Over the next couple of posts I'll go day-by-day over my adventures in Scotland - from Edinburgh to Pitlochry - and provide plenty of pictures as well!
Today I will go over Day 1 (Sunday) - Arrival at Edinburgh: On the morning of Sunday I woke up early and took a 5 hour train trip to Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. I arrived to sunshine and warm weather for the rest of the afternoon as I walked around Old Town, the Royal Mile, and visited Edinburgh Castle.
First I checked into my hostel for the night. I've never stayed in a hostel before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I had reserved a bed in a 4-person all-female room, and lucked out that (because it was a Sunday) I only had one roomie. I never even got to know her name, as she was in bed when I came home, and got up at 4am the next day to catch her flight! But the hostel itself was nice, colorful, relaxed, and definitely catering to the college crowd.
Walking around Edinburgh, I was surprised how OLD everything feels. While in some ways it could be a European city, with cobblestone streets, villas, verandas, and stately buildings - it still has a very British(or perhaps Scottish) feel. I've never been in a city quite like it. There was a great sense of history to the place!
The terrain of Edinburgh is very unique too. The city is built upon the remains of an old dormant volcano. The high grounds provided great lookout points over the Frith of Forth (bay) and the surrounding lowlands. Edinburgh castle itself is built on one of the old volcano "peaks", while Arthur's Seat (discussed tomorrow) is the tallest mountain and sits right in the middle of the city! The streets are, obviously, steep and rolling. Everywhere you look up you see buildings stacked upon buildings, with the castle and Arthur's Seat looming above everything.
I walked for a bit around the Royal Mile and Old Town, which make up Edinburgh's city center. Then I went up to tour Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's version of the Tower of London. It's not just one castle, but a bunch of fortifications, castles, and other administrative buildings built on a central point - over a span of many years.
Just like the Tower, Edinburgh Castle holds the Scottish Crown jewels, and was the seat of power for a long time. The Scottish Crown jewels are much older than the English Crown Jewels because they were secreted away and hidden from Cromwell, who would have melted them down like he did the jewels in England. For this reason, Scotland's crown jewels are less "sparkly" but much older. Along with the Crown Jewels, Edinburgh Castle holds the Stone of Scone, a large square boulder which was believed to be sacred. All the kings of Scotland, and even some kings of England (when the stone was taken by the English), were crowned while seated on the Stone of Scone.
Unlike the Tower of London, though, Edinburgh Castle has fantastic views of lower Scotland from its ramparts. I was lucky it was sunny, and could see for miles in each direction - even to Fife over the Frith of Forth (say that one ten times fast. =P ) The castle is very scenic, a great reminder of Scottish history. I'm not surprised they used it extensively in the filming of "Braveheart".
When it was time for dinner, I went to a cheap traveler's restaurant - recommended by the hostel - where I had my first Haggis. The food was actually very good, almost gourmet! I know many people are turned off by the idea of haggis, but if you ignore how its made, it is actually rich and delicious. I would describe it like a meatloaf with rich gravy and added "stew" ingredients like barley and carrots. Not as "meaty" but instead more savory. I liked it! Which is good, because haggis is a staple of Scottish cuisine both morning and night. It's traditionally served, at dinner, with "neeps and tatties" or mashed turnips and potatoes.
During dinner I met a fellow traveler who was staying at the same hostel as me. She was an accountant from Australia who just recently moved to London, and took a week off to visit Scotland. You'd be surprised, but the most common tourists in Scotland are TONS of Australians and Spaniards! After dinner I went to a pub next to the hostel, and it was owned by an Australian expat. I continued to meet more and more Australians as the night went on.
While hanging out with other tourists at the pub was nice, my favorite part of the evening was playing chess with a Spanish college student. He spoke almost no English, so I had to dredge up what little I remembered of High School Spanish to speak with him. Good thing Chess needs no language to play! It was a very intense game. I have no doubt the Spanish kid was a better player than I am, but he made a mistake early in the game which lost him his queen, so I won in the end. (Hooray!!) It was very intense, however, with all of our other tourist friends coming over to check and see who was winning. After the game, I stayed and talked "Spanglish" with the Spanish student and his friends. They said I spoke good Spanish, but my accent was funny because it was from South America, not Spain. I think they were flattering me too much on the "good Spanish" part...
So I had a lot of fun for my first day. Meeting other tourists, exploring Edinburgh, and soaking in the first rays of springtime. For more info and details on my day of exploration, just click on the picture below!
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