Lisa, Katie, Lexie and I left for the Victoria Bus Station after class late Thursday afternoon, eager to start our trip, especially after some major tube delays had us taking longer to get there than we originally hoped. However, thanks to foresight, we left early and arrived at the bus station with plenty of time to spare. Our bus was scheduled to leave at 4:30pm and arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland at 1:30am. Yes, you did the math right--that is 9 hour bus ride. Let me just pause to say that the bus route was not my idea. Interestingly enough, a 9-hour bus ride is not my idea of a good time. I was fully supportive of paying the extra money to take a train which gets you there in 4 1/2 hours, but I was out-voted. Politics suck. And in the ultimate cliche of really long trips via public transportation, there was a baby at the back of the bus who cried for an impressive five-hours straight while it's mother looked on without doing much to alleviate whatever was causing it discomfort. Star-parent award right there. Ranting aside though, the bus ride honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Perhaps my expectations of it were just so low initially anything could've surpassed them. And it helps when you have an I-pod and friends.
We got into Edinburgh around 2 in the morning and took a taxi to our hostel which was on a side street just off The Royal Mile. The taxi driver was really nice, naming a bunch of places we should see and things we should do, but as soon as he started talking, I realized exactly what it was about Scottish accents that people warn you about--It might as well be another language for all that you understand the first time around. We had to ask him to repeat things several times, though we eventually got what he was saying. Soon after, we checked into our hotel, bleary-eyed and tired, and made our way to our room. The hostel itself wasn't too bad (even so it made our flats look like 5 star-hotels), though we didn't realize we were in a mixed dorm and spent much of the night being kept awake by the monstrous snoring of the old guy already asleep in one of the beds on the far side of the room. (Don't freak out mom, it was completely fine). For those of you who know Maggie and the snoring she is capable of--let me just say that this man's snoring made her's seem like normal breathing. It was that loud. And all I could think to myself as I lay in my bed with my pillow pressed over my ears was at least I can poke Maggie and tell her to be quiet. Needless to say, we were up and ready to leave at 8:30 in the morning.
Our first stop, or stops I should say, were made as we walked along the Royal Mile where we got our first look at Scotland in the daylight. The Royal Mile was like no other place I've been before. Built on the tail of an old volcano, the area that makes up the Royal Mile is a beautiful blend of Gothic and Renassiance architecture with an eclectic mix of pubs, shops, market stalls, and people. The whole place has such an aura of the history that surrounds it, it's impossible not to be captivated by it. We wandered slowly up the hill trying to take it all in as we headed towards Edinburgh Castle, even passing a bag-piper whose music added to the ambiance of the whole place.
Once we got to the Castle, we naturally took a couple of pictures, expecially at the edge where you got a great view of the city and outlying mountains. We walked as far into the castle as we could though we ended up not taking the tour as it was a bit on the pricey side. After getting our fill of the castle, we walked to the other end of the Royal Mile that opens up into Holyrood Park. At the end of the road, the hills rise up, including Arthur's Seat which we set our sights on to climb. It was definitely a hike, and a steep one at that, but for me it was great. The hills were beautiful, even in the gray, misty morning, veined with random little foot-paths that criss-crossed all over the valleys and peaks to offer you the best views of the city.
Once we reached the plateau-like peak of the first hill, a shorter, though much steeper and rocker climb, led to the top of Arthur's Seat. Due to a mutual fear of heights, none of the other girls wanted to go further, so adventurer that I am, I decided to take on the last part myself. And boy was it worth it! The view from the very top was incredible. Even with the clouds you could see for miles with the city spread out far below.
I easily could've spent all day hiking to the various look-outs in the hills, but after our hike everyone, including myself, decided it was time to start seeking out lunch. We grabbed lunch at a cute little pub near the Royal Mile and then spent more time wandering around through the many streets and closes of Edinburgh to see what we could see. (We also paused at a home-made short-bread and toffee store where the owner and baker bakes everything in a little oven along the back wall fresh everyday. Everyone bought something different so we could try everything and it was delicious!) After all of the walking we decided to stop at a little cafe called Patisserie Valerie for some tea and dessert. I got my first real cup of English Breakfast Tea, which I am now addicted to, and a small slice of chocolate mousse. Yum! That night consisted of more walking around and hanging at a couple of pubs and bars to get an experience of the nightlife though we headed back around midnight as all of us were exhausted. 
Luckily, the old guy was gone and replaced with a very nice girl from Italy who did not snore, so we all got a bit more sleep that night. (Needless to say from now on we will be quadruple-checking that we have selected an all-female room.) The next morning Lisa's two friends left to head back to England while Lisa and I continued on to meet up with a girl from her sorority who also happened to be in Edinburgh.
We then had lunch in the Princes Street Garden, where Lisa and I met up with our friend from high school, Laura, who is studying this semester at the University of Glasgow. It was actually kind of funny to all be together in Edinburgh, Scotland, like finding a little piece of home unexpectedly. We spent the rest of the day with Laura and her friends, walking around more of the city and pausing to buy little souvenirs. (I got a unique, little hand-made clockwork necklace from a street vendor if anyone is curious.) Later on in the evening, after Laura got on a bus to go home, Lisa and I headed to have dinner before our own bus left.
And this might have been one of my favorite parts of the trip too. Why you ask? What's so special about dinner? Well, we got to have dinner at the very cafe where J.K. Rowling first wrote Harry Potter! This was a very big deal for me as though of you who understand my love for Harry Potter know. It was beyond cool to eat and sit where one of the biggest literary phenomenons of all time first began. Though for the most part, the cafe looked like a normal little cozy cafe with an abnormally large collection of elephants (It's called The Elephant House), there was a board where there were pictures and articles from when she was writing and the bathrooms were all graffitied with Harry Potter quotes. And the food was great too!!
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