Speaking of fun, last weekend was pretty kick-ass. On Thursday I got to chat with my family over Skype during Rosh Hashanah dinner, so I got to see my grandma and my aunts and uncles. I think the best part of that, besides seeing all their beautiful faces, was seeing who understood technology the least. I can't tell if I found my great-aunt talking very loudly at the microphone or my mother's inability to turn the program off to be more amusing. I was kinda sad I couldn't be there to celebrate the madness that is a Honig family party, but I know there will be many more new years and only a few short months to spend in Scotland.
After that conversation, I ended up going out with some friends. We went out to meet a group of people who were spending the night in Edinburgh. The pub we went to meet them at was pretty full of people over the age of thirty, and us "natives" (yeah, okay) thought it was pretty odd that that was where they had chosen to drink. The next pub we went to was a bit better though. It was on the Royal Mile and had a nice atmosphere, though it wasn't nearly as charming as the pub our group has deemed as its own (Though there will be more on that in a later post). I finally got to have some whiskey while we were there. I can now cross "drink Scottish whiskey in Scotland" off my bucket list. Next up is "Have beer with breakfast." Though, I don't know how keen I am on knocking that one off.
After the pub we parted ways from the group of visitors. We headed back to our flats and turned in early because some of our number had class the next morning (naughty, naughty) and we had planned a full docket for that afternoon. Sleep proved particularly difficult that night and didn't help that one of my flatmates had blessed me with a cold. But, I didn't let that get in my way :)
Friday was absolutely gorgeous. the sun was shining, there was a slightly cool breeze, and it was actually warmer in Edinburgh than it was in New York which was really something to celebrate. It was the perfect weather for our next excursion; climbing Arthur's Seat.
A bit of background:
-ahem-
"Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park. It is situated in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m (823 ft) and provides an excellent panoramic views of the city."
Thank you wikipedia.
So yes, there is a giant hill in the middle of the city and because it was such a breathtaking day we decided we had to climb it. (We being Lucy, Lucy's boyfriend, Marleigh, Lindy and myself)
Orginally when we got to the seat, I was very much daunted by the height. I was already a bit tired and I was feeling very out of shape, but I began the climb anyway. The way up was really steep, but the rocks formed a kind of staircase so the climb wasn't too terrible and the views were abesolutely stunning. Stupid me forgot her camera, but I have lovely friends that let me steal their shots :)
Afterwards we headed home and for dinner that night we went to Mums (Another destination that will be discussed at a later date.). I was bad and got a milkshake, but it was delicious so it was well worth it. After we stuffed ourselves silly we proceeded to the Royal Mile to go on a tour called "Hidden and Haunted."
It was run by the same company that did the the other tour I was on, but this one focused more on stories about ghosts then on people being hung or having their head chopped off. Here is our guide. She added to the experience tenfold.
We even went down into the vaults, which are supposedly one of the most haunted areas of Britain. Apparently there is little boy down there, a cobbler, and a ghost called the watcher who isn't very nice. I didn't spot anything, but I think something stepped on my foot. MAYBE IT WAS A GHOST!!! ... or it could have been the guy standing next to me. I'll let you decide which one is more reasonable. I guess I will have to look for hauntings elsewhere. I did have a good time though, whether I saw spectres or not.
One of the girls did catch a blue orb on her camera though.
On Saturday we headed to Stirling and explored the castle.
It was very pretty, but it was so rainy and foggy and they didn't give us enough time to really explore the city because they decided we were going to the William Wallace momunment. Because it was so foggy we didn't even attempt to see it. We swung right into the cafe and grabbed seats. It ended up being a good idea, because about a half an hour later the cafe was packed- but we were already comfurtable. It was fun hanging out, but we were very glad to get on the bus back to Edinburgh.
After a quick dinner we decided to head out to do a pub crawl. I ended up having to leave early because my cold and lack of sleep the night before had finally caught up to me. What lack of sleep you ask? WELL my very lovely flatmate decided it would be super awesome to come home drunk with a bunch of friends, dragging a traffic cone behind them and screaming- at 4 am. Let's just say I was not too keen about that, and on Sunday I had a very nice conversation with said flatmate about not doing that again- minimal bodily threats were issued :)
Luckily, I was able to sleep in on Sunday. I also spent the entire day in my jammies drinking tea and bopping around on the internet. Oh! I did some work as well.
That night My friends, Erin and Lindy, and I went to the pub quiz once more where once again we suffered a stunning defeat. It was still a lot of fun AND because it was czech night, they raffled off some Czech imported beer. Guess who won some?
"Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park. It is situated in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle. The hill rises above the city to a height of 251 m (823 ft) and provides an excellent panoramic views of the city."
So yes, there is a giant hill in the middle of the city and because it was such a breathtaking day we decided we had to climb it. (We being Lucy, Lucy's boyfriend, Marleigh, Lindy and myself)
Orginally when we got to the seat, I was very much daunted by the height. I was already a bit tired and I was feeling very out of shape, but I began the climb anyway. The way up was really steep, but the rocks formed a kind of staircase so the climb wasn't too terrible and the views were abesolutely stunning. Stupid me forgot her camera, but I have lovely friends that let me steal their shots :)
It was run by the same company that did the the other tour I was on, but this one focused more on stories about ghosts then on people being hung or having their head chopped off. Here is our guide. She added to the experience tenfold.
See what I mean?
We even went down into the vaults, which are supposedly one of the most haunted areas of Britain. Apparently there is little boy down there, a cobbler, and a ghost called the watcher who isn't very nice. I didn't spot anything, but I think something stepped on my foot. MAYBE IT WAS A GHOST!!! ... or it could have been the guy standing next to me. I'll let you decide which one is more reasonable. I guess I will have to look for hauntings elsewhere. I did have a good time though, whether I saw spectres or not.
One of the girls did catch a blue orb on her camera though.
Ghost or spec of dust? The world may never know...
On Saturday we headed to Stirling and explored the castle.
It was very pretty, but it was so rainy and foggy and they didn't give us enough time to really explore the city because they decided we were going to the William Wallace momunment. Because it was so foggy we didn't even attempt to see it. We swung right into the cafe and grabbed seats. It ended up being a good idea, because about a half an hour later the cafe was packed- but we were already comfurtable. It was fun hanging out, but we were very glad to get on the bus back to Edinburgh.
After a quick dinner we decided to head out to do a pub crawl. I ended up having to leave early because my cold and lack of sleep the night before had finally caught up to me. What lack of sleep you ask? WELL my very lovely flatmate decided it would be super awesome to come home drunk with a bunch of friends, dragging a traffic cone behind them and screaming- at 4 am. Let's just say I was not too keen about that, and on Sunday I had a very nice conversation with said flatmate about not doing that again- minimal bodily threats were issued :)
Luckily, I was able to sleep in on Sunday. I also spent the entire day in my jammies drinking tea and bopping around on the internet. Oh! I did some work as well.
That night My friends, Erin and Lindy, and I went to the pub quiz once more where once again we suffered a stunning defeat. It was still a lot of fun AND because it was czech night, they raffled off some Czech imported beer. Guess who won some?
Awwww Yes :)
Overall it was a pretty eventful and fun weekend- But I don't know how it is going to compare to next weekend. I am going to Inverness on an organized trip with my IFSA-butler group. Three days going through the highlands of Scotland. I know, such a hard life.
No comments:
Post a Comment