For breakfast this morning, I returned to Mum’s. I have probably eaten at this restaurant more times over the years, than any other restaurant in Scotland. Not only is it a great location, but they serve delicious comfort food. The first time I visited Mum’s was back when it was called Monster Mash, but they changed to the new name back in 2010.
This afternoon, I took a walk up Calton Hill- this is an easy hike up the hill and offers a breathtaking view of Edinburgh, especially if you can get up there at night.
The guys and I decided to get Indian food for dinner since this is Drew’s favorite. We found a restaurant called Dishoom over on the New Town side. The food was so good (I’ll be back someday), and the service was impeccable!
Today I have to confess that I did not have an opportunity to climb up to Arthur’s Seat. I know I promised myself that I would do it every day, but I have a good excuse! You see, I had to check out of that first Airbnb by 10:00 and couldn’t check in to the new one until 14:00. So I had my colossal duffel bag/ backpack with me. Maybe that’s a trek that a Navy Seal could accomplish, but not this guy.
One thing I did do is have lunch at Oink with Orie. Picture a dead pig in a restaurant window, slowly being carved away until it’s completely consumed. If you recall, I’ve been here a few times over the years. P.E.T.A. would have a fit.
Two of my Canadian friends decided to join me for a few days, then we’ll part ways, only to return and travel together once more. We checked into the new place, and I have to say- I like the old apartment better. Also, the other place was tons cheaper. Nevertheless, this place is beautiful too.
It dawned on me that I am wearing out the one pair of shoes that I brought with me on this trip. I decided to do some shopping to find some more excellent shoes to wear when I go out at night or church. I won’t tweak you how much I ended up spending, but I will let you know that I love them!
Tonight we grabbed a quick dinner and went to see The Lion King at The Edinburgh Playhouse. This is where I saw Matilda last year.
This was a blast! I remembered years ago- I was on a layover in Philadelphia, and a coworker and I managed to score last-minute tickets to the same show! It was a great experience then and again tonight.
My second trek up Arthur’s Seat was a success. Orie, a guy I met in a hostel a few year ago, decided to join me. Yesterday was somewhat of a struggle, I had to stop several times on the way up. Today was slightly more comfortable- possible because someone was there to distract me.
Orie
Fish & Chips
I’m trying not to make this blog about my sleeping habits, but this is something with which I have been dealing. After getting a fish & chips for lunch, I went back to the house and crashed pretty hard.
I had a profound dream where I was back in the New Horizons show choir. This is the choir that I performed during my years at Utah State University.
The dream: I was with all my old classmates, and we were on a choir tour somewhere in Wyoming. It was time to fly back to Utah, and I didn’t realize that we were supposed to fly in our uniform. I was stressed out because I was the only one not in my blue sequins. Also, I started to cry because the choir director forgot my plane ticket.
When I woke from this dream, I had actual tears going down my face. I started laughing because, as reality came back, I realized how are odd this was.
For my dinner, I went to Wetherspoon and had bangers and mash- another popular dish here in the United Kingdom.
Probably the best start to my experience in Scotland would be a traditional Scottish or English breakfast. That is, without the black pudding!
Before I landed in Edinburgh, I set a goal to climb up Arthur’s seat each day, weather permitting. When I woke this morning, it seemed like the perfect day! It was chilly, probably in the upper 30s, but not a rain cloud in sight. I walked up the mountain, hoping this would be one of many trips up this time around.
I walked down to the cinema to see Jojo Rabbit. This film was a fun, amazing, and quirky look at the life of a German boy, growing up in WWII Germany. I hadn’t even seen the trailer when a friend suggested that I see it. I’ll be adding it to my library, once the price drops!
Dinner was the most delicious lasagne. I got it at Gordon’s- an Italian restaurant near an Airbnb, where I’d stayed a few years back. It was as amazing as I’d remembered!
I’m happy to report that I got about an hour of sleep. You may think this is not a significant accomplishment, but it, in fact, is. This is coming from a guy who can’t sleep on planes. It is such an uncomfortable sleeping position, even if I’m able to get the seatback reclined. How cool would it be to fly on a flatbed?
Upon landing at Gatwick, I had about two and a half hours to get from the south terminal to the north. I notticed when I was going through customs and passport control that Gatwick is doing it all automatically. You line up and make your way to this machine that scans your passport, and a camera looks at your own face to make sure they match. I had to do it a couple times since my new glasses look nothing like the glasses in my passport picture.
Now I am waiting for my third plane- this one will take me to Scotland! A Swedish lady just asked me for help finding her gate. Thank goodness for Google Translator! I took the time to explain that she hasn’t yet received a gate assignment and that she needed to check the monitor in about 10 more minutes. She thanked me, pretended to understand, and then left me- only to go ask another man the exact same thing.
London Gatwick
When he explained it, precisely as I had, she wandered off, I’m guessing so that she could ask a third person. I walked over to the man and told him that I had just told her the exact same thing that he had, but I’m guessing that she didn’t trust me.
The guy had an American accent, and he told me that he was from Chicago. I told him that I had been to Chicago for work, and we talked about pizza. This is a subject that I am fond of, what can I say? He told me that his name is Billy Branch and that he is in London singing. I googled him, and sure enough!
I have added one of his albums to my Apple Music and will check him out the next time I feel like listening to the Blues. He was very kind and great to chat with. This is what travel is all about: The lives you touch or are touched by along the journey.
Edinburgh, Scotland | 17:55
After traveling for over 24 hours, I really didn’t have the desire to deal with public transportation. It cost me £25 to get an Uber from the airport to the flat. Had I chose public transit, it probably would have cost me under £6, if I remember correctly. I didn’t have the strength, however. By this point, I really wanted a bed.
The problem I was faced with: I didn’t know how to get into the apartment. When I’d booked with AirBnb in the past, I’d receive a message from the owner/manager about 24 hours before check-in explaining how I get into the place. Usually, it’s a lockbox with a key, or there is a code on the door or something. This is my first time using Vrbo.com, and I received no such message.
After about 15 minutes on the phone with the property management company, I’m inside the most awesome little flat! Location is everything, and I have the most fantastic view of Edinburgh Castle! This place is up on the 4th floor (the 3rd floor, if you’re from this side of the pond), and there is no elevator in the building, so I get to lug my bags up the stairs. When I walk in, it’s totally worth it!
I’m so tired, but I need to go grab something to eat. I went to Pret and grabbed some soup and a sandwich, swing by Boots to grab some shampoo and body wash and head back. I’ll head out in the morning. I need food and sleep.
It’s time to start ‘Phase 2’ of this vacation, which I am going to mark with #Scotland 8! I’m excited to return to this place that I love so much, and every time I’ve visited over the years, I’ve found that I love it more and more. Back in 2017, Scotland was voted, ‘the worlds’ most beautiful county’! This doesn’t surprise me at all. I didn’t even take the survey, but I agree. It’s true, I haven’t been to a million different places, and sometimes you can’t compare apples and oranges, but I feel that nothing can match the beauty of Scotland!
I am sitting in the Salt Lake City International airport, waiting for my non-revenue flight to Los Angeles. When I left for Scotland two years ago, I asked my nephew, Sam, to crash at my place overnight, and then he drove me to the airport since I had an early flight. I decided I didn’t want to inconvenience him again last year.
This last year, I parked my car at my sister’s house, close to Park City. I loved this idea, having my family watch over my car while I was gone for such a long time. The only bad part was the fact that I had to get a Lyft from her house, all the way to the airport (like a good 40+ minute drive) and then from the airport back to her home when I got back. This was very expensive! Not to mention having to drive my car from her house, all the way to my house after having been awake for more than 24 hours! I basically saved no money by doing this.
This year, I decided that the best plan would be to leave my car at home. This way, it can be in my garage, out of the elements. I’m not saving any money by parking it all the way at my sister’s house, and she doesn’t have room to park it in her garage. It cost me $55 to get a Lyft to the airport, which is steep, but I’ve had plenty of time to prepare for this trip, financially.
My last few visits to Scotland, I have used my mobile phone freely. AT&T, my service provider, has decent coverage in most of the places I go, and a pretty competitive plan for international travel. It’s $9.99 plus tax for a rolling 24 hours of use. This gives me access to my mobile phone plan, which is unlimited data, talk, texting. It’s been a blessing not to have to watch my minutes or gigabytes. The only problem, however, is that this will add up to a whopping $609.39 plus tax by the time I return home.
This year, I have discovered Skyroam, which is a mobile wifi hotspot. The device looks like an orange hockey puck. You pay $179, and it offers a rate of $8.99 per rolling 24 hours if you buy it, or $9.99 per day if you decide to rent the device instead. This isn’t a savings over what AT&T offers me, but Skyroam also provides a rate of $99 per month for unlimited use! This is how I plan on saving some money abroad. Rather than paying the $609.39, I’ll be paying $377. I’ll let you know soon enough if it’s working throughout my travels.
I’m sitting in the B terminal at LAX. My flight doesn’t board for about an hour and doesn’t leave for about two hours. It took me a while to get through security- not only are there so many passengers in the line, but my bags had to run twice since I forgot to take my laptop out. I’m used to going through security in uniform, and when I do that, my computer doesn’t have to come out. My focus is on Scotland, not on safety- whoops!
The B Terminal at LAX
Before coming back through security, I walked down to In-N-Out Burger on Sepulveda. I enjoyed my double-double, animal style. It’s been a few weeks since I had a good burger, so this was a great lunch!
Double-Double, Animal Style
LAX-LGW | 21:22 (California Time)
Before boarding, I ran to a newsstand in the airport to purchase some chocolate for my flight crew. All I could find (within my budget) was some Hershey’s Nuggets, and even though I usually get something more decadent, this would have to do.
Thanks to this little token, they have been a fantastic crew, continually checking on me. They gave me a blanket, a pair of headphones, and a couple of bottles of water- they keep asking me if I’d like any snacks.
By the time my head hit my pillow last night, I was out. My body had been up, at that point, for 22+ hours. This is what happens when you ride the cheap seats: LGW > SEA > OAK > SLC. Shoutout to the most amazing Norwegian crew who brought me from Gatwick to Seattle. They made that 11-hour chunk of my journey, so nice! Again, I bribed my way into their hearts by bringing chocolates that I grabbed from the duty-free shop at the airport. It never hurts, people! I’m telling you it doesn’t!
I realized when I landed at SeaTac, that I had forgotten to factor in the time it would take me to get through international customs and then all the way to the ‘B’ gates to catch my second flight. Thank goodness for the Mobile Passport app that I have on my phone! This made it to where I could cut most of the people in the line. I almost don’t want to share this information, because the more that people know about this, the longer the line is going to be. At least this blog doesn’t have a whole lot of readers- let’s keep this information on the D.L.
After missing my train exit, and going to the wrong security line, I got to my gate with only moments to spare. Then I found out that not only was there room on the flight, but the plane was a few minutes delayed. For once, I was very thankful for a delayed flight! I was soon in Oakland, waiting for my last flight to Salt Lake City. Once again, there was plenty of space, so getting back to Utah wasn’t a problem.
Here are some lessons I have learned over the last 40 days:
Don’t bring a printed itinerary. It was a waste and I didn’t need it. From here on out, I will only use the TripIt App on my phone (check this out before you travel next time) and will keep a back up of all my confirmation information in an email folder.
Just about every business in Scotland will take a contactless payment, therefore I can use my Apple Pay everywhere! This gave me so much peace of mind since I didn’t have to give out my card number a million times. I learned to go to a reputable A.T.M. (like a major bank) and take out about £100 at a time, but only using that for places that wouldn’t take Apple Pay, or I would use that cash to tip servers, etc.
When booking trains/buses/transportation, factor in when I am allowed to check into my next lodging, that way I don’t have to lug around a heavy backpack while I’m waiting to check in. Some places will store a bag for me so that I can go out and explore, and some places will charge a fee for this.
Ok, I need to go get some things done before I return to work- no pressure, but there is only approximately 324 days until ‘Scotland 8’.
When I booked my return flight to the states, I thought I’d found a great way to save money! Instead of flying from Edinburgh to Salt Lake City, I found a great deal from London Gatwick all the way to Seattle. From there, I’ll just fly non-revenue to get home. Cheap flight, yes. The only things I forgot to factor in were the flight from Edinburgh to London (not too expensive), and the overnight stay in London (a bit more expensive).
Alas, here I am, sitting on my bed at the Masslink Guest House in Horley, England [map], which is probably about 45 minutes south of London. I was hoping to have more of a “London” experience, but I don’t want to board a bus and two trains to get there. Sadly, there was no afternoon tea with the Royals. Instead, I found a local Wetherspoon (I’ve eaten at this chain restaurant more times than I can count in the last month-and-a-half) and ordered some chicken and ribs.
I am so sad that my time here is almost over! I have had such a wonderful experience- Scotland is an amazing country, filled with amazing people! I feel incredibly blessed to be in a situation where I can make these trips. As always, it just lights the fire for more!
I figured out why Edinburgh has been so rainy over the last few days. This is Scotland crying, knowing that it’s almost time for me to leave. It’s sad when you come to a place that you love so much, and you have to go back to “reality”. It’s ok though- I need to go home and start working again. If for no other reason, it means I can start planning for my next visit. Everyone needs an obsession, and I guess I should be thankful that my obsession is a place and a people, but not drugs or alcohol. Thank you for not judging me too harshly.
The fact is, this is my last full day in Scotland. Much of it was spent waiting around. I had some errands to run- shopping for a friend back in Utah, running a couple of times to the Mail Boxes Etc. store on South Bridge. I’m not a huge souvenir shopper, but I did get a few things. I wanted to ship them home so I don’t have to pay extra money to the airline.
Also, I had to check in to a new hostel. The one I was staying at has a not-for-extended-stay policy, which means that I can’t stay there for more than two weeks in a row. Since this round of Edinburgh is two weeks plus one day, I went to their other location just down the street. It was rather annoying, but it gave me a chance to go through all my stuff and decide what ships home and what I need to carry home. Greetings from the Budget Backpackers (soon to be rebranded as “Kick-Ass Cowgate”.
I got the cheapest room available since it’s only for one night. I think there are twenty beds in this room, it’s mixed gender and it smells like a locker room, right after practice. I just think this is a stinky group of people. Definitely not as nice as the other Kick-Ass hostel that I just came from.
Tonight I went to see one more movie called The Keeper. This was a very touching story that takes place just at the end of World War II. A German P.O.W. is asked to play football while he’s in captivity, but then when he’s released he now loves the situation he is in… fell in love with an English girl- blah blah blah. The acting is the best, but it’s based on a true story, so there’s that.
I’m off to bed. I’m up early tomorrow to catch a plane down to Gatwick.
Today started out, just like yesterday: A misty sprinkle with thick fog. I made the mistake of going to find breakfast without taking my umbrella. By the time I got back to the hostel, I was soaking wet. Because of this, I spent most of the morning inside- I got some more reading done, and managed to get some of my things together so that I’m not running around tomorrow morning before I have to check out.
I stayed inside as long as I could, then I was starting to feel what I would call Cabin Fever. I just needed to get out, rain or shine. This time, with umbrella in hand, I made my way over to New Town and saw a matinee of The Hole in the Ground. The film was good, but I wanted it to be longer, and I wished they would have gone into more detail. I was so engrossed in the storyline- then suddenly it had ended.
On my way back to the hostel, the rain had stopped just long enough so I could take a few pictures of Cockburn Street (pronounced Co-Burn). Like Victoria Street, Cockburn winds it’s way up to the Royal Mile, but does so on the north side (Victoria on the south side), and is longer than Victoria Street.
DavTravels 