This past weekend I traveled up north to Edinburgh, Scotland. After a lovely 8.5 hour bus ride there it was a welcome relief to stretch and go explore the city. Our hostel, however, had much to be desired. I suppose half of it was the smell, which was the most awful combination of unmentionables. That, and the fact that my friend and I were so very out of place. Everyone else there had blond dread locks and didn't believe in the principle of bathing. Oh well, we only used it to sleep in. Now I know that I was designed to stay in hotels, not hostels.
We started off day one by trying to get to the Castle. There weren't any signs (which we should have considered), so we figured the path would take us up the hill towards the Royal Mile and the Castle. Well, it took us up the hill but blocked all access above and beyond. Besides getting a nice work out at 8:30 in the morning, we did get a gorgeous view of Edinburgh.
The Castle, once we finally reached it, was a very cool place to explore. I couldn't imagine being a prisoner of war there, or actually using it to defend against an invading army. Today it does nothing more than earn revenue for the city as a tourist spot, which is a much more pleasant role all around I should think. The Scottish Crown Jewels are kept there, as well as some very nice paintings of the Stewart Monarchs in the Royal Hall. After spending a few hours touring the Castle we decided to taste a few whiskeys, which then prompted a need for lunch to get some food in our bellies...
Saturday we spent exploring the Highlands, which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen before. The day was cold - 9 degrees C! - but the sites were gorgeous. Below are some of my favorite pictures from the day.
Here is me on the banks of Loch Ness. No monster I'm afraid but worth the trip nonetheless!
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