My Scotland Adventures - Days 101-104

Tuesday, December 3:
After a terrible night's sleep, (thank you owl that hooted outside my window for the better part of five hours) I had to wake up at 6:30 to grab my stuff and make my way to King's Cross Station. At the station, I attempted to get a Starbucks coffee until I threw it all over the floor, making quite a scene. Clearly, I was an un-caffinated and uncoordinated hot mess after a night of no sleep! Man, you can't take me anywhere. Finally, I boarded my train en route to Edinburgh's Waverly Station at 9:00 and settled in for a 4.5 hour train ride through lovely England. Here's what I saw: the back of my eyelids, lots of grass, tons of baby sheep, and ummm... yeah, that's about it. But I've decided that the train is my preferred method of travel. Eff airplanes and airports. So stressful and annoying. The train is where it's at!

My eye mask and a water bottle ... ready for a snooze!

A little city we passed through - it looks like Pittsburgh!! 

I love this! How cute is everything that the Brits say?? Gah!

Speedin' up the coast.

Sheep galore! I want one!

Finally made it!

I grabbed a cab to my hotel, threw all my crap down and then bundled up to go exploring for a bit before sundown (which is at an astounding 3:30!!). I walked about a mile to the city center and spend some time milling about in the Edinburgh Christmas Market, which is very similar to the one that they have in Hyde Park! I walked up to George Street and just back and forth around the town's center until around 6:00.

Only in Scotland do they have Scotch soup. Hmm...

I walked back to my hotel and washed up for dinner. I had made a reservation at Al Dente, an Italian restaurant that had been recommended to me by a friend. Dinner was DELICIOUS! I had a venison stew over papardelle! Whoa, so good. I walked back to the hotel, showered, and tucked into bed early so that I could get some good sleep in order to maximize my day tomorrow. A nice start to my trip!

Wednesday, December 4:
I woke up nice an early to get a good jump on the day and began my adventure by heading up to Edinburgh Castle, which is pretty much at the summit of the city, so it was a nice hike on up there. Though it was cold, the sun was shining brightly and it was a super clear day, making the views from the Castle pretty spectacular.

Wait, that's not the Queen! Ummm... ?

Cobblestone streets?!? How cute is this city?

Some Scottish fashion and traditional Tartan plaid.

St. Giles' Cathedral during the day.

Royal Mile/Castle Hill... heading on up! 

Can anyone tell by the look on my face that it's FREAKIN' FREEZING!?!

I then walked down the street to the Tartan Weaving Mill and Exhibition, which was pretty cool. At this point, I still hadn't eaten anything with the exception of my morning Starbucks coffee that I did NOT throw on the floor, thank you very much. So I went in search of The Elephant House, the cafe where J.K. Rowling was rumored to have written parts of Harry Potter while eyeing Edinburgh Castle from her cafe table. I found it. Sat at her table. Looked out the window. Shed a little tear. And drank delicious peppermint tea and had a very tasty bowl of soup. Perfection.

Graffiti in the bathroom. Yup, this made me tear up too! Such a nerd. 

At The Elephant House, I met a guy named Jefre who was sitting at the table next to me and we got to talking and ended up hanging out the rest of the day. He took me to the famous Greyfriars cemetery, which is also rumored to be where Rowling got some of the names that she used in the HP novels. We went to the National Scotland History Museum and walked around the city a bit more. He told me about a fantastic day trip he had taken to the Highlands and Loch Ness the day before and convinced me that it was worth the money and the time to go and see. So we walked to the tourist company's office and signed me up for tomorrow's tour and then headed to Grassmarket to grab some dinner at the Fiddlers' Arms. Nope, not brave enough to try Haggis. Nope. Can't do it. 

McGonagall!! Professor!?? 

Grassmarket Square

Salmon, veggies, and mash!

Traditional UK dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding = BEST DESSERT EVER!

Me and Jefre after dinner!

St. Giles at night.

Walking home!

We said our goodbyes and I began to walk home, but wanted to stop back at the Christmas market before going back to my hotel because, now with the tour planned, I didn't know if I'd get a chance to get back there before I had to leave on Friday and I saw some items that I wanted to purchase before leaving. While shopping, I met a guy named Sean who was working at one of the shops and we got to  chatting a bit and decided that if the tour got back early enough that we should meet up for drinks tomorrow. I love nice people. Yay. Then I headed back to the hotel to try and get some sleep before my early wakeup for my next day full of Highland adventures!

Thursday, December 5:

I was kept awake all night because of the most wild rain storm I've heard in a while. 

Crazy howling winds + items tossed about outside + loud rain = zero sleep. No bueno. 

I actually was dreading going on the trip with the weather as it was. I didn't want to walk the mile and a half to the travel office. I didn't want to get in a van and drive on country roads in those conditions, etc. But I already paid, so I had to suck it up and get going. But instead of walking to the office I had to call for a cab. No one wants to sit in a bus for 8 hours while soaking wet. I arrived at the office a bit early, went next door to get some tea from the neighboring cafe and then boarded the van at 7:55 for our prompt 8:00 departure. We were then introduced to Paddy, our tour guide and driver. Let me just tell you, he might be one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. I would have been content driving in circles just listening to him tell stories all day. But it was even better - he told stories AND we saw the Highlands. So great. I can't explain what exactly about him was so hilarious, but I'm pretty sure he must moonlight as a comedian. His humor and energy really pulled us out of our foul-weather-funk and we were ready to tackle the day. 

Paddy at the wheel! Go Paddy! 

The Three Sisters.

Hail! Like actual pellet sized hail! Whaaaat?!?!

St. Augustus at the base of Loch Ness

Nessie! (J/K!) It's an awesome window sticker that you line up with the water. So funny.

You can see the top of Glencoe Mountain! That happens only like 50 times a year! Lucky me!

Paddy - like a rockstar! Buy this man a pint or a dram!

Testing out the whiskey with my tour buddies, Alli, Christine, and Max at The White Hart.

After grabbing a drink with my tour friends, I met up with my new friend Sean at Milnes Bar for a couple of pints. Clearly from the pictures below it is evident that we had a few more than a couple. Haha. 

Aside from fearing for my life on a few occasions as Paddy took to two wheels through the snow, rain, and hail, I had ONE HELL OF A DAY. One of the best days of my whole trip. I met so many fun people. I saw soooo much. And just had a lot of fun. Man, what a great and serendipitous thing it was to meet Jefre who convinced me to take the trip. I wish I could do it all over again. 

Friday, December 6: 

I wanted to climb to the top of St. Andrew's seat today (the highest point in Edinburgh), but sadly, not having anywhere trustworthy to store my luggage, I decided against it. Hiking up a mountain with 30 pounds of luggage sounds like a terrible idea. So instead I did some shopping. Yay! That's always fun - except all I kept thinking is how the hell am I getting all this shit home?!?! With all my shopping bags in hand and my luggage in tow, I then sat at a cafe and drank tea and had some soup in an attempt to thaw out from the bitter cold. Thankfully the sun was shining again, but the temperatures were below freezing and I didn't mind the warmth I found in the cafe. 

All in all, Scotland was one of the best decisions I made with in Europe. It was so last minute. It was completely unplanned. And it was so much fun. I just had to go with the flow and enjoy. And that's exactly what I did. I really can't wait to go back!

A Thanksgiving For the Books! - Day 99

Aileen and Jeremy hosted a FABULOUS American-esque Thanksgiving at their flat and so graciously invited me to join in the festivities. And let me tell you, it was just awesome. Of course, the food was fantastic, but more than that it was a chance to have a family-style feast, sitting around the table, laughing, eating, drinking, and enjoying general merriment. I went over a bit early to help them set up and cook and whatnot and it was just like being home, bustling around the kitchen and preparing the house for guests. The dinner party included about 18 people, mostly Americans that are on the Avengers sequel production with Jeremy, which is filming just outside of London.

Long story short: the food was amazing (super kudos to Aileen who cooked her very first turkey!), the people were engaging, and the night turned out to be so much fun. We all cleaned up together, the guests left, and I was invited to stay for a slumber party! (YAY, I love those!) It was a perfect night.

How cute are these place settings?! 

That is one sexy bird!

Looking at this plate makes me drool a little bit.

Impromptu Trip to Oxford and William's Birthday - Day 97

I have been dying to go to Oxford for a long time, but especially since reading the book A Discovery of Witches, which described in detail the magnificence of the Bodleian Library, home of some of the most incredible literary masterpieces and medical/scientific research of all time. With my time here dwindling fast, I figured no time like the present! I woke up bright and early and hopped on the train at Paddington Station en route to the lovely city of Oxford. I settled in for the hour-ish train ride and arrived at Oxford Station around 11am. I can't say that I did anything particularly exciting during my visit but I walked all over the city, marveling at the beautiful buildings and the history embedded in every element of the city and it was just amazing. I'm not gonna lie, when I finally got to the Bodleian, I actually cried. Cried! Man, what a nerd. It was just so overwhelming. Anyway, so it was a great day and it very much lived up to my expectations.

A nice walk with a latte in hand!

Lunch at Jamie's... surprise, surprise.  

When I got home, I took a little rest and then got ready to go and meet up with my friends to celebrate William's birthday. (William is my Parisian neighbor!) We went to a Tavern and met up with about a dozen of their friends. We had so much fun. And then about half of us, around midnight, decided that we wanted to go out dancing so we headed over to The Gate in Notting Hill and danced til 4am. Whew. What a night!

Me and Aurelie!

Aurelie, me, and the birthday boy, William! Have I mentioned that we've had a little bit of wine?

Bus shenanigans!! So silly!

Another awesome night with awesome friends.
Have I mentioned that I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE LONDON?!?

The Lumineers and Bhavya's Last Hurrah! - Day 96

I can't believe that I met Bhavya four months ago. I was staying at the University where he was studying and he asked to sit with me at breakfast and we've been friends ever since. I had been wearing my Mumford & Sons shirt and we got to talking about music. He mentioned the Lumineers were coming to play in November and I bought us tickets later that day! Now, four months later and only two days before he returns to Mumbai, we are going to the concert. We met up a bit early and grabbed a few drinks at a pub before jumping on the shuttle over to the venue. The place was packed and the show was amazing! AMAZING! And it was such a wonderful last hurrah with one of my very first London friends. When I hugged him goodbye on the tube, I actually got a bit teary! It's hard to imagine that we may never see one another again. He'll go on living his life in India and I'll be somewhere far, far away doing my own thing. I hope that our paths cross again but just his brief presence in my life has been truly magical. What a wonderful friend, no matter how temporary our time together way. I miss him already.

Most festive pub ever! So cute! Right outside Wood Park tube.

Catching Fire! - Day 95

So Wednesday, following two days of hard recovery after Laura's trip, I walked to Westfield's to meet Aileen for lunch at Jamie's (my favorite!) and then we walked around the mall a bit. I made my way home (not before grabbing a Starbucks Toffee Nut latte for the walk!) and then got ready to head down to Clapham to meet up with Ashley, Eric & Mel to go and see Catching Fire! Yay, my first cinematic experience in London! The movie was fantastic (it's not the book, but it never is!) and then we went back to Ashley's for a slumber party! We had tea before bed, in true British fashion, and slept like babies! Great movie well worth the anticipation!