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.
Today I’m hanging out in the crashpad. I have two days off of work, but decided that wasn’t enough time to go home and get very much accomplished. That will happen sometime next week, after my next work trip. I will be filing my taxes (hoping for a big refund), visiting the D.M.V. (I hope the punishment for losing your driver license isn’t harsh in the state of Utah), packing bags for vacation, among other things.
The countdown to Scotland 7 has begun! Who and I kidding- I’ve been counting down since somewhere around September of last year. Here’s how you know you love a place and a people: I’ve already started to jot down ideas for Scotland 8, which won’t even happen until 2020. I was hoping to include some of my family members the next time, but people are busy with their own lives and goings on. I understand, though. I’ve learned that I can go on these trips by myself and enjoy every minute… most of the time, that’s actually my preference.
My originally plan after Scotland 7 was to head down and see Greece for the first time (number 45 on the bucket list). I don’t think this is going to happen, however. I just have had too many bills and expenses lately, and have had to focus on that. Perhaps it can happen later in the year, but we’ll see. This makes me sad, because my dear friend Dawn (a.k.a. MommaDawn) said she was interested in that portion of the journey. It would be amazing if she’d actually take a vacation- one where you turn off your phone for at least a week.
DavTravels 