but doesn't it look overcrowded and over-rated?)
Modest lunch, grand view
If you're about to reach for a sensible bottle of water before your massive hike, and a little voice in your head says, "Oh, but "Sarsaparilla" sounds so FUN!"... that voice is NOT your friend. What IS Sarsaparilla?
I came across a very poorly maintained cemetery that sort of disintegrated into a half-cemetery half-forest in the back, which I explored for signs of witchcraft.
It felt like the sort of place where a tourist might get eaten by a cur-sed tree.
Aw.
You know it!
- only to realize 45 minutes later that I'd actually scaled a smaller, less impressive hill. The hill I was SUPPOSED climb is pictured below, from the exact point where I realized my mistake. Those familiar with my navigational skills will not be surprised.
When you get lost as often as I do, you can't afford to be a quitter. On the way over to the REAL hill, I passed by the parliament (I think). I remember hearing that these odd little structures are "thinking pods" so that politicians can look out and reflect and gather wisdom. 
The journey begins! (again)
The parliament buildings from higher up.
Edinburgh Castle.
So much steepness ahead... and I've already walked so far!
The epic forces of time and geology unite in a beautiful celebration of... the macarena.
So many steep steps... sheesh. 
Triumph! (yes, that is a slightly higher peak in my background, but doesn't it look overcrowded and over-rated?) 
Modest lunch, grand view
If you're about to reach for a sensible bottle of water before your massive hike, and a little voice in your head says, "Oh, but "Sarsaparilla" sounds so FUN!"... that voice is NOT your friend. What IS Sarsaparilla?
I came across a very poorly maintained cemetery that sort of disintegrated into a half-cemetery half-forest in the back, which I explored for signs of witchcraft. 
It felt like the sort of place where a tourist might get eaten by a cur-sed tree.
Aw.
You know it!
1 comment:
What a great Hike! Going up the wrong hills and packing an all-fruit lunch? Your personality shows in every little action, in every country.
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