Edinburgh 2/11/11

Arrived in Scotland on Friday after 4.5 hours on the train...not bad, not bad. Edinburgh was absolutely gorgeous. Obviously it was a bleak day and it was quite cold but that didn't stop me from walking up, down and around the streets of Edinburgh to get to my hostel. I passed the Bank of Scotland, the Wallace Monument and other gorgeous forms of architecture. Let me tell you...Scotland has HILLS! I was absolutely ready for bed by the time we arrived at the Art Roch Hostel. No such luck. I had to wait in line (with my lovely and fellow sheep, as we were traveling in a flock with the shepherd Arcadia) outside the hostel to receive my linens which consisted of a duvet cover, a sheet and a pillowcase. I love being in the way of locals!!

Well worth it though...the hostel...absolutely the coolest and most hipster-friendly hostel I could have ever dreamed of! I am a bit upset that I only took a few shots and they all turned out blurry. Just imagine: Spray painted Bowie heads on the walls, random quotes (some inappropriate!), twinkly blue, white and hot pink lights randomly strewn about, signs for the beach, records on the walls and low, blue lighting. Absolutely rad.

But the best part was the lounge/cafe/lobby. Simply an array of couches (all different with random throw pillows), trunks as tables, obscure music magazines, stacks of books on shelves and any other surfaces, weird statues and plants and a mess of colors attacking the high walls and big windows. So. Cool. Yo. 

After getting settled in (a.k.a. ogling at the decor) I headed out with some lovely ladies to explore and get food. We walked into a vintage shop and after some tears (couldn't purchase anything) we asked where would be a good place to get "traditional" Scottish food. We were directed to Monster Mash and I ordered an Irn Bru (absolutely wretched, tasted like Emergen-C) and a Shepherd's Pie. SO FULL. I tried Haggis...which is definitely just the ground up stomach of a sheep...blorfghdfjgkhg (vomiting noises). It wasn't as bad as I had expected but it was very very thick and accompanied on the palette by "neeps and tatties" which are potatoes, carrots and turnips.

After dinner we went on a Mercet Tour which was essentially a historical ghost tour of Edinburgh. Our tour guide...possibly my favorite woman in the world. We learned about torture and I was used in a demonstration of two different styles of hanging...twas delightful! We were taken around and ended up in underground caverns which were occupied by some of the most "haunted" places in Britain. It was interesting...more so fun to see the reactions of some people. Our guide (Hayley) scared one girl so bad she fell on the floor...the cold, hard, stone floor...twas very funny.

Once the tour was over we were referred to a pub called Whistle Binkies (...I know...) by Hayley. So we went, I had a pint of Calder's and a shot of whiskey and we listened to a live band which was pretty neat (especially because I could NOT understand them when they talked in between songs). 

We headed back after a few songs (Michelle and I navigated...so proud) and I went, immediately, to bed.