Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh is a very pretty city, and I recommend rolling in on one of those double-decker buses and sitting up top to get some nice views. My first day involved lots of exploring, picking out places to eat and visit later for when my friend Anthony would come the next day. I also bugged the poor girl at the front desk with a million questions even though she didn't know the city very well. But I made my way around with a few suggestions and a nice travel guide that my coworker let me borrow. I tried to save some green for my lunch and bought the simple, most unsatisfying sandwich, I'd ever eaten. I ordered a "bacon and swiss melt" (sounds pretty good, right?) and the lady at the counter literally slapped a few thin pieces of bacon and a slice of cheese on a plate, put it in the microwave for a few seconds and sneaked it between two slices of thick bread. Then she turned to the fat, sweaty guy that owned the place and asked if it should be toasted, and of course he said, "nope, that's it." I think the lady even seemed disappointed in her creation. But while slowly chewing on my bread with a hint of bacon, I had a great view of the scenery, sitting in the park at the base of the castle's hill. The city is so rich with color: the blue-blue sky, the green-green grass, and the deep reds, browns and grays of the buildings all worn and weathered from ages of rain. I was finally able to check into my hostel at 3pm so I could stash my backpack, grab my camera and some more tourist info, but of course by then, it started to rain. So I retired to a local pub with all old men and two female bartenders, who were probably getting decent tips, and I ordered a steak pie with baked beans and a hearty ale. The pie was served fresh out of a dirty microwave and as I poked it with a fork, it sadly deflated revealing the minimal quantity of meat required to be defined as a "meat pie." But after the pint of ale, I was actually pretty full, and I was enjoying the atmosphere and the soccer match on the telly. After the game, it started raining harder, so I hurried over to an American-like bar/cafe/restaurant for a tiny coffee for 1.6 GBP, which is $3.20. But again, there was a bright side, because this local guy gave me all of his knowledge of the city, from bars, tours, events, to the local zoo (which he used to work at).

The next day I got lost. Really lost! I headed out in a direction I hadn't gone yet and ended up in this residential area with a lot of buildings in bad shape. I found a market and bought some apples so I could keep on trucking without worrying too much where I'd end up. Eventually I saw some signs for the Edinburgh Botanical Garden and got there right when it opened. I really admired how pristine and top-notch everything was, especially when seeing the dozens of workers diligently weeding, trimming, feeding, etc. I began to imagine dad tending to his pansies. They didn't have anything too exotic, but it was simply a nice place: fresh, fragrant air, wandering paths, and tidy landscaping. Afterwards, I continued my adventure with a little more confidence and headed further away from the city. I took a pedestrian path that was about 15' below street level and was walled in by trees and foliage. I didn't make any hasty turns and just kept going straight until I approached a dark tunnel going underneath a street or a rail. I looked around and noticed the absence of walkers and joggers, as well the absence of any exit or stairwell leading back to the street. There was simply no sign of human life - no cars going by, no buildings or people, and as I looked at the tunnel, it reminded me of the one in the movie A Clockwork Orange, where the poor old homeless man gets beat up by the gang of young hooligans. So I peered through for a few seconds and checked behind me, then made my way through. It actually felt like a cave because it was cold and damp, and had thick moss growing on the curved concrete surface like stalactites. But I made it through and was rewarded again with a bit of luck, because after about 100 meters, the path spilled right out onto an old harbor right on the North Sea. It was the same cool blue color as the sky, and as I leaned over the sea wall, I could smell the salt water and sea weed, as well as hear the music of gently sloshing waves. It was nice but that's about all it was. The quiet, dull buildings, inactive harbor, and lack of life made it a little discouraging. There was, of course, no beach and I could imagine the water being a "tad" bit cold. So I found a bus station, asked some guy how to get to the city, and made me way back to meet up with Anthony.

Our first destination was the castle. We payed a steep 13 GBP each but it was worth it. There were lots of buildings intact and they had nice little self-guided tours of Scottish history and stories of royal tradition at the castle. They especially emphasized the military tradition, from William Wallace to the modern soldier. So after many photos and thoughtful gazes over the city, we simply felt obligated to dine in a traditional Scottish restaurant. So I had my fish and chips and Anthony had his beef pie (a real one this time), while we watched Germany get upset by Croatia on TV. Even though it was getting late, we still had plenty of sunlight left (at 56 deg N lat) as well as plenty of energy to embark on our next goal: hiking up "Arthur's Seat," a tall hill right next to the city that used to be a sideways-spitting volcano. We ascended with great confidence and pace, even occasionally jogging, but it seemed whenever we got close to the top, the slope kept going and going, so we had to take a few breaks. (It reminded me of climbing to the top of Warren Sand Dunes, only without the sand) The views were amazing and the sun just lingered around in the evening sky. We tried waiting for the sun to set, but it was just taking forever, so we made our way down, then finally around 11pm, the sky started to glow oranges and pinks.

The next morning we got up nice and early for our continental breakfast, then took a short bus trip to the "Firth of Forth" where one of the coolest bridges ever made sits. If you look it up online, you can find all sorts of cool facts and history about the bridge and more up-close photos, but the thing that amazes me the most is that it was built in 1890, around the time when steel construction was brand new. The design itself looks like a modern piece of art with its undulating profile, slanted section and giant tubular steel. But we didn't stay there too long because we had a bigger adventure ahead of us. We took a two-hour train ride to Glasgow, then a 20 min train to Balloch, to see the legendary Loch Lomond. To get you ready for the Loch Lomond experience, please listen to this song.