As my dissertation, and therefore my Master's degree, is now done and dusted, I felt the need to reward myself with a little mini-vacation to Edinburgh. I had heard from lots of people that it's a really cool city and I was not disappointed. I stayed at this enormous hostel right beneath the castle in a really old stone building. Lots of great social areas (key when staying in hostels), the highlight being the room with the record player and tons of old albums. My favourite was a collection of 'Bawdy Sing-alongs' from the 50s that I discovered with a group of people one night and that we proceeded to play on repeat and sing along to (obviously). Seriously, look up Oscar Brand's Bawdy Songs--it's brilliant, and only mildly disturbing.
This trip really solidified my deep and abiding love for hostels. I met new people from all over the world every night and it's just such an awesome atmosphere. It makes me quite sad that the U.S. lacks this whole hostel culture. I've never had a bad experience at a hostel and there's something just really fantastic about having a network of people from all over the world that you've bonded with.
Edinburgh itself was also great. It's already started to get cool up there and since I love autumn it was pretty much perfect. For the most part I just wandered the city--I was staying in the Old Town and there are tons of great little cobblestone alleys, old buildings, and cemeteries. Slightly morbid on that last one, but got some great photos (and saw Tom Riddell's grave, the one that inspired J.K. Rowling, for you fellow Harry Potter nerds). Of course I toured the castle (and saw fireworks set off over it one night) and climbed Arthur's Seat which was a great little hike and had unbelievable views. I was pretty out of breath by the time I reached the top, but then I felt completely put to shame by the 60-year-old men who I then saw literally sprinting up and down. Respect.
Other highlights of Edinburgh were, obviously, the food and drink. I had my fair share of haggis which was really good (but I'm probably not to be trusted on this one because I'll eat some pretty weird stuff). And then one night I treated myself to a mildly fancy dinner of mussels, fresh French bread, and an old-fashioned. Congratulations to me. Then, of course, there was the Scotch. Don't ask me all the different kinds I tried. I do remember that my favourite was called Kilchoman--a nice peaty Islay. It was further enhanced by the fact that I drank it while listening to traditional Scottish music in a pub with a bunch of awesome people. While we're on the topic of alcohol (I seem to get on this topic rather often), the beer in Scotland is also not too shabby. I enjoyed quite a few pints in little pubs. There is also a great brewery called Brewdog that also has a bar and some wicked good beer.
One of my other favourite discoveries was a little record/coffee shop right near Grassmarket. They play some great music and have fantastic coffee (mocha with chili-flavoured chocolate? yes, please). Just a great place to chill. Plus I found a copy of True Romance for £5--if you haven't seen this film, please do so immediately (it's not really as the title suggests). Another great spot was the Stockbridge Market where I found delicious craft beers that were aged in bourbon and rum barrels (Eden Brewery) and a bakery that made a pear, fennel, blue cheese, and candied walnut tart. Pretty damn good breakfast.
Moral of the story: Edinburgh (and Scotland in general) are awesome. And I'm going to continue to be in denial over the fact that I will likely be leaving the UK soon.
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