Pentland Hills Regional Park

I finally made it out hiking the other weekend - I went to Pentland Hills Regional Park, which is just on the outskirts of Edinburgh and easily accessible by bus. As I had a bit of trouble getting out of bed that morning, I only really got half a day of hiking in but it was nice to finally visit the hills that have been calling my name since I got here (they're visible from a lot of points in the city, including the office where I work). There were no trees and it was a clear day (until the rain came), which made for some nice views. Like most things I've done here, it made me want to do more.




View of Edinburgh from a hill-top

More hills to explore

 

I've also continued to learn a bunch of new things, which is great. I've learned that eggs are not refrigerated here (still seems a bit strange to open my cupboard and see eggs), underwear dries super quickly on a hot radiator (file this one under "things you learn when you don't have a clothes dryer"), baking soda is kept in the digestive aids aisle, and the @ button and the " button switch places on a UK keyboard (which makes for some invalid email addresses).

 

I think I can finally say that I now instinctively know which way to look before I cross the road. My problem now is that I'm so used to getting it wrong that I automatically second guess myself and end up looking the wrong way anyway. I try to sort it out by asking myself "which side would you drive on if you were in Canada?" and I think the best answer may be that I shouldn't drive for a while when I get back to Canada.

Glasgow

I went to Glasgow on the weekend. It's only about an hour train ride (depending on how many stops the train makes) from Edinburgh, which makes it super easy to get to. I really enjoyed Glasgow and hope to go back (they have a Celtic festival in January that sounds appealing). It reminded me of a mix between Vienna and Toronto, which is weird because it's not really anything like either. Maybe Vienna for the history and the Christmas decorations and Toronto because it was chilly and there was a subway?

I went museum/gallery hopping while I was there, visiting the Lighthouse (architecture and design), the Gallery of Modern Art, the Glasgow Cathedral, St. Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art, and the People's Palace (history of life in Glasgow). Even though it wasn't my first old cathedral and I probably shouldn't have been so impressed, I was a bit amazed at the Glasgow Cathedral and how big and intricately designed it was for its time (I got caught up in the religious atmosphere and found myself thinking "Jesus Christ this is big!"). Most of the museums and galleries are free, as they are in Edinburgh as well, which I think this is a great idea and something we should copy in Canada (get on that, someone powerful in Canada... who no doubt is reading this...). To continue my newfound interest in history, I've now added the history of Glasgow to the list of things I want to learn more about.

Washroom signs at the Lighthouse

 

Not-so-great photo of inside the Glasgow Cathedral

I also took advantage of the sunny weather and walked around the Glasgow Necropolis, walked along the River Clyde and took in some buskers on Buchanan Street. One thing on my list that I didn't do was check out some live music (apart from the buskers). It was something I wanted to do but it turns out that I'm too chicken to go watch a band play by myself. I have no problems eating at a restaurant or sitting in a coffee shop by myself (even without a smart phone to keep me company) but I didn't feel confident enough to go to a club without backup. It's something I'll have to remedy because I missed out on a great opportunity.

Glasgow Necropolis

 



Friendly Edinburghians and Guy Fawkes Day

Ok, so it’s been a while since I’ve posted but I have a good excuse this time – I didn’t have internet access at home (and I’m still in the “trying to make a good impression at work” phase so didn’t feel like posting from the office). So this post and the two below are what I haven’t posted over the last couple of weeks (I’m going to try and outsmart Blogger to put this in the proper order, but it could all back fire).

Everyone I’ve come across here has been incredibly friendly and welcoming and I’m told it’s even more so in Glasgow (where I’m headed tomorrow). People say that Canadians are friendly but I don’t think we have anything on the Scottish…. then again, maybe I just don’t notice it in Canada. It’s also likely that people are super friendly in other countries I’ve been to but because I don’t know the language they’re speaking, I just don’t get the full impact.

I celebrated my first Guy Fawkes Day this week… and by celebrate I mean I watched fireworks from my kitchen window while making dinner (don’t judge, I had mild intentions of actually going out to watch the fireworks but it was cold and damp and my apartment was warm and full of food). For those who don’t know the story of Guy Fawkes, you should Google it because I’ll probably tell it wrong (especially since in my head, I pronounce 'Guy' the French-Canadian way and think of his last name as 'Fox'). All I can say is that I doubt that people would celebrate someone who tried to blow up a government building in current times but I’m all for bonfires and fireworks.

I’m doing it! I’m doing it!

This past summer, I went on a 5 day beginner white water kayaking course. At some point during the week, I was paddling down a rapid and for once I was a) still in my boat and b) not upside-down. The instructor was watching off to the side and yelled “You’re doing it! You’re doing it!”.  Every once in a while since I’ve been here, when I’ve managed to pull something off with all the appearances of being a local, my kayak instructor’s voice pops in my head and I start grinning like an idiot.

I’ve found a place to live in Edinburgh for the next however long I’ll be here. It’s a room in a shared apartment so I have housemates for the first time since university. It was the easiest move I’ve ever done as I only have 2 suitcases of belongings with me – no boxes, minimal packing and an easy cab ride to my new digs. I was ecstatic to move in and be able to cook my own food again. Staying in a hotel and eating out all the time always sounds so much better than it actually is.

I’m hoping that having a place to call my own will help me feel more settled here. Last week I was pretty homesick. It didn’t even occur to me before I left, that I might get homesick. I decided to do the whole travelling thing to get out of a rut, get new experiences, and get away from same old “home”  but I sometimes find myself strangely longing for my life in Ottawa, where things were easy and everything wasn’t something new that had to be figured out. I’m feeling a lot better about things this week though, which is good. And when I got back from Falkirk and Stirling last weekend (see below), I flopped down on my bed and thought “oh, it’s so nice to be home”. So I guess I am adjusting and feeling more settled than I thought.

Stirling and Falkirk

 For my first weekend of travelling, I went to Falkirk and Stirling (towns about 45 minutes or so by train from Edinburgh). For those who don’t know, Stirling has a castle and a monument to William Wallace (think Braveheart). Falkirk has a lock system that involves a big wheel that scoops up boats and lifts them something like 35m into an aquaduct that connects to the canal system. My original plan was to spend all day Saturday and Sunday morning in Stirling and then stop in at Falkirk on the way home on Sunday to see the wheel but on Saturday morning I checked the weather and it was going to piss down with rain Saturday and be clear and sunny on Sunday. I had heard that there were fantastic views from the Wallace Monument and didn’t want a repeat of the rained out Forth bridges view so I decided to hit up Falkirk on Saturday morning and then do Stirling Saturday afternoon and Sunday to maximize the clear sunny views. 

Falkirk and the Falkirk wheel were great. The wheel is quite impressive and fairly odd. I went on a boat tour that goes on the wheel and then through a canal tunnel so I could get the full experience. During the boat tour, the (hilarious) guide told us about the ruins of Rough Castle, a Roman fort, that were nearby, so after taking my fill of Falkirk Wheel photos, I followed a trail to the old fort. It was so beautiful, even in the rain, and for someone who hated history at school, I was really interested to learn about the fort and see everything laid out. It was really neat! I guess I’ve gotten to the point where I can finally appreciate history.

My outstanding photo collage of the wheel in motion.

All that rotation for the equivalent energy consumption of 8 electric kettles.

 

 

On the way to Rough Castle

After the Wheel and the fort, I continued on to Stirling.  I wasn’t feeling the greatest by that point (a little rundown I think) and it was cold and wet, so that probably didn’t help with my impression of Stirling but it didn’t quite live up to what I was expecting (I was expecting more “tourist mecca” and less “small town”). Things got better on Sunday when the weather turned sunny (and windy!). I walked around a little and then visited the castle. The views definitely lived up to expectations!  After the castle, I decided not to go to the Wallace Monument and instead walked to the old Stirling bridge and then headed to the train station to go home. The views from the castle were fantastic so I wasn’t sad to miss the view from the Monument (which was probably similar except you would see the castle instead of the monument).  I meant no disrespect to William Wallace but I was tired and ready to leave.

Stirling Castle

 

 

View from the Castle (or actually, from beside the castle)

  

View of Wallace Monument from the Castle

Tomorrow morning I’m off to Glasgow for the weekend - I hear they have some great museums/galleries and a lot of live music.