Edinburgh, Scotland

(May 27-29) Ali had booked us seats to Edinburgh, Scotland on a train that stopped through York. It was bank holiday weekend which meant everyone and their mother were planning gettaways on the train. We were sandwiched between a young boys football (soccer) team and a loud slightly intoxicated hen party (bachlorette party). Our heads were completely numb by the time we got into Scotland with all the chatter. The weather of course was toying with us. We fought cold, rain, wind and sun. As soon as you layered up it was time to take it all off again. Ali had rented a furnished apartment for the four of us for the weekend which was at the vortex of the old and new parts of Edinburgh.

I became completely enchanted with Edinburgh especially the castle towering above the town. At different points in our wanderings we would walk down small cobble stone streets and other streets would be absolutely bustling with shoppers. The trains cut through the center of town like a backbone. A greenbelt lined the valley with fountains, flowers and children playing. Gothic churches, roman columns and mediterrian style homes, Edinburgh was a hodge podge of so many styles spaning so many centuries. There were gaggles of people from all over the world with cameras cocked to snap photos of it all. I went nuts myself.

For dinner we dined at a small Brazilian restaurant. It was smoky, hot and low key enough for us to bring our own wine. We were all so worked from the days traveling and exploring that we just crashed back at the apartment. Our place was next door to a hard core punk rock bar so we were treated to some seriously engineered mohawks.

The next day we had brunch at a place called the Scotsman. It was a mixture of old traditional style with modern decor. It was one of the fanciest meals we had and one of the most appetizing. Matt dove into the Scotish breakfast complete with haggis. I'm more of a blood pudding fan myself. The next few days we continued to eat well and get lost in the city. What was so great about Edinburgh was that it was big yet so inviting and easy to roam about. It had a different feel than England one that felt more inviting. As soon as you'd get to a vista point not only could you take in all of Edinburgh with one breath you could also savor the ocean just off in the distance. It's wind reminding you exactly where you're at.