A foggy day in Scotland

Monday July 18, 2005

Edinburgh, Scotland

My flight from Bristol was delayed for three hours so I didn’t make it to Edinburgh till after midnight. It wasn’t such a good feeling being dropped off by the bus with a sizable luggage piece but I made my way to the hostel with some help from a friendly hotel employee. Not too long after arriving, I brought my stuff up to the room and fell fast asleep.

In the morning, I put on my warmest clothes and made my way to the Edinburgh Castle. I spent about 1 hour in line and $25 before I finally made it in. Apparently, the London bombings had everyone on high alert and as a result, everyone’s bags had to be checked. I purchased a prerecorded audio set to facilitate my way through the vast castle. After a few hours I was getting pretty tired of all the exhibits, monuments, statues, etc.

After leaving the castle, I went for some exploration along the Royal Mile. I eventually wandered into the Royal Scottish Museum but didn’t last long since I realized HOW EXHAUSTED I was. I went for a quick nap back in the hostel. Then, I made may back to the other side of the Royal Mile and into the House of Holyrood. To the side of the castlesque “house” was a moderate sized hill where I spent nearly two hours huffing and puffing my way up it. It was probably on this day that I realized something. Although I am fully capable of roaming the globe on my own, solitude has its limitations. After a while, you realize that you do need a companion, if only to feel their presence. I started feeling lonely and wished that I was in good company. Eventually though, it was time to have dinner (alone in a restaurant) and not too long thereafter, SLEEP.

Tue July 19 2005

Edinburgh, Scotland to Dublin, Ireland

I spent the entire morning walking parts of Edinburgh I hadn’t explored before. I definitely went though non-touristy and residential areas since there was no one around! Towards the middle of the day, it was time to go back to the hostel, get my luggage, and go back to the AIRPORT!