Wow, so I didn't make it far on this blog experience... .I'll try and keep up for the last few weekends. This is a short one on Lago Maggiore.
Lago Maggiore.... Who wants to name their lake "Lake Major". I guess it's like "Lake Superior". Who knows. Regardless, it's beautiful and rather flat. It was Imane's last weekend, so we all went out on the lake and had some fun! The lake itself is surrounded by cliffs or non-flat land, so there's actually very few beaches. We did manage to make it out to the islands and spent most of the day floating around on a boat. At this time I had no idea of the "I'm on a boat" song... It was unfortunate. Now I can't get it out of my head.
Regardless, it was a fantastic ride. The end of that weekend resulted in going to Milan for dinner, drinks and more drinks. This was the second aperitivo, I think, I had in Milan. I must say, the place was impressive the first time, but the second time, I really got to soak in the atmosphere. The aperitivo consisted of multiple little stands which were located throughout the bar serving small portions of food. The food wasn't particularly good... most of it was cold and very sour. What was hialrious was the main central area. There was a circle of buffet type stands where a two guys who worked at the place stood. They wouldn't allow you to go onto the little area with food unless the person before you was done. Then, they'd just pile your plate with one piece of each type of food. I suppose pile is a misstatement. In the end, you probably got 5 bites out of what you waited 20 minutes for. I suppose it's non-ideal but works well for the bar. At least they don't have to pay as much for food costs... Perhaps that's their business model. That and 8 euro drinks.
After the bar, we wandered around before going to our next bar. We went to see the Duomo at night, which is gorgeous. The building got recently renovated and was a gorgeous creamy white color. White lights shown on the building which gave it a very ghostly feeling. It was a bit eerie.
The last bar we went to was a belly dancing/hookah bar. There was no cover, but each beer (or whatever drink you wanted) was 15 euros! you could get a coke for the low low price of 15 euros here. That's about when we left...
Subsequently, we got lost in Milan and an hour and 20 minutes later, made it home. Safe, a little tired and with a lot less money.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Zermatt June 12-14
Zermatt was an experience. I can say I'm not a huge outdoorsy person. I was born in LA. The most rural place I've lived in was in Thailand where I lived on a golf course near pineapple plantations. Our past time was to play golf and go shopping... and eat delicious food. The next most rural place is in Michigan. Yeah, I consider the St. Joseph area rural. I could even consider Ann Arbor or Novi rural with where I lived in before. I'm not saying I hate the outdoors. I'm just not used to the whole hiking thing and not being near a ton of people. I'm also not a huge exerciser, so I wasn't terribly fit when I did this.
When we got to Zermatt, I knew this was going to be trouble. We were in the middle of the mountains. Gorgeous as it was, it had nothing really around it. After arriving at the hostel and getting settled in, we went to rent mountain bikes. Did I mention I haven't ridden a bike since I was 10? The first 10 minutes was fine. After that, I was too slow for Brian and Thomas and they didn't want to wait, so I let them go ahead.
Regardless, after the first hour, I couldn't ride up that hill anymore. And yes, it was uphill. Instead, I returned the bike and wandered around town. The town was a small, traditional Swiss town. It was quite cute. That evening, we had dinner at a nice Swiss restaurant where we had a lot of meat. I need to stop hanging out with so many guys who really are deprived of what they usually eat. I often feel subjected to lots of demands because I'm not in the majority. Oh well...
The next day, we went to the top of Klein Matterhorn. This is the smaller Matterhorn. I thought it would be a gorgeous glacier like Fox Glacier in NZ, but it was more of a dark tunnel. Definitely not worth the trip. Looking from the top of the Matterhorn was nice, though. I enjoyed that a lot. We went half way down and hiked the rest of the way. Again, a misalignment of desires. I'm slow, but Brian and Thomas are very fit and don't' like going slowly. It was not that enjoyable because I barely had anytime to look around and take in the sights. I was too busy trying to catch up with the guys. I think I won't really go hiking with them again and would rather go at my own pace.
After getting back, I needed to rest. We had a small lunch in the middle of hour hike and bought a few souvenirs. Overall, the views were gorgeous and the hike was wonderful, I think you just need to go with people who are similar speeds and align on what you want to do.
When we got to Zermatt, I knew this was going to be trouble. We were in the middle of the mountains. Gorgeous as it was, it had nothing really around it. After arriving at the hostel and getting settled in, we went to rent mountain bikes. Did I mention I haven't ridden a bike since I was 10? The first 10 minutes was fine. After that, I was too slow for Brian and Thomas and they didn't want to wait, so I let them go ahead.
Regardless, after the first hour, I couldn't ride up that hill anymore. And yes, it was uphill. Instead, I returned the bike and wandered around town. The town was a small, traditional Swiss town. It was quite cute. That evening, we had dinner at a nice Swiss restaurant where we had a lot of meat. I need to stop hanging out with so many guys who really are deprived of what they usually eat. I often feel subjected to lots of demands because I'm not in the majority. Oh well...
The next day, we went to the top of Klein Matterhorn. This is the smaller Matterhorn. I thought it would be a gorgeous glacier like Fox Glacier in NZ, but it was more of a dark tunnel. Definitely not worth the trip. Looking from the top of the Matterhorn was nice, though. I enjoyed that a lot. We went half way down and hiked the rest of the way. Again, a misalignment of desires. I'm slow, but Brian and Thomas are very fit and don't' like going slowly. It was not that enjoyable because I barely had anytime to look around and take in the sights. I was too busy trying to catch up with the guys. I think I won't really go hiking with them again and would rather go at my own pace.
After getting back, I needed to rest. We had a small lunch in the middle of hour hike and bought a few souvenirs. Overall, the views were gorgeous and the hike was wonderful, I think you just need to go with people who are similar speeds and align on what you want to do.
Nice, Cannes and Monaco - May 22-23
This weekend was action packed. Not only did we find our place to stay last minute, but the Grand Prix was in Monaco and the last day of the Cannes Film Festival was happening. Amazing.
It's not that I meant to forget it. it's not a forgettable trip. It was just sandwiched into a few weeks and I forgot the weekend... Ok, so I forget.
We started off at something like 6AM on our way to Cannes. The night before, we had the great idea of going to Milan to go out for the first time in a while. Although it was fun, it was a late night... Later, we learned how to make it work. The drive over was gorgeous and fairly uneventful. We drove along the autostrada, which is not exactly the way to do it, but we wanted to get there fast.
We got in town fairly early, parked our car and went off to Nice. I've already been to Nice before and to be honest, it's not that wonderful. I guess it was terribly hyped up for me as well, so it made it a lot less wonderful. Although Nice has a gorgeous little old town and a nice view from the old castle, that's about all it has going for it. The beaches are pebbly (which nobody believed until they saw it) and the town has a lot of old people in it. It was nice for a day, but I definitely wouldn't spend more than that there. There's far nicer areas on the French Riviera. We took some pictures and wandered around. The guys really wanted to eat at a place with a good view. I really don't like eating at those touristy places. it's usually terrible food for 2-3 times the price it should be because they think they can justify it with the view. There was one exception, there's really not much of a view. It's a bunch of umbrellas over the ocean. I had a seafood pasta... which wasn't that spectacular, but oh well.
That evening, we went to Monaco. The train ride there was relaxing. The train goes right along the coastline, so it was quite a beautiful ride. There were tons of people going to Monaco, but not near as many as the next day. Since we didn't get tickets, we wanted to go the night before to see some of the action. Wandering around town, we saw the track which the racers drove on the next day and practiced on the day before. We had dinner at a lovely small restaurant on a bluff which overlooked the bay area. It was a nice location, high cost, but good food... so it passed. We had some pita and hummus, but they gave us falafel sauce instead of hummus, so we got another order of it for free.
That night, we just wandered around the Grand Prix track and Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo had SO many expensive cars parked in front of it. I think the most memorable was the Tesla, the eclectic sports car. It was bright orange. There were also cars that were flown in from the UK and Dubai. Some of the cars made Ferrari look like it was cheap. It was nuts how these people can blow so much money in one weekend without a care. There were also a ton of gorgeous yachts, probably those people who also own the nice cars.
The next day, we went to Cannes. The film festival was having its closing ceremony that evening, so we were just walking around before it and taking pictures of outside the film festival and around town. Cannes is a beautiful small town with sandy beaches. I only wish we got a chance to go when the Film Festival was going on and there were people around. Maybe we could've bumped elbows with someone famous.
The second day, the guys also wanted to eat on the beach, so we at somewhere which also had pretty terrible food for not a great price. The view was the only thing that compensated... the view of an old lady without a top on. I had an overly oily chicken, but it wasn't as bad as it could be, so I suppose I should be thankful.
That was about all for this trip....
It's not that I meant to forget it. it's not a forgettable trip. It was just sandwiched into a few weeks and I forgot the weekend... Ok, so I forget.
We started off at something like 6AM on our way to Cannes. The night before, we had the great idea of going to Milan to go out for the first time in a while. Although it was fun, it was a late night... Later, we learned how to make it work. The drive over was gorgeous and fairly uneventful. We drove along the autostrada, which is not exactly the way to do it, but we wanted to get there fast.
We got in town fairly early, parked our car and went off to Nice. I've already been to Nice before and to be honest, it's not that wonderful. I guess it was terribly hyped up for me as well, so it made it a lot less wonderful. Although Nice has a gorgeous little old town and a nice view from the old castle, that's about all it has going for it. The beaches are pebbly (which nobody believed until they saw it) and the town has a lot of old people in it. It was nice for a day, but I definitely wouldn't spend more than that there. There's far nicer areas on the French Riviera. We took some pictures and wandered around. The guys really wanted to eat at a place with a good view. I really don't like eating at those touristy places. it's usually terrible food for 2-3 times the price it should be because they think they can justify it with the view. There was one exception, there's really not much of a view. It's a bunch of umbrellas over the ocean. I had a seafood pasta... which wasn't that spectacular, but oh well.
That evening, we went to Monaco. The train ride there was relaxing. The train goes right along the coastline, so it was quite a beautiful ride. There were tons of people going to Monaco, but not near as many as the next day. Since we didn't get tickets, we wanted to go the night before to see some of the action. Wandering around town, we saw the track which the racers drove on the next day and practiced on the day before. We had dinner at a lovely small restaurant on a bluff which overlooked the bay area. It was a nice location, high cost, but good food... so it passed. We had some pita and hummus, but they gave us falafel sauce instead of hummus, so we got another order of it for free.
That night, we just wandered around the Grand Prix track and Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo had SO many expensive cars parked in front of it. I think the most memorable was the Tesla, the eclectic sports car. It was bright orange. There were also cars that were flown in from the UK and Dubai. Some of the cars made Ferrari look like it was cheap. It was nuts how these people can blow so much money in one weekend without a care. There were also a ton of gorgeous yachts, probably those people who also own the nice cars.
The next day, we went to Cannes. The film festival was having its closing ceremony that evening, so we were just walking around before it and taking pictures of outside the film festival and around town. Cannes is a beautiful small town with sandy beaches. I only wish we got a chance to go when the Film Festival was going on and there were people around. Maybe we could've bumped elbows with someone famous.
The second day, the guys also wanted to eat on the beach, so we at somewhere which also had pretty terrible food for not a great price. The view was the only thing that compensated... the view of an old lady without a top on. I had an overly oily chicken, but it wasn't as bad as it could be, so I suppose I should be thankful.
That was about all for this trip....
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A side note on driving in Italy
So I wanted to make this note because this sticks in my mind. Driving in Italy is a mess. If you think driving in NYC or Chicago is difficult, driving in Italy is far more difficult unless you know where you're going and how to get there. You can't even have a general idea and arrive.
Before arriving, I was debating whether to get a GPS. It's really a big investment and in the States, I never really need one since Google Maps directions are usually enough. I've never really had any problems and if I did, I usually figure it out fast enough and backtrack. Easy. I've heard driving in Italy is tough, but never though it'd be this tough. I'd liken driving in Italy to driving within a non-geometric maze. At least in the area I'm in, driving is crazy. Each small village has a Via Roma and a Via Milan. There's also a Corso Europa in basically every larger village. Directions are never 100% correct and there are roundabouts which dont' necessarily have clear markings as to which way is straight through them. Also, everything looks so similar and the buildings are faily tall so you'll never know if you went the wrong way or if you're lost in the first place. It's also tough to get a sense of direction because a grid-like city structure is just not the way Italians like to do it.
If anyone is coming to Italy, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, I strongly urge you to get a GPS with European maps. It will absolutely make life easier and is well worth the money you put in. Often, in the States, there's sales and you can get one for as little as $150, which is a wonderful deal for not being frustrated the roads and getting where you want to on time. If you do have a lot of time on your hands, though, not using a GPS is a fun way to explore the towns.
That is all....
Before arriving, I was debating whether to get a GPS. It's really a big investment and in the States, I never really need one since Google Maps directions are usually enough. I've never really had any problems and if I did, I usually figure it out fast enough and backtrack. Easy. I've heard driving in Italy is tough, but never though it'd be this tough. I'd liken driving in Italy to driving within a non-geometric maze. At least in the area I'm in, driving is crazy. Each small village has a Via Roma and a Via Milan. There's also a Corso Europa in basically every larger village. Directions are never 100% correct and there are roundabouts which dont' necessarily have clear markings as to which way is straight through them. Also, everything looks so similar and the buildings are faily tall so you'll never know if you went the wrong way or if you're lost in the first place. It's also tough to get a sense of direction because a grid-like city structure is just not the way Italians like to do it.
If anyone is coming to Italy, unless you have a lot of time on your hands, I strongly urge you to get a GPS with European maps. It will absolutely make life easier and is well worth the money you put in. Often, in the States, there's sales and you can get one for as little as $150, which is a wonderful deal for not being frustrated the roads and getting where you want to on time. If you do have a lot of time on your hands, though, not using a GPS is a fun way to explore the towns.
That is all....
Trying to update quickly: Krakow
The second weekend in Europe, Brian and Uday went to Paris. Having already been to Paris, I decided to join Ally and Eric in Krakow. From Krakow, I learned that there is a ton of salt in Poland, I needed a new cell phone and that Poland was cold in early June.
The trip had quite a rocky start. The plane tickets were crazy expensive, but I wanted to do something with people and I'd probably never visit Krakow otherwise, so I decided to give it a shot. Going to the airport was a mess. It was rainy and I was trying to drive without a GPS from Cassinetta to the airport. Not a good idea... It's supposed to take 30 minutes, it took me almost an hour and a half. It was terrible! I was running so very late. I actually barely made it on the plane. Then there was the fear of not making my connection. Luckily it all worked out well and I ended up in Krakow safe and sound.
When arriving in Krakow, my cell phone decided that it'd completely die. I've been having troubles with my cell phone ever since I got it, but this was terrible. The phone started off having no cell phone back. Then it kept on giving me a boot loader error 2 days into purchasing it. The phone then decided it wouldn't want to start... Ever. This left me in Kraknow's airport, not knowing how to speak Polish without the name of the hostel I was staying at or Ally's cell phone number. My only option was to try and find someone with an unlocked cell phone who could put my SIM card in theirs and retrieve Ally's number. The only problem was I didn't speak any Polish. As a result, I wasn't able to communicate with ANYONE. Almost at the verge of tears, a really wonderful Australian couple helped me out. Those Aussies are everywhere and so nice! The lady spoke Polish and was able to find someone who had an unlocked cell phone, retrieved my number and even called Ally for me. She then set me up with a taxi and told the taxi driver to call Ally's phone number so he could talk with the girl who knew where we were, Ewilina. In the off chance you happen onto this blog, nice Australian couple, I am forever grateful.
I finally was on my way to Krakow and was just chilling in the taxi. I'm sure he took me through a few circles, but at least I was to where I was. It was a bit funny because part way through, when we were at the place, the taxi driver called Ally and was speaking with the other Polish girl. I couldn't understand a word outside of "Japanese, Japanese!! Japanese." Apparently he thought I was Japanese. Arriving was a relief. Ally even ordered a beer and a salad for me! It was fabulous. To my surprise, Emiliano was there. Emiliano is an Italian I met in Cassinetta one of my first few days here. He was a bit off, but he was a pretty nice guy. It was just strange to find him there.
After dinner, we all went to the hostel and dropped off my stuff, then it was off to the bars! I had this delicious apple juice/vodka drink that I must try again and find the name of. The Polish sure do know how to party, though. Each bar had a dance floor equipped with a great light and sound system. After a fun night, we went back to the hostel and had a good night's sleep.
The hostel was a bit strange and was definitely not the nicest I've ever been in . It also wasn't the worst, though. The hostel didn't have heat at all, so it was very cold those few days. It was cold enough to have to wear sweaters and a jacket. I'm glad Ally told me what the temperature would be like. The room was clean, but quite spartan. All in all, it was a cheap clean place, so it was fine.
The next day, we woke up at like... 11ish and made our way to the middle square of the city. I think every Polish city has a square in the center of it where there's a lot of markets and often a large church. This one was beautiful. We wandered around and had a kebab, my first of this trip in Europe! Kebabs are delicious and I wish they had them in the States. It's like the Turkish version of a burger but much more hearty and well worth their cost. After lunch, we walked around the center square where there was a festival and a parade.
On our way to meet Ewilina, who was picking us up to go to the salt mines nearby, we had the unfortunate chance of walking down the parade procession's route. Right next to the guy who fired his musket every 10 minutes. It wasn't a quite musket either. It made me jump each time I heard it. The first time, I ducked for cover because I thought something exploded. I think everyone around me thought i was strange.
We finally made it to the car and were off on our way to the salt mines. The salt mines were made a really long time ago... although I forgot when. You must take a tour to go inside. It's huge, so I don't blame them. The tour, which is 2 hours long, is only 1% of the salt mines. There's another 99% to go. The tour is a bit dry, but goes through all the different history of the salt mine and what it was used for. There were a lot of spectacular salt sculptures including a whole chapel in salt. Even the chandelier was in salt, using a really pure clear salt. The tour guide has probably given this tour hundreds of times and the jokes are getting dull to her, so she delivered them in a monotone voice, which actually made them all the funnier because you could feel her distaste.
After the salt mines, we wandered around a bit more and went around the Castle. Unfortunately it was closed. There were a lot of weddings going on. We got lost on our way back and had the chance to wander around Krakow a bit as well. In the end, we arrived back at the central square and had some dinner.
After dinner, in true Polish style, we went out to party! We went to several bars, all of which were wonderful, and had a great time. Ally and I went home early because we were exhausted but the boys partied until the wee hours of the morning.
The next day was for shopping. Krakow has some of the most beautiful amber in Europe and they set the amber in silver, which gives a great contrast. I bought a nice necklace and a set of earrings to match. I think I'll have to go back to Poland and try to find more, though. It's really unique and beautiful.
At approximately lunch time, it was time for me to head out. I went to the airport again and back to work on Monday.
The trip had quite a rocky start. The plane tickets were crazy expensive, but I wanted to do something with people and I'd probably never visit Krakow otherwise, so I decided to give it a shot. Going to the airport was a mess. It was rainy and I was trying to drive without a GPS from Cassinetta to the airport. Not a good idea... It's supposed to take 30 minutes, it took me almost an hour and a half. It was terrible! I was running so very late. I actually barely made it on the plane. Then there was the fear of not making my connection. Luckily it all worked out well and I ended up in Krakow safe and sound.
When arriving in Krakow, my cell phone decided that it'd completely die. I've been having troubles with my cell phone ever since I got it, but this was terrible. The phone started off having no cell phone back. Then it kept on giving me a boot loader error 2 days into purchasing it. The phone then decided it wouldn't want to start... Ever. This left me in Kraknow's airport, not knowing how to speak Polish without the name of the hostel I was staying at or Ally's cell phone number. My only option was to try and find someone with an unlocked cell phone who could put my SIM card in theirs and retrieve Ally's number. The only problem was I didn't speak any Polish. As a result, I wasn't able to communicate with ANYONE. Almost at the verge of tears, a really wonderful Australian couple helped me out. Those Aussies are everywhere and so nice! The lady spoke Polish and was able to find someone who had an unlocked cell phone, retrieved my number and even called Ally for me. She then set me up with a taxi and told the taxi driver to call Ally's phone number so he could talk with the girl who knew where we were, Ewilina. In the off chance you happen onto this blog, nice Australian couple, I am forever grateful.
I finally was on my way to Krakow and was just chilling in the taxi. I'm sure he took me through a few circles, but at least I was to where I was. It was a bit funny because part way through, when we were at the place, the taxi driver called Ally and was speaking with the other Polish girl. I couldn't understand a word outside of "Japanese, Japanese!! Japanese." Apparently he thought I was Japanese. Arriving was a relief. Ally even ordered a beer and a salad for me! It was fabulous. To my surprise, Emiliano was there. Emiliano is an Italian I met in Cassinetta one of my first few days here. He was a bit off, but he was a pretty nice guy. It was just strange to find him there.
After dinner, we all went to the hostel and dropped off my stuff, then it was off to the bars! I had this delicious apple juice/vodka drink that I must try again and find the name of. The Polish sure do know how to party, though. Each bar had a dance floor equipped with a great light and sound system. After a fun night, we went back to the hostel and had a good night's sleep.
The hostel was a bit strange and was definitely not the nicest I've ever been in . It also wasn't the worst, though. The hostel didn't have heat at all, so it was very cold those few days. It was cold enough to have to wear sweaters and a jacket. I'm glad Ally told me what the temperature would be like. The room was clean, but quite spartan. All in all, it was a cheap clean place, so it was fine.
The next day, we woke up at like... 11ish and made our way to the middle square of the city. I think every Polish city has a square in the center of it where there's a lot of markets and often a large church. This one was beautiful. We wandered around and had a kebab, my first of this trip in Europe! Kebabs are delicious and I wish they had them in the States. It's like the Turkish version of a burger but much more hearty and well worth their cost. After lunch, we walked around the center square where there was a festival and a parade.
On our way to meet Ewilina, who was picking us up to go to the salt mines nearby, we had the unfortunate chance of walking down the parade procession's route. Right next to the guy who fired his musket every 10 minutes. It wasn't a quite musket either. It made me jump each time I heard it. The first time, I ducked for cover because I thought something exploded. I think everyone around me thought i was strange.
We finally made it to the car and were off on our way to the salt mines. The salt mines were made a really long time ago... although I forgot when. You must take a tour to go inside. It's huge, so I don't blame them. The tour, which is 2 hours long, is only 1% of the salt mines. There's another 99% to go. The tour is a bit dry, but goes through all the different history of the salt mine and what it was used for. There were a lot of spectacular salt sculptures including a whole chapel in salt. Even the chandelier was in salt, using a really pure clear salt. The tour guide has probably given this tour hundreds of times and the jokes are getting dull to her, so she delivered them in a monotone voice, which actually made them all the funnier because you could feel her distaste.
After the salt mines, we wandered around a bit more and went around the Castle. Unfortunately it was closed. There were a lot of weddings going on. We got lost on our way back and had the chance to wander around Krakow a bit as well. In the end, we arrived back at the central square and had some dinner.
After dinner, in true Polish style, we went out to party! We went to several bars, all of which were wonderful, and had a great time. Ally and I went home early because we were exhausted but the boys partied until the wee hours of the morning.
The next day was for shopping. Krakow has some of the most beautiful amber in Europe and they set the amber in silver, which gives a great contrast. I bought a nice necklace and a set of earrings to match. I think I'll have to go back to Poland and try to find more, though. It's really unique and beautiful.
At approximately lunch time, it was time for me to head out. I went to the airport again and back to work on Monday.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Ok, I really need to post more
I really need to post more regularly. I quit because it took too much time, but I really should start. I'm going to do a little catch up, more for myself than anyone else. Weekend trips galore! Then hopefully I'll be able to blog more about the day to day. :)
Edinburgh May 31 to June 2nd
Edinburgh was amazing! Just to say it in one word. Actually, looking at all my trips, it may be the best. At first, I was terrified. The thought of being on my own for a full 3 days in a foreign city... It was just too scary. Then, I came to the realization that it's really quite simple. I had a wonderful room with some great roommates. When I arrived, I bumped into some wonderful girls on the bus over from the airport to downtown who were staying in the hostel as well. we walked over together and it worked out well. I was placed into a random room with a bunch of other people. While there, I was able to chat with the people who work in the hostel and they informed me of all sorts of great places to go.
I ended up staying in the Budget Backpackers in Edinburgh. The hostel wasn't the cleanest of hostels, but it was a lot of fun. I had a great time there and they were really nice to people who were just hanging out on their own.
First off, I went to the Elephant House Cafe, which is where JK Rowling dreamed up Harry Potter. There, I had an fantastic smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich with fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum! Sitting there was very comfortable. After going there, it was off to see the rest of Edinburgh
Edinburgh is truly quite a small city. The city is walkable and it's an easy bus tour to the Scottish Highlands. I went around to Arthur's Seat and around Edinburgh quickly that day. When you go up Arthur's seat, there's a great view of Edinburgh, the castle and also the cool new Parilment building. it's really modern looking compared to the old feautres of Edinburgh.
For dinner, I ended up searching for Indian or Thai food. I was surprised at how long it took. I guess I need to be either less picky or find a local to tell me where to go. I ended up near Edinburgh Castle where I got pad see ew special made by the people in the kitchen. The lady in charge was nice enough to chat with me when she had a spare moment about my time in Thailand.
During dinner, I met this group of students from London who were in Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Marathon. Unfortunately, the girl who was to run hurt her ankle just a few days prior. Another girl in the group was going to perform in what's called the Military Tattoo, which is a huge parade/festival with lots of performances around the castle. The guy in the group was going to UC Santa Barbara for a study abroad. I wish I lived in Europe.....
That night, I got invited out by the guy who worked at the front desk in the hostel to go out with a bunch of other people who were there. There was a group of something like 15 people out drinking that night at some of the main bars near the hostel. It was pretty awesome. I met a ton of people there. There was Derrick, the only other American who was there hanging out and visiting his friend in Glasgow. There was also Alister who was from Australia and played rugby for the University of Edinburgh. Alice was one of the girls I got to know pretty well, who was from Australia, did a tour of Europe but ran out of money in Edinburgh, so just found a job. I would never have the guts to do that.
The next day, I went on the hostel's tour. Alice, the girl I met from the night before, was the tour guide. We started off at the Grayfriars Abby. Supposedly before the black plague, the graveyard was below street level and a small valley in the city. Now, it's a hill up into the graveyard. There's just tons of ghost stories in Edinburgh. Alice told us about George "bloody" Mackenzie who was infamous for torturing people. When all the Covenants were captured after their revolt, they were given into George Mackenzie's care. He kept them in a prison which had no roof in the Scottish winter. It's crazy how they survived. The ones who did were sent on a boat to Australia which sank....
Behind the graveyard is a prep school which supposedly inspired the Harry Potter books. When the school was built, they had really tall walls around the private school for the wealthy children to attend. The poor children used to peer into the school and make up stories that the school was for witches and wizards who flew on broomsticks, so they needed such tall walls. How cute!
She also showed us these really heavy iron cages around graves. Supposedly they were to keep away grave robbers. In a time when autopsies were illegal and cadavers were not available, there were two infamous people who went around killing people and selling them to the doctors to do autopsies on and understand the human body better. When they were caught, they were given the prisoner's dilemma and the person who was caught confessed. The person who was ratted out was hanged and his skin was used to create a business card holder and wallet. It was super gross. We later went to see the business card case in the Police Museum.
Outside of the cemetery is a little statue of a dog called Grayfriar's Bobby. This dog was so loyal it stayed by its master's side even after the master died. The master was an old police officer who guarded the graveyard to keep grave robbers away. They had a cute little dog statue of it. It used to face the graveyard. The owner of a bar in front of the cemetary decided one day it'd be better for business if he turned around the statue, so he got a stonesmith to turn it around and now whenever people take a picture of the dog, there's the bar's name in the background.
After walking around the cemetary, we walked over to the mainstreet. Alice explained that most of Edinburgh was actually sweage and the higher, raised streets were where the regular people lived. If we had time, she suggested we visit the underground of Edinburgh, where the poor used to live. Supposedly it's terribly close quarters in the underground of Edinburgh where thousands of people lived. Also on the main street, there was a bar called Decon Brodie's Tavern. Decon Brodie was a locksmith who loved to drink and spend money. He was also friends with a lot of rich people. He managed to convince all his friends that they should change their locks and saved a copy of all their keys. Then he'd go and steal things in the night. He got away with it too!
Further down the main road, the Royal Mile, is the Heart Of Edinburgh. It used to be a tollbooth where people had to pay their tolls. In protest, peopel would spit on the door of the tollbooth. When they were done, the city officials decided to lay the stones in the shape of the heart. Peopel spit on it still. There was one guy who thought it was cute, then kent down and proposed to his girlfriend at the time on the heart. I guess he'll be washing that set of pants.
After a while on the Royal Mile, we went into a park which looks over Edinburgh. In the park was... a Greek like structure which was called the Nations' Great Disappointment. Edinburgh's supposedly was the Athens of the North at one time. They built this to try and be like Athens, but ran out of money along the way. Also in this park was a tower which used to have a large ball which was dropped at 1PM every day. This caught the light and made a very loud noise so people knew what time it was.
Walking back towards town and to the main shopping street, we saw Sir Walter Scott's Monument. This great spire was built for a poet who was good friends with the government there. Guy's gotta be loaded...
After seeing this, the tour ended at the Edinburgh Castle. During the tour, I became friends with some Canadian guys from Toronto. They went off to lunch, but went to an Italian place! No Italian for me, thank you. I ended up wandering around the university area for about 30 minutes trying to find this Mosque which supposedly had a fabulous kitchen. After asking directions from 5 different people, I ended up at the mosque and had some of the most fantastic chicken curry and nann I've ever had. A tip for those who are going to Edinburgh, go to the Mosque Kitchen!! It's a hole in the wall place, but super delicious.
After lunch, I stopped by the hostel quickly to drop off the left overs of my curry and went to the Edinburgh Castle. The castle used to be a barrack and didn't actually house that many royal people, it seems. I was hoping it'd be more like... a German castle, but it was more like a military fortress. I had a nice tour with a wonderful tourguide who took us around the castle and showed us all the points of interest. I happened to be in Edinburgh right before D-Day, so there were a lot of WWII veterans around who were visiting and paying their respects to their fallen friends. It was quite sad to think of about...
Also at the castle, I found out that Prince Charles was in the Hollyrood palace, so I wouldn't be able to go in. It was kinda cool that the prince was around, though. I wasn't quite planning on going anyways.
That night, I went out on the bar crawl with the group and met a group of Aussies and a group of Irish girls. Irish have really super strong accents... It was a great time overall and I met some wonderful people. Also, the drinks were cheap!
On the last day, before I was supposed to leave, I grabbed lunch at a baked potato shop. In the shop, there was a guy I swear was high. He was really amazed I was from the States and when I said I was from Cali, he commented on how cool it'd be to skateboard down the hills in SF. He was a music electronics major or something of the sort at the university nearby. There was also another guy who was supposedly in a major accident and wanted to be a chef and open his own restaurant. They were great, super friendly people. It's fantastic that there were so many wonderful people in one place! I ended up getting my baked potato and hummus for free too ;)
On the way to the airport, I bumped into the Aussie guys once again on the bus to the airport. They were pretty funny and really hung over from partying the night before.
The plane ride was really uneventful... but at least I got home in one piece and back to work.....
Edinburgh May 31 to June 2nd
Edinburgh was amazing! Just to say it in one word. Actually, looking at all my trips, it may be the best. At first, I was terrified. The thought of being on my own for a full 3 days in a foreign city... It was just too scary. Then, I came to the realization that it's really quite simple. I had a wonderful room with some great roommates. When I arrived, I bumped into some wonderful girls on the bus over from the airport to downtown who were staying in the hostel as well. we walked over together and it worked out well. I was placed into a random room with a bunch of other people. While there, I was able to chat with the people who work in the hostel and they informed me of all sorts of great places to go.
I ended up staying in the Budget Backpackers in Edinburgh. The hostel wasn't the cleanest of hostels, but it was a lot of fun. I had a great time there and they were really nice to people who were just hanging out on their own.
First off, I went to the Elephant House Cafe, which is where JK Rowling dreamed up Harry Potter. There, I had an fantastic smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich with fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum! Sitting there was very comfortable. After going there, it was off to see the rest of Edinburgh
Edinburgh is truly quite a small city. The city is walkable and it's an easy bus tour to the Scottish Highlands. I went around to Arthur's Seat and around Edinburgh quickly that day. When you go up Arthur's seat, there's a great view of Edinburgh, the castle and also the cool new Parilment building. it's really modern looking compared to the old feautres of Edinburgh.
For dinner, I ended up searching for Indian or Thai food. I was surprised at how long it took. I guess I need to be either less picky or find a local to tell me where to go. I ended up near Edinburgh Castle where I got pad see ew special made by the people in the kitchen. The lady in charge was nice enough to chat with me when she had a spare moment about my time in Thailand.
During dinner, I met this group of students from London who were in Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Marathon. Unfortunately, the girl who was to run hurt her ankle just a few days prior. Another girl in the group was going to perform in what's called the Military Tattoo, which is a huge parade/festival with lots of performances around the castle. The guy in the group was going to UC Santa Barbara for a study abroad. I wish I lived in Europe.....
That night, I got invited out by the guy who worked at the front desk in the hostel to go out with a bunch of other people who were there. There was a group of something like 15 people out drinking that night at some of the main bars near the hostel. It was pretty awesome. I met a ton of people there. There was Derrick, the only other American who was there hanging out and visiting his friend in Glasgow. There was also Alister who was from Australia and played rugby for the University of Edinburgh. Alice was one of the girls I got to know pretty well, who was from Australia, did a tour of Europe but ran out of money in Edinburgh, so just found a job. I would never have the guts to do that.
The next day, I went on the hostel's tour. Alice, the girl I met from the night before, was the tour guide. We started off at the Grayfriars Abby. Supposedly before the black plague, the graveyard was below street level and a small valley in the city. Now, it's a hill up into the graveyard. There's just tons of ghost stories in Edinburgh. Alice told us about George "bloody" Mackenzie who was infamous for torturing people. When all the Covenants were captured after their revolt, they were given into George Mackenzie's care. He kept them in a prison which had no roof in the Scottish winter. It's crazy how they survived. The ones who did were sent on a boat to Australia which sank....
Behind the graveyard is a prep school which supposedly inspired the Harry Potter books. When the school was built, they had really tall walls around the private school for the wealthy children to attend. The poor children used to peer into the school and make up stories that the school was for witches and wizards who flew on broomsticks, so they needed such tall walls. How cute!
She also showed us these really heavy iron cages around graves. Supposedly they were to keep away grave robbers. In a time when autopsies were illegal and cadavers were not available, there were two infamous people who went around killing people and selling them to the doctors to do autopsies on and understand the human body better. When they were caught, they were given the prisoner's dilemma and the person who was caught confessed. The person who was ratted out was hanged and his skin was used to create a business card holder and wallet. It was super gross. We later went to see the business card case in the Police Museum.
Outside of the cemetery is a little statue of a dog called Grayfriar's Bobby. This dog was so loyal it stayed by its master's side even after the master died. The master was an old police officer who guarded the graveyard to keep grave robbers away. They had a cute little dog statue of it. It used to face the graveyard. The owner of a bar in front of the cemetary decided one day it'd be better for business if he turned around the statue, so he got a stonesmith to turn it around and now whenever people take a picture of the dog, there's the bar's name in the background.
After walking around the cemetary, we walked over to the mainstreet. Alice explained that most of Edinburgh was actually sweage and the higher, raised streets were where the regular people lived. If we had time, she suggested we visit the underground of Edinburgh, where the poor used to live. Supposedly it's terribly close quarters in the underground of Edinburgh where thousands of people lived. Also on the main street, there was a bar called Decon Brodie's Tavern. Decon Brodie was a locksmith who loved to drink and spend money. He was also friends with a lot of rich people. He managed to convince all his friends that they should change their locks and saved a copy of all their keys. Then he'd go and steal things in the night. He got away with it too!
Further down the main road, the Royal Mile, is the Heart Of Edinburgh. It used to be a tollbooth where people had to pay their tolls. In protest, peopel would spit on the door of the tollbooth. When they were done, the city officials decided to lay the stones in the shape of the heart. Peopel spit on it still. There was one guy who thought it was cute, then kent down and proposed to his girlfriend at the time on the heart. I guess he'll be washing that set of pants.
After a while on the Royal Mile, we went into a park which looks over Edinburgh. In the park was... a Greek like structure which was called the Nations' Great Disappointment. Edinburgh's supposedly was the Athens of the North at one time. They built this to try and be like Athens, but ran out of money along the way. Also in this park was a tower which used to have a large ball which was dropped at 1PM every day. This caught the light and made a very loud noise so people knew what time it was.
Walking back towards town and to the main shopping street, we saw Sir Walter Scott's Monument. This great spire was built for a poet who was good friends with the government there. Guy's gotta be loaded...
After seeing this, the tour ended at the Edinburgh Castle. During the tour, I became friends with some Canadian guys from Toronto. They went off to lunch, but went to an Italian place! No Italian for me, thank you. I ended up wandering around the university area for about 30 minutes trying to find this Mosque which supposedly had a fabulous kitchen. After asking directions from 5 different people, I ended up at the mosque and had some of the most fantastic chicken curry and nann I've ever had. A tip for those who are going to Edinburgh, go to the Mosque Kitchen!! It's a hole in the wall place, but super delicious.
After lunch, I stopped by the hostel quickly to drop off the left overs of my curry and went to the Edinburgh Castle. The castle used to be a barrack and didn't actually house that many royal people, it seems. I was hoping it'd be more like... a German castle, but it was more like a military fortress. I had a nice tour with a wonderful tourguide who took us around the castle and showed us all the points of interest. I happened to be in Edinburgh right before D-Day, so there were a lot of WWII veterans around who were visiting and paying their respects to their fallen friends. It was quite sad to think of about...
Also at the castle, I found out that Prince Charles was in the Hollyrood palace, so I wouldn't be able to go in. It was kinda cool that the prince was around, though. I wasn't quite planning on going anyways.
That night, I went out on the bar crawl with the group and met a group of Aussies and a group of Irish girls. Irish have really super strong accents... It was a great time overall and I met some wonderful people. Also, the drinks were cheap!
On the last day, before I was supposed to leave, I grabbed lunch at a baked potato shop. In the shop, there was a guy I swear was high. He was really amazed I was from the States and when I said I was from Cali, he commented on how cool it'd be to skateboard down the hills in SF. He was a music electronics major or something of the sort at the university nearby. There was also another guy who was supposedly in a major accident and wanted to be a chef and open his own restaurant. They were great, super friendly people. It's fantastic that there were so many wonderful people in one place! I ended up getting my baked potato and hummus for free too ;)
On the way to the airport, I bumped into the Aussie guys once again on the bus to the airport. They were pretty funny and really hung over from partying the night before.
The plane ride was really uneventful... but at least I got home in one piece and back to work.....
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