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Scotland 5: Day 54

04.23.16 | Edinburgh Flat | 16:44

On High Street, across from St. Giles’ Cathedral sits a man who makes his living by selling pictures that he’s taken. When I was here a few weeks back, I glanced at some of his work and was really impressed. I told him that I didn’t have any cash on me and said I’d think about coming back to buy one in the future. A few days later, I’d left Edinburgh, having forgotten all about this interaction. This morning I randomly thought about the guy and decided I did, indeed want to buy one of his pictures. This was the one I’d seen of Victoria’s Street, a road that winds down from next to High Street, to Grassmarket.

I made my way up the street a few minutes ago and saw the same guy selling his pictures in the same spot. I approached him to say hello and look through his photos again. I reminded him of who I was and that we’d met a few weeks back. He didn’t seem to have any recollection of me. He told me that people often say that same thing that I did, or that they’ll have to think about the purchase and come back later. They’re really not interested, but they don’t want to hurt his feelings.

I told him that I wasn’t one of “those people” and the only reason I’d walked up the hill was to buy his picture of Victoria’s Street. He smiled and thanked me. When I was looking through his pictures, I saw the one I was interested in but kept looking. Underneath a few others was a different picture of Victoria’s Street- and this one I actually liked better than the first one. Score!

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He actually had a bunch of other pictures that I really liked. Someday I may come back and buy another from him. I hope his business keeps so he’s here when I come back to Edinburgh in the future. I will drop my new picture in the post before I leave in a couple days. I can’t wait to hang it on the wall at home. I think I’ll have a nice frame made for it.

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Scotland 5: Day 53

04.22.16 | Edinburgh Flat | 21:39

Today was filled with French undertones. What does that mean? I decided to go see a matinee of the movie Bastille Day, which takes place in Paris. It was a great flik! Lots of action! Here’s the trailer:

My dinner was at a nearby French restaurant. By “nearby”, I mean it’s literally across the street and about 4 doors down. I wanted a change of menu because it seems like all these restaurants are serving the exact same thing. I wasn’t in the mood for Chinese food or a curry, and after last night’s pizza, I thought I needed something a little more balanced. So- French it is!

The food was good, but here is my complaints: First of all, it was expensive, even for British standards. If you’re going to charge me that much, you need to possibly put more food on the plate? I guess that’s not the way they do it in France though. I ordered some kind of cheese soufflé for a starter, the main course was some kind of pork dish, and some crème brûlée for dessert.

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My other complaint (I’ve complained about this before) is that I HATE it when restaurants add the gratuity automatically. That is the most annoying thing about eating out! There’s reason it’s called gratuity… it’s ME SHOWING THAT I WANT TO SAY “YOU DID A GOOD JOB” BY GIVING MY SERVER MORE MONEY at the end of the meal. Don’t assume you deserve more money for yourself. The good news is that I would have actually tipped more than they added to the bill. But instead of having them change it, I just went with the 10% they added. Their loss. This was surprising, especially since tipping is not as common as it is in the states.

Tonight I’m staying in. I had my heart set on going to find some karaoke or some kind of dance club but I’m currently without pants. Haha! So- I needed to wash some of my shirts and pants, and I dropped them off at a place that does a laundry service, not thinking. I don’t think it’s too cold to be in shorts outside tonight, but I don’t want to be “that guy who showed up to the club in his shorts”. The struggle is real, people!

I think I’m just going to chill here in the flat. Maybe I’ll even go to bed early, which I haven’t really done since I got back to the city. They say that rest is a good thing, perhaps I’ll try it out and let you know.

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Scotland 5: Day 52

04.21.16 | Edinburgh Flat | 23:23

Tonight I needed to walk up The Royal Mile again. This city haunts me- it’s incredible! The more I learn about it, the more I want to learn. I’m already missing this place, even though I haven’t left yet. I just couldn’t stay inside. I had to walk around and take some more pictures of these buildings at night.

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Scotland 5: Day 51
 04.20.16 | Edinburgh Flat | 23:00
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You know that freaky feeling you get when you’re watching the movie Mary Poppins? It’s the feeling that comes when Dick Van Dyke is singing Chim Chim Cher-ee. The song starts out fast and upbeat, then it comes to the instrumental part. The music slows down and it’s almost spooky. He looks as if he’s lost in thought, as he looks out across the rooftops of London. This song lyric brings me this feeling I can’t describe.

…Up Where The Smoke Is All Billered And Curled
‘Tween Pavement And Stars Is The Chimney Sweep’s World
When There’s ‘Ardly No Day, Nor ‘Ardly No Night
There’s Things ‘Alf In Shadow And ‘Alfway In Light
On The Rooftops Of London – Coo – What A Sight!

That is how I felt tonight. I climbed the stairs to the top of the flat. Up two more floors and onto the roof. It was almost spooky to be up there by myself, silent and still. To look across at the rooftops of Edinburgh. It sent chills up and down my back, and as I write this, again- chills up and down my back.

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Scotland 5: Day 50

04.19.16 | Edinburgh Flat | 19:12

This is crazy! I have been over here for 50 days! I am by far the coolest person you know, would like to know, or will ever know (take your pick). This morning I took a walk down The Royal Mile and found a great little tea shop for breakfast. I think it’s called “Clarinda’s”. The place looks like you’re visiting grandma’s house. It was brilliant!

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After breakfast, it was a hike up Arthur’s Seat again. As you can tell, I’m trying very hard to make this strenuous climb part of my daily tradition while I’m here. When I reached the top, it dawned on me that I’d left my camera at the teahouse, so you don’t get pics from the top today. When I got back, the greeter was holding my camera and smiling at me. I told her this was a not-very-uncommon occurrence. I am better than I used to be, though.

Dinner note: I really like the restaurant Pret A Manger. I’m not sure how the name is pronounced. I had this early in the trip when I was in Glasgow. Fresh sandwiches made every day- nothing is ever frozen or even refrigerated. No preservatives and they’re pretty environmentally conscious. Good fresh sandwiches. I make no money by sharing this information, unfortunately.

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Scotland 5: Day 49

04.18.16 | Edinburgh Flat | 21:02

The walk to the Stornoway airport was very windy! I’m surprised that with my huge backpack, I wasn’t pushed over several times. Sometimes I would have to stop walking for a moment and simply plant my feet. I certainly didn’t want to be pushed into traffic, not that there was a whole lot of that.

When I got to the airport, I had about seven hours to kill. My flight to Edinburgh wasn’t leaving until 18:35 and since I had to be checked out of the hotel long before that, I really didn’t have much of an option. The trek from downtown to the airport was about 2 ½ miles. When I arrived, I walked up to the gentleman at the Flybe ticket counter to ask if there was an earlier flight to EDI, and if so, how much it would cost to change. The gentleman told me that there wasn’t, but I could switch to an earlier Glasgow flight and then get on a train or bus from there. The change wasn’t very expensive, so this is what I decided to do. This move put me into Edinburgh about 5 hours earlier than I’d expected!

 

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The good news is that I’m now back in the city I love most. The bad news is that this will be my last stop in Scotland before its time to come home. I’m not going to think of that right now, though. More good news: For this last part of the trip I’m renting a flat in Old Town, just half a block off The Royal Mile. I found a really great deal through AirBnB. It is pretty much the supreme location! The only reason I can afford it is because it’s still the off-season, so things are cheaper.

I say this is my last stop in Scotland but I’m taking the scenic route home. To find out how I’m getting home next week, you’re just going to have to read it on this site next week. I’ll just say- I won’t be flying in a straight line, and a trip to Western Europe wouldn’t be the same without getting to see an old, dear friend.

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Scotland 5: Day 48

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04.17.16 | Stornoway, Scotland | 08:19

I’m feeling great again- all systems are “go.” I joked yesterday about the day is “a day of reflection.” All joking aside, that is what today is going to be about. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stay all day indoors, however. We’ll see what happens- I just need the rain to stop.

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The rainy weather seemed to have finished up for the morning, so I walked over to see Lews Castle. It was a nice little walk, and it felt good to stretch my legs for a bit, especially being cooped up here for most of the day yesterday. About the time I was finished, it started to rain again. I thought it was best to come back to the hotel and wait it out for a few minutes. Little did I know it wasn’t going to let up anytime soon. I did manage to get a few good pictures on my walk, however. Such a cute little city!

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Scotland 5: Day 47

04.16.16 | Stornoway Hotel | 19:34

Today I felt somewhat sick. I guess I had an off-day. This is what I think was the rest of that motion sickness from the ferry ride yesterday. I got a really late start and even when I felt up to leaving the room, it was so cold outside! I decided that the day was going to be a “day of reflection”. Translation: I watched movies and stayed in my hotel room.

I know that is pathetic- I can hear a bunch of my friends saying stuff like- Really? You’re in Scotland and you’re staying indoors? I literally stressed yesterday, worried about what friends would think, then it dawned on me that this is not only a sight-seeing trip, but it is my vacation. Relaxing is part of a vacation as well. Then it also dawned on me that I don’t really have to answer to anyone. Peace at last.

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Scotland 5: Day 46

04.15.16 | Ullapool to Stornoway Ferry | 11:10

As I was waiting for the ferry terminal to open up, it actually started snowing a little bit. I had heard a couple talking yesterday in Ullapool, discussing that there was a cold front being pushed down from the arctic. But snow? I thought it was only in American that there were snow showers in April. Thankfully the terminal was soon open and I was able to wait inside, out of the cold.

I’ve been talking to this guy who is on his way back home to Stornoway. He’s been on the mainland traveling on holiday. He’s got his motorcycle helmet and wearing leather pants. Someday I hope to be awesome like he is. Confession: I have wanted leather pants ever since college. Maybe I’ll just get some awesome chaps. That would be rad.

This is so beautiful! So many little sheep farms, the sheep dotting the shoreline. It boggles my mind that people still inhabit places so extremely rural! I could do it, but I would require access to either a local Sam’s Club or a Costco.

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I think I got a bit of motion sickness on today’s journey. I was chatting with a guy and not paying attention to the movement of the ferry on the choppy water. I had ordered a burger from the kitchen and after taking two bites, I wasn’t having it. It tasted good, but my stomach started to ache. This is something I have rarely felt in my life, since I pretty much spent my growing up summers in the back seat of one vehicle or another, riding from Arizona to South Carolina and then back again. I thought I couldn’t get motion sickness by this point. I hope it calms in the night and I am ready to go tomorrow.

My hotel was extremely easy to find, as it is located just over a block from the ferry terminal. When I asked the customer service representative at the terminal, all she did was point. That was all the direction I needed. Since I couldn’t find any hostels available in town when I’d checked the internet, a hotel will have to do.

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Scotland 5: Day 45

04.14.16 | Ullapool Hostel | 20:05

Late last night I jumped on the internet to look for deals, hoping to find a different hostel here in Ullapool. It was frustrating to learn that this is the only hostel that I can find online and for me to move to a hotel or a B&B, I’d have to fork out a whole lot of money that I really didn’t want to fork out. I decided that the best thing for me to do would be to forget about it. I’m excellent at moving on when needed.

Thank goodness today was absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. It was only partly cloudy (well more cloudy than not, but at least it wasn’t raining) and as the day progressed it just kept getting nicer. It was a short-sleeve shirt kind of day. I decided to follow the coastline of Loch Broom in a northwest direction toward the ocean. This was another beautiful walk! I walked slow, listening to podcasts and ended up wandering for about 2 ½ hours.

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When I got back into Ullapool, I still had some time to kill so I found a chippy and afterward ended up sitting and chatting with a bunch of elderly ladies in a teahouse. This particular teahouse is owned and operated by a couple who are originally from Australia. They are incredibly sweet and funny!

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Soon we were joined by a group of 8 ladies from Paisley, Scotland who are members of a walking club. We chatted about everything under the sun! They were also a delight! More elderly ladies joined us and pretty soon this little teahouse was filled. I can’t begin to describe how much I love flirting with old ladies! It’s hilarious- they get a kick out of it and even though they know I’m joking, they totally appreciate it and flirt right back! This is something I learned to love to do at work.

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Tonight the hostel is so quiet. It looks like the only guests here are myself and a French family. They seem nice and are if I understood their accent, they’re from somewhere in the middle of the France. I told them I had only been to Paris, and that was years ago. It would be great to explore more of their country!

I just finished up doing my laundry. Tomorrow I’m off to my second-to-last destination.

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