Edinburgh

The bus ride up the midlands to Scotland was very scenic, with plenty of old farmhouses, cottages, churches, and fluffy sheep as far as the eye could see. The further north we were from London the more dramatic the landscape became. I arrived at the bus station in Edinburgh pretty late at night, and checked into the Castle Rock Hostel, which is right next to Edinburgh Castle. It was undergoing repairs (many of the buildings in the historic Royal Mile usually are for regular maintenance) so I woke up to the sound of Scottish construction workers shouting and laughing at each other...it was awesome! I really couldn't make out most of what they were saying but it was entertaining nonetheless.
I headed out to a cafe and ordered my first heavy breakfast in a while, a breakfast roll from a cafe, the owner swore it was a "typical" Scottish breakfast... The roll had a fried egg, bacon, and sausage in it and tasted like heaven (I've mostly been having cereal or toast, the usual hostel fare), but was so rich I spent the rest of the morning trying to wake up from the food coma!
I loved the city, especially the Royal Mile. The pics speak for themselves, it is just gorgeous. I only had a day, but visited the National Gallery of Scotland, Mary King's Close (an abandoned 11th century underground neighborhood that was closed off in 1753 and is now re-opened to the public), Edinburgh Castle, and ....cashmere shops! haha it was so tempting to go crazy and splurge, but seriously I can't even consider carrying more things in my backpack...I suppose that's a good thing :) the weather was pretty wild...dark gray skies, windy and chilly, with sprinkles here and there...really it just made the city more dramatic visually.
I am heading back to London tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing more neighborhoods that I missed the first time around.



















































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