don't want you to wake up

I have been on so many adventures lately. It’s really been overwhelming and FUN. There’s so much to tell. Let’s see if I can keep it all straight. You know I like organization. Let’s give it a go.


Sunday: Calton Hill

This is one of the most famous views of Edinburgh. Everyone goes up here to take beautiful views of the city.

Things to see:

Dugald Stewart Monument: Can’t actually go in it, sadly. But standing in front and taking a picture is always fun.

Miscellaneous unfinished monument: Funny story, actually. Edinburgh attempted to build a replica of a building in Athens (pretty sure it was the Parthenon, but I’m too lazy to look it up on Wikipedia right this moment). Strangely, they ran out of money in 1829 and the monument was never finished. So it just sits there. Half a frame of a would-be famous building at the top of a hill. Kind of fun.

On the way down: There’s a really cool cemetery across the street on the way back to Princes Street. In it, you’ll find graves dating back to the 1700s. And David Hume is buried there, amongst others. David Hume is cool. You should see it.



Monday: Scott Monument

Anya was back for a day! We had her and her sister until 2pm, so we had to make the most of it. The Scott Monument is on Princes Street and costs only 3 pounds. It’s tall and gothic and has LOTS of stairs. 287, I think. I took lots of pictures. They’re on facebook. Leisurely day so that we could say goodbye to Anya and help her leave all afternoon. So sad!



Tuesday: Glasgow

Spent almost the whole day in Glasgow doing some shopping. Didn’t buy much. Just a few things I fell in love with. It’s okay. No need to panic. The girls also shopped and everyone concurred it was a great success aside from a lunch debacle. The restaurant went missing. Oops.



Wednesday: various?

I think I’ve worn out several people with my adventuring. I’ve worn everyone down. They weren’t properly prepared for an Experience of Edinburgh. Nevertheless, I persevered and managed to accomplish quite a few things today.

National Gallery: James volunteered to go with. Lots of fun. Smallish, but we only did the free section. They did, however, have some of my favorite Degas paintings and impressionist art, so life was good.

Chocolate Soup: A restaurant. Almost on the Royal Mile. Kind of almost on the-magical-road-that-changes-names. Hunter Square, I think? They. Have. So. Much. Chocolate. Everything in the store (almost) has chocolate in it. I had soup, bread, and a very lovely hot chocolate. They even have “shots” of chocolate that are more chocolate than most can handle. Wonderful.

The Scotch Whisky Experience: Lots of fun! They’ve remodeled and created a ride that involved narrated barrel rides. You get to learn, watch, taste, and make funny faces. A couple of girls had a hard time with the whisky, but I think overall it was a success. I’d recommend it. Right next to the Castle.

Arthur’s Seat: It’s about time I went up. I live a whole thirty seconds from Arthur’s Seat and I’ve never been up. I’ve only been up the Crags. We went up to watch the sunset, but it was cloudy and cold. So we stayed for as long as we could, still watched the sunset from the top, and managed to make it back down just before dark. One of the best views of Edinburgh ever. Love.





That’s all the adventuring so far. I don’t think tomorrow will have too much more. The current plan is to sleep in a bit, finish packing in the morning, and maybe do a bus tour in the afternoon. Relatively leisurely. Then stay up all night until a 4am taxi, a bus, and a flight home!

I absolutely cannot believe that tomorrow (today?) is my last day here. I will miss it with every fiber of my being. It’s a beautiful city and a wonderful place to live and I’ve met such wonderful people. Must make a mental note to visit often.