Wow, Edinburgh is truly amazing. I want to live here some day.
After writing last night, I went on a pub crawl. It took us to four pubs around the city, and they were all really neat. One of them had more than thirty different flavors of vodka. It was ridiculous!! Anyway, I made some friends from Marquette who will be studying in London, and hung out with them most of the night. Instead of going to the last pub with the group, we decided to go back to the hostel, that is...until we walked by the graveyard.
It was already well after 1 AM, and we were all really tired, but we decided to try out our hand at ghosthunting. It was great fun. We went to one of the most "haunted" graveyards in the world, and walked around for awhile in the dark. For the first forty-five or so minutes, the only scares we got were from one of us creeping up on the other. But then, we went to the upper portion of the graveyard, where Edinburgh's most rich and famous were buried. While we were walking through there, the lights in two of the windows int he building right behind the graveyard started flickering. And this was not like oh-this-light-needs-a-new-lightbulb flickering, this was creepy intermittent flickering. It was two windows, one on top of the other (top two floors of the building), and they weren't blinking in unison. We thought it was pretty neat, and I think I was able to capture it on camera. But our treat was not over. We went closer to the building to check the lights out, and saw shadows in the window. Then, we heard a rustling on the ground a bit behind us. The rustling really startled us, and then we heard shrieking (it sounded like a little girl's voice to me). After the shrieking, one of the girls in the group was ready to run the heck out of the graveyard alone if we didn't go with her, so we all followed suit. So none of us actually saw any ghosts, but we think we heard spirits of some sort, and that was more than we really could have asked for. Tonight, I'm going back to the same graveyard on its "City of the Dead Tour," and I am pretty darn excited!!
I got back to the hostel after two AM, and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. I slept for almost seven solid hours, and woke up at around nine. I met the other two people who had checked into my room, they were a nice couple (he is from Portugal and she from Spain) . I went to a nearby shop and bought some peanuts and water, finally trying to start my day off with something other than coffee.
I went on the free walking tour that the hostel offers and it was great. It seems like we got to see almost the entire city. I then went to The Last Drop for lunch, which is where people went to drink their last pint before being hanged (the old gallows are right across the street from the hostel). I had a delicious wrap and some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had.
After lunch, I went to the National Museum of Scotland and it was truly amazing...the 0th floor any way. I was still looking through the Ice Age and Early People section when the fire alarm went off. What is it with Britain and its alarms? The whole museum was evacuated, and I decided that there was enough else I wanted to see that I did not need to wait until we were allowed in again. I made the trek to the University of Edinburgh, and on the way realized that the whole block had been evacuated. People were pouring out of every building on the street, and I overheard a couple of guys saying that a bakery was the cause of all the fire alarms. I didn't see anything burning, though!!
The University is absolutely beautiful--it would be ncie if UofA had a program directly with the school, but it is something I might look into anyway. I will see how I feel about the other schools, I suppose.
After looking at the school, I climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat (as in King Arthur). Once I reached the summit (it was one of the most incredible hikes I have ever taken) of 250.5 metres, I was embodied by a cloud. It was so neat. I waited for awhile to see if the mist would pass though, because I really climbed the hike for the views I thought it would present me with of the city. Sure enough, the clouds subsided (very temporarily) and it was so pretty. While I was up there, I heard somebody ask somebody else if King Arthur had a seat up there that he used to go and sit on...Anyway, it was certainly a different experience than hiking Camelback Mountain and the likes.
After the hike, I made my way to Princes Street and went into H&M to get a new belt (mine broke on the first day :(). I really need to try to limit my H&M visits while in the U.K., because I have neither the room nor the money to make the purchases I would like to make every time I go in that store.
After H&M, I thought about going in the castle, but it was closed for entry so I just looked at it from a distance (I WILL be coming back to Edinburgh and I can look at it then!!). I found a place to eat, and ordered a pizza margherita. It was delicious. I went back to the hostel, and started writing this entry before my time ran out, and somebody else was in line for the computer.
At ten o'clock, I went on the City of the Dead tour, and it was such a good time!! This guy at the hostel from Singapore who was ont he pub crawl the ngiht before and will be on my flight to Dublin went to, so I thought it was exciting that I actually knew someone going on it...but while I was waiting before it started I heard a couple of college students talking and I thought I heard the word "Tucson," so I freaked out and walked over to inquire. Sure enough, I heard right. I had barely even met anyone from the U.S. here, and these three kids were from Arizona!! They were with the ASU Barrett Honors College Summer in the United Kingdom/Ireland Study Program (the one that Amie Vigneux went on last year). So I hung around with them and the guy from Singapore during the tour. Our tour guide was great, hilarious and a bit scary. The point of the tour that stuck out to me the most was when we were standing at the top of the graveyard and our tour guide asked if anyone knew how many headstones were in the graveyard?" I ventured a guess of 300-350. He said "very close--it is actually just shy of 450." Then he asked us how many bodies were buried there. I guessed 5,000. The answer was somewhere between 250,00 and 400,000. In a single graveyard with 450 headstones!! He told us that the point we were standing at used to be the lowest point int he graveyard...yikes!! We got locked in a crypt for the last fifteen minutes of the tour, and that is where most of the sightings and other strange things occur. Nothing special happened this time around, but the tourguide had this perfectly planned scare that made everyone jump and scream. If I tried to describe it, it would not serve the atual effect it had on everyone any justice. I did capture some strange lights in a few pictures (but I think they might be from other people's flashes), and I woke up with a couple of scrapes that I had not before noticed, but I do not think they were inflicted by Mackenzie's Poltergeist (the "thing" that is believed to cause the mysterious bruises, bite marks, etc. that people sometimes acquire as a part fo this tour.
After leaving the graveyard, I went to a pub with my ASU friends and the tour guide, and a couple of his local friends. The pub was named after a dog that is believed by many to have slept on his master's grave for fourteen years after his death. We were told that it was actually a different John Grey's tomb that he slept on, which was a shame. The dog's statue (Grey Friar's Bobby is his name) is the most photographed statue in all of Scotland. Yes, I took a picture.
We had so much fun talking with the Edinburgh folk, and were a bit bummed when the pub closed. Afterwards, the ASU people and I went to find some grub, and then ate in a quad at the University. We finally bid farewell sometime after one. I went back to the hostel and tried to get online, but the internet was not working. I got a few hours of sleep before I had to wake up, check out, and head to Edinburgh Waverly train station.
I took a train to Leuchars, then a bus to St. Andrews. I wandered around for awhile and then finally asked a passerby for directions to my hostel. I was led slightly astray, but found it finally. It is pretty nice.
I checked in, dropped of my bags, and went exploring. St. Andrews seems to be the quintessential United Kingdom college town and a Golf Mecca at the same time. I checked out the University and honestly could nto believe what I saw. Pictures unfortunately were not able to capture quite what I saw, but some of the dorms and classroom buildings are old mansions that look like castles, and the departments of both Moral Philosophy and Economics, as well as Logic, are perfectly situated on the sea, and close to the castle ruins. Karissa, if you are reading this I am going to have some questions for you!!
After looking at the University, I went to the St. Andrews Museum and they had this really neat St. Andrews, A-Z exhibit. I got to dress up as a pilgrim. Oh, and I lay down on a bench outside of the museum beforehand--I felt kind of like one of the people you would see taking naps on benches in Tucson from time to time.
For lunch, I ate pizza...again (it seems to be the cheapest thing I can get everywhere--and it is always good!!) For dinner I went to Tesco and grabbed some snacky things. Then I went to Subway because I was still hungry.
I went to the sea and sat on a rock (maybe limestone) and did a couple of Wordoku puzzles. I also went to the castle. but it was evening already and it was closed to the public. I will have to go back tomorrow.
My hostel mates this time around are from Romania and California. 3 from Romania and one from California. We might be getting some more because there are eight beds in our room.
I was sad to leave Edinburgh so soon, but St. Andrews is absolutely beautiful (and old, as well). And the weather today was nice and chilly (I got to wear my Windwall the whole day), so it is all good.
Tomorrow I will do a bit more exploring and then head off to Dublin. Can't wait to see another old city!! And in case it is not evident enough from my blog, Scotland is AMAZING!!!
Jason
I went on the free walking tour that the hostel offers and it was great. It seems like we got to see almost the entire city. I then went to The Last Drop for lunch, which is where people went to drink their last pint before being hanged (the old gallows are right across the street from the hostel). I had a delicious wrap and some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had.
After lunch, I went to the National Museum of Scotland and it was truly amazing...the 0th floor any way. I was still looking through the Ice Age and Early People section when the fire alarm went off. What is it with Britain and its alarms? The whole museum was evacuated, and I decided that there was enough else I wanted to see that I did not need to wait until we were allowed in again. I made the trek to the University of Edinburgh, and on the way realized that the whole block had been evacuated. People were pouring out of every building on the street, and I overheard a couple of guys saying that a bakery was the cause of all the fire alarms. I didn't see anything burning, though!!
The University is absolutely beautiful--it would be ncie if UofA had a program directly with the school, but it is something I might look into anyway. I will see how I feel about the other schools, I suppose.
After looking at the school, I climbed to the top of Arthur's Seat (as in King Arthur). Once I reached the summit (it was one of the most incredible hikes I have ever taken) of 250.5 metres, I was embodied by a cloud. It was so neat. I waited for awhile to see if the mist would pass though, because I really climbed the hike for the views I thought it would present me with of the city. Sure enough, the clouds subsided (very temporarily) and it was so pretty. While I was up there, I heard somebody ask somebody else if King Arthur had a seat up there that he used to go and sit on...Anyway, it was certainly a different experience than hiking Camelback Mountain and the likes.
After the hike, I made my way to Princes Street and went into H&M to get a new belt (mine broke on the first day :(). I really need to try to limit my H&M visits while in the U.K., because I have neither the room nor the money to make the purchases I would like to make every time I go in that store.
After H&M, I thought about going in the castle, but it was closed for entry so I just looked at it from a distance (I WILL be coming back to Edinburgh and I can look at it then!!). I found a place to eat, and ordered a pizza margherita. It was delicious. I went back to the hostel, and started writing this entry before my time ran out, and somebody else was in line for the computer.
At ten o'clock, I went on the City of the Dead tour, and it was such a good time!! This guy at the hostel from Singapore who was ont he pub crawl the ngiht before and will be on my flight to Dublin went to, so I thought it was exciting that I actually knew someone going on it...but while I was waiting before it started I heard a couple of college students talking and I thought I heard the word "Tucson," so I freaked out and walked over to inquire. Sure enough, I heard right. I had barely even met anyone from the U.S. here, and these three kids were from Arizona!! They were with the ASU Barrett Honors College Summer in the United Kingdom/Ireland Study Program (the one that Amie Vigneux went on last year). So I hung around with them and the guy from Singapore during the tour. Our tour guide was great, hilarious and a bit scary. The point of the tour that stuck out to me the most was when we were standing at the top of the graveyard and our tour guide asked if anyone knew how many headstones were in the graveyard?" I ventured a guess of 300-350. He said "very close--it is actually just shy of 450." Then he asked us how many bodies were buried there. I guessed 5,000. The answer was somewhere between 250,00 and 400,000. In a single graveyard with 450 headstones!! He told us that the point we were standing at used to be the lowest point int he graveyard...yikes!! We got locked in a crypt for the last fifteen minutes of the tour, and that is where most of the sightings and other strange things occur. Nothing special happened this time around, but the tourguide had this perfectly planned scare that made everyone jump and scream. If I tried to describe it, it would not serve the atual effect it had on everyone any justice. I did capture some strange lights in a few pictures (but I think they might be from other people's flashes), and I woke up with a couple of scrapes that I had not before noticed, but I do not think they were inflicted by Mackenzie's Poltergeist (the "thing" that is believed to cause the mysterious bruises, bite marks, etc. that people sometimes acquire as a part fo this tour.
After leaving the graveyard, I went to a pub with my ASU friends and the tour guide, and a couple of his local friends. The pub was named after a dog that is believed by many to have slept on his master's grave for fourteen years after his death. We were told that it was actually a different John Grey's tomb that he slept on, which was a shame. The dog's statue (Grey Friar's Bobby is his name) is the most photographed statue in all of Scotland. Yes, I took a picture.
We had so much fun talking with the Edinburgh folk, and were a bit bummed when the pub closed. Afterwards, the ASU people and I went to find some grub, and then ate in a quad at the University. We finally bid farewell sometime after one. I went back to the hostel and tried to get online, but the internet was not working. I got a few hours of sleep before I had to wake up, check out, and head to Edinburgh Waverly train station.
I took a train to Leuchars, then a bus to St. Andrews. I wandered around for awhile and then finally asked a passerby for directions to my hostel. I was led slightly astray, but found it finally. It is pretty nice.
I checked in, dropped of my bags, and went exploring. St. Andrews seems to be the quintessential United Kingdom college town and a Golf Mecca at the same time. I checked out the University and honestly could nto believe what I saw. Pictures unfortunately were not able to capture quite what I saw, but some of the dorms and classroom buildings are old mansions that look like castles, and the departments of both Moral Philosophy and Economics, as well as Logic, are perfectly situated on the sea, and close to the castle ruins. Karissa, if you are reading this I am going to have some questions for you!!
After looking at the University, I went to the St. Andrews Museum and they had this really neat St. Andrews, A-Z exhibit. I got to dress up as a pilgrim. Oh, and I lay down on a bench outside of the museum beforehand--I felt kind of like one of the people you would see taking naps on benches in Tucson from time to time.
For lunch, I ate pizza...again (it seems to be the cheapest thing I can get everywhere--and it is always good!!) For dinner I went to Tesco and grabbed some snacky things. Then I went to Subway because I was still hungry.
I went to the sea and sat on a rock (maybe limestone) and did a couple of Wordoku puzzles. I also went to the castle. but it was evening already and it was closed to the public. I will have to go back tomorrow.
My hostel mates this time around are from Romania and California. 3 from Romania and one from California. We might be getting some more because there are eight beds in our room.
I was sad to leave Edinburgh so soon, but St. Andrews is absolutely beautiful (and old, as well). And the weather today was nice and chilly (I got to wear my Windwall the whole day), so it is all good.
Tomorrow I will do a bit more exploring and then head off to Dublin. Can't wait to see another old city!! And in case it is not evident enough from my blog, Scotland is AMAZING!!!
Jason
2 comments:
Oh man, I am soooooo excited to read your next entry!!!!! You make me want to visit all of these places!!!
this is a beautiful post..and im sorry that i am so caught up in this but..
h and m...
lucky bastard....
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