Edinburgh, Scotland

First of all I feel as though I need to start this post off with some business...haha. I am making all of these entries with the hope that someone, somewhere out there is tuning in. However, there is no way to be sure of this since no one has commented. So now I am going to take you on a small tutorial of how to make a comment. First of all if you are not a member and do not log in to look at these posts skip this and move on to the actual blog posting below. You mus have a user name in order to make a comment.

To begin:
At the end of each individual post you will see a time and date stamp with my name. Next to that it says 0 comments. That is a link, click on 0 comments and a little box will appear. This is where you type. Type your little comment about how wonderful or charmingly witty you thought my post was ;). After you do this click post comment. Then your name will appear underneath the post with what you have to say. This is a good way to filter questions to me because I can also post comments. I have provided an example if you scroll down to the end of the Camden Market post. I hope this helps because I would love to know that there are people out there enjoying what I'm writing! Also its a great way to stay in touch!

On the the real business!!!

This past weekend 8 of us made a trip up the countryside into Scotland. We took a train for 4 and a half hours to Edinburgh. The train was really nice and the scenery was pretty. Karen, Lindsey and I had a table all to ourselves which was very nice. When we arrived we immediately set off for our Hostel. This was the first time any of us were staying in a hostel and lets just say we were very nervous. Karen, Lindsey and I were in a 12 bed female dorm and Alyssa, Kristina and Andrea were in an 8 bed mixed dorm. We didn't do much after checking in except decide we were hungry. We ended up eating just across the street at an adorable pub/restaurant. They have little vaults where big groups of people can fit and have their own little table area. We all got burgers and they were amazing! After this we walked back across the street and decided to get ready for bed. This is when the real experience begins... staying in a 12 bed female dorm is extremely intimidating at night. There were only 4 of us that went to bed at the same time leaving the rest to come home whenever. At about 2 am the door flew open and four french girls walk in. All we hear is French as they bustle about the room shining flashlights on each bed to see what is open. All three of us had out eyes clenched shut and were thinking in out heads, go to sleep, go to sleep! In reality it wasn't that bad but when it is 2 am and you cannot understand a word of what someone is saying as they are circling your bed, you are a bit out of your element. Overall though the hostel and the people were extremely nice.

Day 2 began with a tour of Edinburgh Castle. This castle pales in comparison to Windsor in almost everything except the view. I probably took 30 pictures from the castle as it looked over the whole city and the ocean. We toured this for a few hours seeing their crown jewels and great halls. We then set off to try the Whiskey Experience! I think the only thing it taught me was that Whiskey... not really for me haha. We got to sample and smell different types of whiskey and got a cup! It was really fun and I bought a few souvenirs for my dad as well as for Vince. We also learned here that Scotch and Scottish Whiskey are the same thing, in case like us you didn't know. We also saw the largest Whiskey collection in the world! This turned in to a fairly long day. We stopped at a little Italian place for dinner and then had a few drinks in a pub later that night. We discovered a Belgium white beer called Fruli, I highly recommend.

Day 3 continued with a hike to St. Andrews Seat. Little did I know that the hike to the dormant volcano mountain was going to turn into a hike up the dormant volcano mountain. All dressed up in our uggs, trench coats and purses we started up the mountain. Lets just say that the shape I am in physically leaves something to be desired so it was not an easy climb! I somehow fashioned my purse into a backpack leaving my hands free in case I would go plummeting to my death. Reaching the peak was incredible. This is where I took basically the rest of my pictures. We could see in every direction for many many miles. The hike down was scarier than the hike up but we made it down just fine. After this we headed back into the city. Half of the group decided to go on a ghost tour while Karen and I headed for J.K. Rowling's place of inspiration. We were in pursuit of The Elephant House. This is where a poor J.K. Rowling began the best book series in the world, Harry Potter.

Overall the weekend was a blast. I never thought I'd go to Scotland and I can say knowing what I know now I would have regretted not seeing all the things I have seen. Edinburgh is beautiful and full of history. It was the perfect place for us to take our first weekend away from London.

Love