After, I went to a museum that\u00a0focuses on how (Edinburgers?) have lived during the past 200 years. It was fascinating (and free! (why does it start to rain just when I decided to plop down?)) Besides that, I haven\u2019t been up to much (just uphill!). I\u2019m waiting to meet John and Linda at five. It\u2019s silly that I\u2019ve come all this way and will only be able to stay a half hour. It\u2019s a full hour\u2019s walk back to the bus station and the latest for Perth that I can afford to take is at 6:55. (So, I did end up going to Perth! Turns out there weren\u2019t any beds available in Stirling the night I wanted to go, and to go to Stirling from Edinburgh you have to go by Perth and change buses.)<\/p>\n
3:45 (of course the rain doesn\u2019t last (I mean \u2018atmosphere\u2019 but the cold sure sets in!) (when it rains, the Scots say it\u2019s \u2018atmospheric\u2019. When it snows, the Scots say it\u2019s \u2018dramatic\u2019. Why not!)<\/p>\n
Do you know what I found to be the creepiest thing in Edinburgh (besides the hidden vaults?) It\u2019s silly, but it\u2019s those strange back taxis rushing along on cobblestone streets late at night!!!!!!!!! In a way, they look like miniature hearses, I guess.<\/p>\n
On a more positive note, from Princes street, the castle is magnificent<\/em>! It looks like it\u2019s growing right out of the rock, like it sprouted from the volcano. I must admit that from without, I don\u2019t find the castle all that \u2018beautiful\u2019, but it is impressive and grand, a worthy fortress to defend this city. I remember being up with one of the cannons when a tourist pointed one out and joked that it must have been misfired, indicating the scaffold-covered Walter Scott Monument in the distance. Sure enough, the cannon was aimed straight at it!<\/p>\n On a backpacking holiday such as mine you more often than not find yourself living out of doors during the day. Right now, for example, I\u2019m sitting on a bench next to a busy intersection! No matter the weather, unless you can afford restaurants, you eat outside, usually while walking (the pizza yesterday was tricky! (it was pouring<\/em>!!!)) Luckily, Scots\u2019 diet seems to be tailored to this lifestyle; most food available in restaurants or deli counters is easily eatable \u2018on the go\u2019 (today, for example, I picked up a yummy cheese\/onion\/potato pasty-thingy at a co-op, which I ate on my way to this bench (59p).)<\/p>\n I must admit I\u2019m looking forward to eating 3 regular meals a day sitting down! What I don\u2019t<\/em> miss (oddly enough) is my bed, only my pillows. The mattresses and the comforters I\u2019ve encountered here are divine<\/em>, thick and moulding and warm<\/em>. The only time I\u2019ve had to use my own sleepsheet was at Ben Nevis, everywhere else it was supplied with the price of the night. In Inverness, I didn\u2019t like their system of tucking the pillow into a pouch (I like to cuddle up with it!) so I used the pillow case I brought.<\/p>\n A few general notes:<\/p>\n roundabouts=great fun! (esp. in a bus). I can see myself driving around one for hours \u2018\u00e0-la-Mr. Bean-on-the-way-to-the-dentist\u2019!<\/p>\n Edinburgh\u2019s layout: she\u2019s an ancient<\/em> city and has maintained a very \u2018medievalish\u2019 layout. Quebec city looks<\/em> medieval, but Edinburgh has all the closes, wynds, and dead ends that only an ancient city could have. It would<\/em> be fun to explore all these dark corners, but scary, too. Who knows what kind of people I\u2019ll find at the end of a dark (in the middle of the day!) alleyway?! I could live in Glasgow, but not here, I think. I thought Edinburgh\u2019s age would make her charming and soft, but it\u2019s rather the opposite. It doesn\u2019t feel safe<\/em>. However, it\u2019s the personification of my \u2018dream\u2019 or \u2018ideal\u2019 of an old European city. Edinburgh was hardly bombed during WWII, unlike London, which has very little old<\/em> \u2018stuff\u2019 left (or so I\u2019m told). I\u2019d like to try one of them double-decker buses they have here. I might try to find one that\u2019ll take me part of the way to St. Andrew\u2019s Square to catch the bus. Later.<\/p>\n
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