It had been a huge night on the bus. Its a 9 hour bus trip from Scotland to London, and it had been an emotional one. There was only a few days left until we went back to Australia. We were glad we were going to see everyone but felt like there was still so much we needed to do.
The bus got into London at 7 in the morning. We walked from the bus station a few blocks up to the underground. We were looking forward to a washing maching!! Neither of us had anything clean left and we had been sitting on a stuffy bus for hours. I felt bad for anyone who sat near us!! lol
When we got to the train station it was peak hour. We were at the above ground station and had a bit of trouble finding the underground. We both had to go to the toilet so bad, and got really frustrated when we realised the only toilet cost 30p and you needed the right change. We were digging through our bags to find enough money so we could both go!!
When we eventually found the underground we didnt have long to wait for our train. It was pretty busy but we were heading out of the city, so it got quieter as we went.
We got into Richmond and realised we had no way of contacting Jaime. She knew we were getting there that morning, but no details. My international mobile was flat with no credit, so we once again went to maccas for the free wifi!! Lucky for us she was waiting patiently on facebook for us. We told her where we were and she was coming to meet us.
We were getting really tired by this point. By the time Jaime got there we spent a while catching up and then went back to her place.
It was so nice to get back to a proper house. We got to have a decent shower and sort out all of our gear. We had a bit of a rest then decided we would keep the party going and make the most of the last few days. We thought we would go and checkout the Walkabout Pub in London. We had to catch a few different trains to get there. In total it probably took and hour and a bit by the time we changed lines.
We walked into the walkie and there were maybe only two other people there. We ordered some food and were sad when we realised that it wasnt anywhere near as cheap as the Walkie in Edinburgh. That was the main reason we went there!!
After a drink we thought we would check out somewhere else. We went for a bit of a walk but couldnt find anywhere that looked half decent. We saw a park and a tesco so we thought we could get some drinks and sit in the sun, make the most of the drinking in public while we could!! But after walking into tesco, we decided to go back to the safety of richmond!!
We stopped at tesco in richmond on our way back and had a few drinks back at Jaimes. We decided to go and have a look at a couple of the pubs. We stopped at this little place on a back road. We went inside and asked for drinks, but they wouldnt serve us as they only served over 21 and Laura is only 18. We thought, bugger them we wont give them our money then!! And went next door. The place was fairly empty so we only stayed for one drink before headiing to the Slug and lettuce which overlooked the River Thames. We stayed there for a little while. There was a pretty young crowd there which was good.
After there we passed a new club on the way home. I was just about ready for bed, but we decided to go in for one!! When we got inside it was terrible. The club was fairly nice and had good potential but I was tired and sober, and it was full of sleazy guys and legless girls!! We stayed there for one drink and then started to head home.
It had been such a long day! After a big night on the bus and then a huge day back in London, I needed my rest.
We had decided that we would go shopping the next day and then go out that night. It would be another big day!!
Countdown!!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Hardest goodbye yet...
Today was our last day in Edinburgh. I woke up early, as I had gone to bed early the night before unwell. I packed all my bags and dropped them in reception. We would leave our things there for the day while we waited for our night bus.
We basically spent the day at the hostel spending time with everyone. Liam had already gone, Ash was leaving the next day and Tim and Tom wouldnt be there for long either. We had our souveniers, I had bought dad a pool towell that looked like a kilt, I had tasted real whisky, I had eaten haggis. We had achieved everything we wanted!!
Around lunchtime we decided to go to Sainsburys and get some supplies for a little going away party. We got loads of cheese, wine, and little party foods. We sat in the hostel common room for a few hours drinking and eating. Then we decided to go to the Walkabout pub to say our goodbyes there as well.
Kim decided that I wasnt allowed to board the bus unless we had a fair few drinks in us. I think she was actually trying to get us drunk so they wouldnt let us on the bus!! We had a few cocktails and some jaeger bombs, then went back to the hostel.
The time eventually come though where we had to go. We got all of our bags, shed a few tears, said goodbye then Kim, Dini and Jase walked us to the bus station. Along the way kim tried several times to hide my bags or stall us. But it didnt work. We got there just in time.
Once we got on our bus, we sat looking out the window watching our friends. They put on a great show for the entire bus. Jase and Kim got their butts out several times. In the end the bus driver stopped half way through his safety speech to ask everyone to pay attention to him, rather than what was happening out the window. Me and Laura could not stop laughing, but it was a mix of laughing while crying.
Once the bus pulled away we were so upset. Im sure I cried for about 2 hours until I eventually cried myself to sleep. I woke up a few times on the way home, but I was so exhausted from my time in Scotland that I slept majority of the way.
Our holiday was coming to an end, and this was the first time it really felt like it.
We basically spent the day at the hostel spending time with everyone. Liam had already gone, Ash was leaving the next day and Tim and Tom wouldnt be there for long either. We had our souveniers, I had bought dad a pool towell that looked like a kilt, I had tasted real whisky, I had eaten haggis. We had achieved everything we wanted!!
Around lunchtime we decided to go to Sainsburys and get some supplies for a little going away party. We got loads of cheese, wine, and little party foods. We sat in the hostel common room for a few hours drinking and eating. Then we decided to go to the Walkabout pub to say our goodbyes there as well.
Kim decided that I wasnt allowed to board the bus unless we had a fair few drinks in us. I think she was actually trying to get us drunk so they wouldnt let us on the bus!! We had a few cocktails and some jaeger bombs, then went back to the hostel.
The time eventually come though where we had to go. We got all of our bags, shed a few tears, said goodbye then Kim, Dini and Jase walked us to the bus station. Along the way kim tried several times to hide my bags or stall us. But it didnt work. We got there just in time.
Once we got on our bus, we sat looking out the window watching our friends. They put on a great show for the entire bus. Jase and Kim got their butts out several times. In the end the bus driver stopped half way through his safety speech to ask everyone to pay attention to him, rather than what was happening out the window. Me and Laura could not stop laughing, but it was a mix of laughing while crying.
Once the bus pulled away we were so upset. Im sure I cried for about 2 hours until I eventually cried myself to sleep. I woke up a few times on the way home, but I was so exhausted from my time in Scotland that I slept majority of the way.
Our holiday was coming to an end, and this was the first time it really felt like it.
Goodbye Scenic Sally. Roadtrip is over...
Today was the last day of our roadtrip. Our hire car, Scenic Sally' had to go home.
We had our breakfast at the B&B then got our bags and left. The wind was still really bad, so bad that it had knocked out the satelite for the GPS!! Glasgow was a lovely city, but filled with one way streets and roads that lead to nowhere. It was a bit of a nightmare finding our way out. Luckily we left a little early, as it took us over an hour to find our way out!!
When we got back into Edinburgh we managed to find our way back to the hostel with no GPS. I guess I was a bit of a local by now.
I dropped the kids off at the hostel, then Liam and I took the car back to the depot. It was sad saying good bye to Sally, but it was gonna be nice to be able to have a big night again and not have to worry about driving!! This being driven around and bus thing was really working for me.
We got back to the hostel and I was wrecked. We cleaned all our stuff up and sorted all of our gear then thought we would have a quiet day. We watched a few movies and just relaxed. We were planning on having a big night and went to Sainsburys for our supplies.
Later that night after one or two drinks I came down with a really bad headache. Nothing seemed to be killing it, so sadly while everyone else went out to the Hive I had to go to bed. It was our last night in Edinburgh and I would have loved to have gone out with the crew, so I was pretty upset I couldnt make it out.
The next day would be our last day in Edinburgh. I really wasnt ready to leave yet, but we wanted a few days in London before we went home. Edinburgh is somewhere I could really see myself staying. I dont know if it was the town itself, or the people we met there but I loved it!! It would be sad to say goodbye.
We had our breakfast at the B&B then got our bags and left. The wind was still really bad, so bad that it had knocked out the satelite for the GPS!! Glasgow was a lovely city, but filled with one way streets and roads that lead to nowhere. It was a bit of a nightmare finding our way out. Luckily we left a little early, as it took us over an hour to find our way out!!
When we got back into Edinburgh we managed to find our way back to the hostel with no GPS. I guess I was a bit of a local by now.
I dropped the kids off at the hostel, then Liam and I took the car back to the depot. It was sad saying good bye to Sally, but it was gonna be nice to be able to have a big night again and not have to worry about driving!! This being driven around and bus thing was really working for me.
We got back to the hostel and I was wrecked. We cleaned all our stuff up and sorted all of our gear then thought we would have a quiet day. We watched a few movies and just relaxed. We were planning on having a big night and went to Sainsburys for our supplies.
Later that night after one or two drinks I came down with a really bad headache. Nothing seemed to be killing it, so sadly while everyone else went out to the Hive I had to go to bed. It was our last night in Edinburgh and I would have loved to have gone out with the crew, so I was pretty upset I couldnt make it out.
The next day would be our last day in Edinburgh. I really wasnt ready to leave yet, but we wanted a few days in London before we went home. Edinburgh is somewhere I could really see myself staying. I dont know if it was the town itself, or the people we met there but I loved it!! It would be sad to say goodbye.
Roadtrippin day 3 - Isle of Skye
After a night in the hostel of horrors, we took off for Isle of Skye. We decided to get an early start, one - because we couldnt stand being in the hostel for one more minute, and two - we needed to beat the hurricane to the west coast!!
It didnt take us too long to get from Inverness to the Isle of Skye. Just before we crossed the bridge the weather really started to turn for the worse. It was raining quite heavy and visibility was pretty bad.
We got onto the Isle and decided to head north first. There were a few sights up there that looked ok. By the time we got up there though the rain was so bad. We would stop somewhere but no one would want to get out because the weather was so horrible. Liam said that he had two things he wanted to do in Scotland. First he wanted to catch a sheep (dont ask), second he wanted to skinny dip in the ocean. We figured we could achieve both of those things that day.
The roads were crazy. Most of them were windy single lane roads that went up and around cliffs. Add a little bit of rain and it was pretty scary, but also a pretty fun road to drive! We were starting to get little water pockets on the roads from so much rain, but ive driven in Cairns wet season so this was nothing compared to what im used to!!
As we came around the west side of Isle of Skye we found a swimming beach. It was perfect. Fairly secluded and sandy, not rocky. It was time for the boys to get their gear off!! (Trust me, im not as creepy as that sounded).
We got a park, Tom, Laura and me got our cameras out and we were off. Armed with their towells we got down to the waters edge. They dropped their towells and ran. It only took maybe .5 of a second for them to come to the realisation of just how cold the water really was. After painful screams they then realised that Tom had taken off with their towells back up the cliff to the car. Looking up the hill, we then also noticed the lovely elderly couple in between us and the car! The boys covered what they could and said their hellos to the elderly couple before making it back to the car. By this stage Laura and I were laughing so much that we werent able to take any more photos.
After the boys dried off I decided we needed to get them some warm food. We found a little cafe to stop at and went inside. It was a fairly big place and had reserved tables, but we were the only people there. It was in the middle of nowhere so we couldnt imagine too many people making reservations. Never the less because of that the service was fast and the food was hot!! It was homecooked food and it was so good!!
Not far up the road from the cafe, we scored again. We found a whole lot of sheep out on the road. Liam was going to achieve both of his goals in the space of an hour!! We pulled over and Liam jumped out. He started randomly chasing sheep and didnt have much luck at all. Then the sheep started to get angry! Liam eventually gave up and we were off again. We decided it was time to get off the Isle and make it to our next stop, Glasgow. We had to have the car back early the next morning so wanted to stay at a town relatively close to Edinburgh. The rest of the drive was pretty hard. The roads were now covered in water, there were no highways it was all windy roads, there were cars everywhere, but it was still fun driving.
It was fairly late when we came into Glasgow. In the end we decided on finding a hotel rather than a hostel. We parked the car and started walking. The wind was really bad and it was freezing!!! We walked blocks and blocks and blocks. Eventually we found a hotel but they were fully booked. It was so cold I started to get an ear ache!! They told us the only other place they knew of was expensive. It had been such a long day and I just wanted to be inside out of the cold. We went to a McDonalds to use the wifi and found a bed and breakfast. They had space for us so we made our way there.
It was such a relief!! We had a hot shower and felt so much better!! The boys decided to go out and get dinner but I was not going outside again. We had some food and snacks we had been carrying round so we settled for that. The B&B was nice but felt a little creepy. The owner just seemed to appear! But it was still nice.
It didnt take us too long to get from Inverness to the Isle of Skye. Just before we crossed the bridge the weather really started to turn for the worse. It was raining quite heavy and visibility was pretty bad.
We got onto the Isle and decided to head north first. There were a few sights up there that looked ok. By the time we got up there though the rain was so bad. We would stop somewhere but no one would want to get out because the weather was so horrible. Liam said that he had two things he wanted to do in Scotland. First he wanted to catch a sheep (dont ask), second he wanted to skinny dip in the ocean. We figured we could achieve both of those things that day.
The roads were crazy. Most of them were windy single lane roads that went up and around cliffs. Add a little bit of rain and it was pretty scary, but also a pretty fun road to drive! We were starting to get little water pockets on the roads from so much rain, but ive driven in Cairns wet season so this was nothing compared to what im used to!!
As we came around the west side of Isle of Skye we found a swimming beach. It was perfect. Fairly secluded and sandy, not rocky. It was time for the boys to get their gear off!! (Trust me, im not as creepy as that sounded).
We got a park, Tom, Laura and me got our cameras out and we were off. Armed with their towells we got down to the waters edge. They dropped their towells and ran. It only took maybe .5 of a second for them to come to the realisation of just how cold the water really was. After painful screams they then realised that Tom had taken off with their towells back up the cliff to the car. Looking up the hill, we then also noticed the lovely elderly couple in between us and the car! The boys covered what they could and said their hellos to the elderly couple before making it back to the car. By this stage Laura and I were laughing so much that we werent able to take any more photos.
After the boys dried off I decided we needed to get them some warm food. We found a little cafe to stop at and went inside. It was a fairly big place and had reserved tables, but we were the only people there. It was in the middle of nowhere so we couldnt imagine too many people making reservations. Never the less because of that the service was fast and the food was hot!! It was homecooked food and it was so good!!
Not far up the road from the cafe, we scored again. We found a whole lot of sheep out on the road. Liam was going to achieve both of his goals in the space of an hour!! We pulled over and Liam jumped out. He started randomly chasing sheep and didnt have much luck at all. Then the sheep started to get angry! Liam eventually gave up and we were off again. We decided it was time to get off the Isle and make it to our next stop, Glasgow. We had to have the car back early the next morning so wanted to stay at a town relatively close to Edinburgh. The rest of the drive was pretty hard. The roads were now covered in water, there were no highways it was all windy roads, there were cars everywhere, but it was still fun driving.
It was fairly late when we came into Glasgow. In the end we decided on finding a hotel rather than a hostel. We parked the car and started walking. The wind was really bad and it was freezing!!! We walked blocks and blocks and blocks. Eventually we found a hotel but they were fully booked. It was so cold I started to get an ear ache!! They told us the only other place they knew of was expensive. It had been such a long day and I just wanted to be inside out of the cold. We went to a McDonalds to use the wifi and found a bed and breakfast. They had space for us so we made our way there.
It was such a relief!! We had a hot shower and felt so much better!! The boys decided to go out and get dinner but I was not going outside again. We had some food and snacks we had been carrying round so we settled for that. The B&B was nice but felt a little creepy. The owner just seemed to appear! But it was still nice.
Road Trip with the kids, Inverness
We had a lovely sleep in at our awesome hotel. Not only was is cheap and huge, we got an 11am checkout as well as a full english breakfast!! Nice way to start the day.
We left Aberdeen to head for Inverness. As it was only a short drive compared to the day before, we decided to take the scenic route. Looking at the map I would assume that the scenic route would be a lovely coastal road past many of the castles on the map. The day before we had followed a little of the coast and past a fairly decent castle. We figured it would be similar, but the GPS had other ideas. Apparently the 'scenic route' from Aberdeen to Inverness goes through every single lane, windy, farm road that zig zags, NOWHERE near the coast, yet takes 6 times as long as the highway!!!
Not long after leaving Aberdeen we went to a service station to get some fuel. While the others were inside getting snacks I was looking at a newspaper stand. I then noticed on the cover of every newspaper were stories about the hurricane due to hit west coast of Scotland over the next day or so. I thought about where we were going, and looked on the paper, it was basically exactly where it was supposed to hit!! We thought it would be fine, we just wanted to get there and see it!! Plus we had one night in Inverness before heading to the west coast and Isle of Skye. By the next morning we would know more about where the danger was.
When we eventually made it through the farms and back roads we came into Inverness. It was a pretty big town. We stopped at a shopping centre to get some lunch and look for an information centre for some advice. We didnt find an info centre, but we did find a Subway!!! After food, we decided to go and see Loch Ness that night so we could leave early the next day. We had pre booked a hostel for Inverness so there was no rush to get into town. We drove up towards loch ness and all of the touristy stuff started.
There were statues of Nessy everywhere and little souvenier shops. It was pretty cool. The Loch itself was pretty boring. It was just a gigantic lake! It was nice, there were pretty mountains surrounding and the sun was setting. People had warned us that it was nothing special, but you cant come all this way and not see Loch ness!! We went into a few of the souvenier shops and stopped at the statues. We tried on all the little monster hats and bought our postcards.
Once it started to get late we went back to town. We found our hostel, but we couldnt check in for another hour, so we went to the pub for a while. After a beer we checked into our hostel. At first it didnt look too bad, but after we got to the room we realised we were in for a long night.
On check in they gave us a set of sheets and told us we had to make our own beds, then strip it for them the next day. We opened the door to our room and there was a random guy lying on a bed. He had no bags or belongings. When we walked in he woke up and kicked over a cup on the floor. He ran out of the room, we assumed to get a cloth or something, but no, he was just leaving. We guess he wasnt sposed to be in the room. So we were left with whatever it was in that cup all over the floor. On closer inspection the fan was broken and noisy, there was rubbish everywhere, Laura had blood on one of her blankets. Dont even get me started on the toilets! Tom had a shower and almost needed counselling after it!! From then we decided to use the toilets at the pub downstairs instead. We had stayed in some pretty bad hostels, but this one took the cake - dropped it on the floor, and mashed it into our blankets!! lol
We decided not to hang around there for long. We went downstairs and had a look around town. We found a little italian restaurant to have dinner and it was awesome. It was cold and rainy in Inverness and the town itself was nothing too special. Kinda scary actually.
After dinner we were going to go back to the pub but Tim, laura and I decided we were just going to go and use the wifi for a bit. After a while we ended up at the pub for a bit, but the locals were a bit terrifying so we went back to our hostel of doom and attempted to sleep.
The next day we would be going to Isle of Skye and heading straight into this apparent 'hurricane', I needed my rest!!
We left Aberdeen to head for Inverness. As it was only a short drive compared to the day before, we decided to take the scenic route. Looking at the map I would assume that the scenic route would be a lovely coastal road past many of the castles on the map. The day before we had followed a little of the coast and past a fairly decent castle. We figured it would be similar, but the GPS had other ideas. Apparently the 'scenic route' from Aberdeen to Inverness goes through every single lane, windy, farm road that zig zags, NOWHERE near the coast, yet takes 6 times as long as the highway!!!
Not long after leaving Aberdeen we went to a service station to get some fuel. While the others were inside getting snacks I was looking at a newspaper stand. I then noticed on the cover of every newspaper were stories about the hurricane due to hit west coast of Scotland over the next day or so. I thought about where we were going, and looked on the paper, it was basically exactly where it was supposed to hit!! We thought it would be fine, we just wanted to get there and see it!! Plus we had one night in Inverness before heading to the west coast and Isle of Skye. By the next morning we would know more about where the danger was.
When we eventually made it through the farms and back roads we came into Inverness. It was a pretty big town. We stopped at a shopping centre to get some lunch and look for an information centre for some advice. We didnt find an info centre, but we did find a Subway!!! After food, we decided to go and see Loch Ness that night so we could leave early the next day. We had pre booked a hostel for Inverness so there was no rush to get into town. We drove up towards loch ness and all of the touristy stuff started.
There were statues of Nessy everywhere and little souvenier shops. It was pretty cool. The Loch itself was pretty boring. It was just a gigantic lake! It was nice, there were pretty mountains surrounding and the sun was setting. People had warned us that it was nothing special, but you cant come all this way and not see Loch ness!! We went into a few of the souvenier shops and stopped at the statues. We tried on all the little monster hats and bought our postcards.
Once it started to get late we went back to town. We found our hostel, but we couldnt check in for another hour, so we went to the pub for a while. After a beer we checked into our hostel. At first it didnt look too bad, but after we got to the room we realised we were in for a long night.
On check in they gave us a set of sheets and told us we had to make our own beds, then strip it for them the next day. We opened the door to our room and there was a random guy lying on a bed. He had no bags or belongings. When we walked in he woke up and kicked over a cup on the floor. He ran out of the room, we assumed to get a cloth or something, but no, he was just leaving. We guess he wasnt sposed to be in the room. So we were left with whatever it was in that cup all over the floor. On closer inspection the fan was broken and noisy, there was rubbish everywhere, Laura had blood on one of her blankets. Dont even get me started on the toilets! Tom had a shower and almost needed counselling after it!! From then we decided to use the toilets at the pub downstairs instead. We had stayed in some pretty bad hostels, but this one took the cake - dropped it on the floor, and mashed it into our blankets!! lol
We decided not to hang around there for long. We went downstairs and had a look around town. We found a little italian restaurant to have dinner and it was awesome. It was cold and rainy in Inverness and the town itself was nothing too special. Kinda scary actually.
After dinner we were going to go back to the pub but Tim, laura and I decided we were just going to go and use the wifi for a bit. After a while we ended up at the pub for a bit, but the locals were a bit terrifying so we went back to our hostel of doom and attempted to sleep.
The next day we would be going to Isle of Skye and heading straight into this apparent 'hurricane', I needed my rest!!
Let the Road Trip Begin!!
I woke up Friday morning still unsure if we would be able to get a hire car or not. Liam dragged me out of bed down to the common room so we could call the hire car company. (Lucky hes so organised!!)
When he called the company we were told the car we wanted was unavailable, but they would give us a medium sized car for a similar price instead so that it would still be in our budget. We booked it in!!
After waking up the crew and getting organised Liam and I headed down to get a taxi to the depot. We were going to pick up the car then drive it back to the hostel to pick up the others with our bags. Once we got downstairs we realised it might be more difficult that we realised... All of the roads were blocked off for protests! Traffic was blocked up everywhere. There was cops directing traffic but no one really seemed to know what was happening.
We figured it would sort itself out so carried on our way. We got the car and headed back towards the hostel. Lucky we had a last miinute decision to grab a gps, it definitely came in handy!!
We made it fairly easily back to one block from the hostel before we hit bad traffic from the protest. I told Liam to jump out there and I would keep blocking while he went and got the others. Here begins the most stressful hour of my life!!! None of us had phones and the traffic got worse. I couldnt even make it around a block! I turned around and headed against the traffic trying to avoid eye contact with the police and play dumb... but when I got back to our meeting point, they werent there!!! I parked the car, but couldnt figure out how to lock it! They keys were so confusing. I started panicking. I figured I would just keep going round the block and I would find them somewhere.
After an hour of sitting almost dead still in traffic, I saw Liam! It was the biggest relief!! He came over to the car and I told him to get the others and meet me around the corner where I could pull over. I dont think I had ever been so happy to see them! Being lost, stuck in traffic in a strange country with no way of getting in touch with anyone... really tests you!!
After a long delay we were finally on the road. Everyone was getting hungry but we decided to just get out of Edinburgh and we would stop for food at the next big town. We spent the following hour discussing what sort of subway we wanted. We were all describing it with mouthwatering detail. We couldnt get to Perth any faster!!
By the time we drove into Perth my nerves had settled down, they were playing good music on the radio and we were having fun. Poor Tommy was starting to get a little edgy, as he does when hes hungry! We needed to find Subway FAST!!
We drove into the centre of town and started looking around. We found plenty of other shops... McDonalds, KFC, Pizza, Burgers, but no subway. We even stopped at an information centre to ask if there was a subway!! To our disapointment, the very helpful people at the info centre broke Toms heart when they told us there was no Subway in town.
By this time I was tired of driving in circles so I told them they need to find somewhere to eat or I would keep driving to Aberdeen and they would go without!! lol. We drove past a few cafes in one street so decided to park and everyone could get there own. Me Tim and Laura went with the safe option of a burger, but Liam and Tom found a curry buffet! They laughed at us because we would be jealous of their buffet, but we were happy with our selection.
After lunch everyone was happy and ready to go again. We left Perth and headed straight to Aberdeen. Not far up the road we realised what a good choice we had made by having burgers rather than the curry. Poor Liam and Tom werent handling it well. By this point I was also extremely glad that we had GPS, because there was no stress trying to find turn offs or the right way. Especially when everyone else was asleep!!
When we got into Aberdeen we hadnt booked any accomodation so we just had a quick drive around to see what we liked. We found a big parking area and decided to walk around. It didnt take long to find a hotel. I was worried because I hadnt budgeted for hotels, but we were suprised to get a room for 30 pounds each!! Me and Laura got a huge double room with a nice big bathroom, a toilet that flushed (which was rare) and a shower that didnt flood. We were so happy! We stayed there for a while to settle in before dinner.
We walked into town later that night to find some food and some entertainment. We found a pub that had live music. It looked like a nice small pub which was nice compared to clubs. The band started and it was great! We spent days in ireland trying to find good live irish music, turns out we just had to go to Scotland to find it!!
After dinner and a few drinks we went for a bit of a walk. (I would have much rather stayed at the pub and listened to the live music all night... LOVE live music!!) We looked around and there were a few clubs but I wasnt really feeling in the mood for a club and I was pretty tired. Turns out that driving for an entire day after not driving for 2 months really wears you down.
Laura and I went back to our massive room and had the best shower we had had since leaving Australia. It had been a great start to the trip!!
When he called the company we were told the car we wanted was unavailable, but they would give us a medium sized car for a similar price instead so that it would still be in our budget. We booked it in!!
After waking up the crew and getting organised Liam and I headed down to get a taxi to the depot. We were going to pick up the car then drive it back to the hostel to pick up the others with our bags. Once we got downstairs we realised it might be more difficult that we realised... All of the roads were blocked off for protests! Traffic was blocked up everywhere. There was cops directing traffic but no one really seemed to know what was happening.
We figured it would sort itself out so carried on our way. We got the car and headed back towards the hostel. Lucky we had a last miinute decision to grab a gps, it definitely came in handy!!
We made it fairly easily back to one block from the hostel before we hit bad traffic from the protest. I told Liam to jump out there and I would keep blocking while he went and got the others. Here begins the most stressful hour of my life!!! None of us had phones and the traffic got worse. I couldnt even make it around a block! I turned around and headed against the traffic trying to avoid eye contact with the police and play dumb... but when I got back to our meeting point, they werent there!!! I parked the car, but couldnt figure out how to lock it! They keys were so confusing. I started panicking. I figured I would just keep going round the block and I would find them somewhere.
After an hour of sitting almost dead still in traffic, I saw Liam! It was the biggest relief!! He came over to the car and I told him to get the others and meet me around the corner where I could pull over. I dont think I had ever been so happy to see them! Being lost, stuck in traffic in a strange country with no way of getting in touch with anyone... really tests you!!
After a long delay we were finally on the road. Everyone was getting hungry but we decided to just get out of Edinburgh and we would stop for food at the next big town. We spent the following hour discussing what sort of subway we wanted. We were all describing it with mouthwatering detail. We couldnt get to Perth any faster!!
By the time we drove into Perth my nerves had settled down, they were playing good music on the radio and we were having fun. Poor Tommy was starting to get a little edgy, as he does when hes hungry! We needed to find Subway FAST!!
We drove into the centre of town and started looking around. We found plenty of other shops... McDonalds, KFC, Pizza, Burgers, but no subway. We even stopped at an information centre to ask if there was a subway!! To our disapointment, the very helpful people at the info centre broke Toms heart when they told us there was no Subway in town.
By this time I was tired of driving in circles so I told them they need to find somewhere to eat or I would keep driving to Aberdeen and they would go without!! lol. We drove past a few cafes in one street so decided to park and everyone could get there own. Me Tim and Laura went with the safe option of a burger, but Liam and Tom found a curry buffet! They laughed at us because we would be jealous of their buffet, but we were happy with our selection.
After lunch everyone was happy and ready to go again. We left Perth and headed straight to Aberdeen. Not far up the road we realised what a good choice we had made by having burgers rather than the curry. Poor Liam and Tom werent handling it well. By this point I was also extremely glad that we had GPS, because there was no stress trying to find turn offs or the right way. Especially when everyone else was asleep!!
When we got into Aberdeen we hadnt booked any accomodation so we just had a quick drive around to see what we liked. We found a big parking area and decided to walk around. It didnt take long to find a hotel. I was worried because I hadnt budgeted for hotels, but we were suprised to get a room for 30 pounds each!! Me and Laura got a huge double room with a nice big bathroom, a toilet that flushed (which was rare) and a shower that didnt flood. We were so happy! We stayed there for a while to settle in before dinner.
We walked into town later that night to find some food and some entertainment. We found a pub that had live music. It looked like a nice small pub which was nice compared to clubs. The band started and it was great! We spent days in ireland trying to find good live irish music, turns out we just had to go to Scotland to find it!!
After dinner and a few drinks we went for a bit of a walk. (I would have much rather stayed at the pub and listened to the live music all night... LOVE live music!!) We looked around and there were a few clubs but I wasnt really feeling in the mood for a club and I was pretty tired. Turns out that driving for an entire day after not driving for 2 months really wears you down.
Laura and I went back to our massive room and had the best shower we had had since leaving Australia. It had been a great start to the trip!!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Welcome to the Edinburgh family.
Well once again, its been quite a while since my last post. The past 2 weeks were mainly spent in Scotland and were close to the best 2 weeks of my trip so far!
Some girls from the trip had told me that I would love Scotland, but as I never really intended on going there and really had no idea what there was to see or do there, I didnt hold high hopes. After leaving Ireland, I was mainly just glad to be staying in one place for more than one night!! It was also good that we would be seeing a familiar face. Kim from Contiki was there and we would be staying at the same hostel.
After another long 8 hour bus ride from Belfast to Scotland, we arrived in Edinburgh. The trip was quite nice really. Its only a short trip from Belfast to the ferry, then 3 hours on the ferry before the remaining 4 hours or so along the coast and inland to Edinburgh. The ferry this time was quite rough. It was our 4th ferry out of our entire trip and this was the worst. It really got rocky, to the point where I almost fell headfirst into the toilet!!
Pulling into Edinburgh we got an extra little suprise. With Kim waiting for us at the station was Ash (also from Contiki, and the girl we had caught up with in Belfast). I automatically knew that we were going to love it. Ash and Kim ran to the door and gave us a big hug and took us up to our hostel. When we got to the hostel we realised what the girls had meant by 'a few stairs to the top'. It was 4 flights up a tight windy staircase, which is hard enough let alone with a 20kg pack!! Lucky for me, Kim kindly offered to carry mine :)
We dropped our bags and went straight down to the Walkabout bar. Its an Aussie bar chain throughout the UK with cheap meals and even cheaper drinks. Plus they play REAL sports!!! Not just soccer. (Now that im out of the UK I feel safe enough to say that, god forbid I ever said anything like that while over there.)
We stayed there a while and caught up on what we had all been up to since contiki. Kim also filled us in a little on what there is to see and do around Edinburgh. After a few drinks we stopped at the local tesco to buy some more drinks and went back to the hostel. We decided to have a bit of a welcoming party that night and go out. Now, we had had a few big nights over our trip, but our first night out in Edinburgh set a new level!! We had such a good time. The next morning, Ash and I both had really sore necks from all of our wonderful dancing... haha. Rocking out to Metalica really can be quite dangerous!!
The next day was a really quiet one, spent recovering from our night out. We started getting to know everyone in the hostel and making some friends. Jason was a friend of Kims, and also from Australia and we got on really well. There was also Dine from Germany who was lovely as well as quite a few others.
Kim was on duty that night to cook dinner for the hostel residents. We went with her to the supermarket, way too early in the morning... and got all the stuff to make 'slow cooked spaghetti' for around 70 people. There were quite a few bags. That was quite a struggle.
Later that evening after dinner (which was amazing) they had fireworks on at the Edinburgh Castle. We all went out to watch and it was really nice. The buildings around edinburgh were split over the older buildings on the south and the more modern north side. Its such a lovely landscape. Its a big city, but kinda has a country town feel to it. It was quickly winning me over. Plus in most other countries, a lot of the time it didnt actually feel like you were overseas. Whereas here, they play bagpipes 24/7 which remind you where you are and it has this special feel about it.
We got an early night that night ready for some sightseeing the next day. Ash, laura and I had a nice relaxed morning before setting out. We started walking the streets looking for the National Museum. We walked for ages trying to read the map and eventually found it, only to realise that its closed for renovation until November!! Then we decided to go and find the castle. We walked back through the centre of town, down to the park. We found a nice sunny spot on the grass and lied down. We put on some good music and just enjoyed the moment. How many times can you say that you were lying on the grass, overlooking a castle, with good friends, listening to good music without a care in the world... It was such a nice feeling. After that we went into the National Gallery and had a look around. There were paintings by Rembrandt and other famous pieces there which was pretty cool to see.
We had decided to have another big night. So went back to our 'local' tesco to get more supplies before heading up to the hostel. We got the crew together and started 'gettiing in the spirit' for another big night out. Jason and Kim wanted to take us to a nightclub which had cheap drinks and good music, so we couldnt be rude and say no...
This was the first night we experienced 'The Hive'. It wasnt an overly big club, but it had 2 seperate rooms which were seperated by the bar. It reminded me a bit of the bomb shelter bar in Switzerland. They really did have cheap drinks and really good music. One room was playing really old stuff, and the other new. But we mainly stuck to the old stuff. Lots of good dancing songs. The walk home that night was what you would call in contiki 'a Merry One'. We walked over Edinburgh bridge singing and dancing. Laura and Jason had decided to go to the casino so they left, meanwhile me and ash stayed back serenading the night workmen with the neighbours theme song. When we got back to the hostel we stayed up cooking midnight snacks waiting for the others to get home. We found vegemite, and as we were all aussie, we were quite excited. So excited in fact that we made vegemite facials!! We painted our faces with the vegemite and sang the vegemite song. Turns out it is actually quite good for your skin!! It was around 6am before anyone made it to bed. Edinburgh was officially now my favorite.
The next day was a complete write off. No one woke up until around 3pm. Then we met in the dining room and just kicked back the rest of the day. It was nice to not have to go anywhere or do anything. Just all hang out.
As we once again didnt achieve much that day we decided to have another big sightseeing day the next day. We went to the walking tour which takes about 3 hours and covers most of the history of Edinburgh. It was so interesting. A lot of the history took place before Australia was even discovered!! We learnt all about the street merchants, crime and punishment, murders, the graveyards etc. We also learnt about Harry Potter, we saw the cafe where the first 2 books were written, and the school which gave JK Rowling the inspiration for Hogwarts. A few of the characters were also named after people buried in the graveyard also.
When the tour finished we went back to the hostel. Two more contiki friends were coming that night to catch up and stay a while, Tim and Tom. We went to get them from the bus station that night and got them settled in. While catching up we also managed to convince another contiki friend, Liam to come the next morning. We were so excited to have so many of us together again. After dinner and drinks at the hostel we decided to take Tim and Tom to experience The Hive. That night was the snow party. They had snow machines which let out foam over everyone and the whole rooms really did look like it had been snowing. It was awesome.
When the club closed we decided that we werent finished partying yet. And we decided to try to all stay up to pick up Liam from the bus station. He arrived at 7.30am so it would be a bit of a mission...
We left the hive then we decided to go to the graveyard. During our walking tour, they had told us about the ghosts that haunt the graveyard at night so we decided to test it out. Along the way we had a few mini adventures. We had our photos taken with some animals, found some free clothes and pillows... by the time we made it to the graveyard we may have actually looked like we were homeless!! We also made a few friends along the way. Edinburgh really is quite social!!
The graveyard was a bit of a letdown. No ghosts!! But we had a look around anyway and had our picture taken with the Bobby statue. Bobby was a dog owned by the old caretaker of the graveyard. When the caretaker died, bobby used to return to the graveyard every day and sit on his owners grave. It went on for nearly 14 years until bobby died. His statue is now a monument out the front of the graveyard and is a well known part of Edinburgh.
After that we decided to go back to the hostel for a snack. Kim had cooked spaghetti for us again as a midnight snack so we all ate some of that. Then we stayed there for a while singing and messing around. We started to get tired so Jason took me and Laura to Castle Hill for sunrise. It was beautiful. It overlooked all of the royal mile, and you could see almost all of Edinburgh. We got there in time for sunrise and it was amazing.
Then we went to get a coffee from Maccas as it was still an hour until Liam would arrive. Sadly I hit the wall while sitting in Maccas though and had to go home to bed. I figure I did well to make it to at least 7am!! Laura went to get Liam and then met us back at the hostel.
Once again, the next day no one achieved a lot. We caught up with Liam a bit and just chilled out. By this point we really felt like locals in Edinburgh and it honestly felt like home. It was really nice.
The next day we did a little bit of shopping and started planning a road trip. Liam, Tim, Tom, Laura and I were wanting to do a tour of the highlands, but as we had left it so late most of the tours were fully booked. So we decided to hire a car. We started organising that and planning where we would go. We would leave the next day and spend 3 days road tripping.
That night the spanish crew at the hostel had a Sangria night as a farewell to one of the girls who was leaving. We stayed there drinking Sangria for a while, then most people decided to go out, but as I would be driving the hire car the next morning I decided I better not drink much that night!! It was the first night I had stayed home while the others went out, but it was a good thing. There were a few big days ahead!!!
Some girls from the trip had told me that I would love Scotland, but as I never really intended on going there and really had no idea what there was to see or do there, I didnt hold high hopes. After leaving Ireland, I was mainly just glad to be staying in one place for more than one night!! It was also good that we would be seeing a familiar face. Kim from Contiki was there and we would be staying at the same hostel.
After another long 8 hour bus ride from Belfast to Scotland, we arrived in Edinburgh. The trip was quite nice really. Its only a short trip from Belfast to the ferry, then 3 hours on the ferry before the remaining 4 hours or so along the coast and inland to Edinburgh. The ferry this time was quite rough. It was our 4th ferry out of our entire trip and this was the worst. It really got rocky, to the point where I almost fell headfirst into the toilet!!
Pulling into Edinburgh we got an extra little suprise. With Kim waiting for us at the station was Ash (also from Contiki, and the girl we had caught up with in Belfast). I automatically knew that we were going to love it. Ash and Kim ran to the door and gave us a big hug and took us up to our hostel. When we got to the hostel we realised what the girls had meant by 'a few stairs to the top'. It was 4 flights up a tight windy staircase, which is hard enough let alone with a 20kg pack!! Lucky for me, Kim kindly offered to carry mine :)
We dropped our bags and went straight down to the Walkabout bar. Its an Aussie bar chain throughout the UK with cheap meals and even cheaper drinks. Plus they play REAL sports!!! Not just soccer. (Now that im out of the UK I feel safe enough to say that, god forbid I ever said anything like that while over there.)
We stayed there a while and caught up on what we had all been up to since contiki. Kim also filled us in a little on what there is to see and do around Edinburgh. After a few drinks we stopped at the local tesco to buy some more drinks and went back to the hostel. We decided to have a bit of a welcoming party that night and go out. Now, we had had a few big nights over our trip, but our first night out in Edinburgh set a new level!! We had such a good time. The next morning, Ash and I both had really sore necks from all of our wonderful dancing... haha. Rocking out to Metalica really can be quite dangerous!!
The next day was a really quiet one, spent recovering from our night out. We started getting to know everyone in the hostel and making some friends. Jason was a friend of Kims, and also from Australia and we got on really well. There was also Dine from Germany who was lovely as well as quite a few others.
Kim was on duty that night to cook dinner for the hostel residents. We went with her to the supermarket, way too early in the morning... and got all the stuff to make 'slow cooked spaghetti' for around 70 people. There were quite a few bags. That was quite a struggle.
Later that evening after dinner (which was amazing) they had fireworks on at the Edinburgh Castle. We all went out to watch and it was really nice. The buildings around edinburgh were split over the older buildings on the south and the more modern north side. Its such a lovely landscape. Its a big city, but kinda has a country town feel to it. It was quickly winning me over. Plus in most other countries, a lot of the time it didnt actually feel like you were overseas. Whereas here, they play bagpipes 24/7 which remind you where you are and it has this special feel about it.
We got an early night that night ready for some sightseeing the next day. Ash, laura and I had a nice relaxed morning before setting out. We started walking the streets looking for the National Museum. We walked for ages trying to read the map and eventually found it, only to realise that its closed for renovation until November!! Then we decided to go and find the castle. We walked back through the centre of town, down to the park. We found a nice sunny spot on the grass and lied down. We put on some good music and just enjoyed the moment. How many times can you say that you were lying on the grass, overlooking a castle, with good friends, listening to good music without a care in the world... It was such a nice feeling. After that we went into the National Gallery and had a look around. There were paintings by Rembrandt and other famous pieces there which was pretty cool to see.
We had decided to have another big night. So went back to our 'local' tesco to get more supplies before heading up to the hostel. We got the crew together and started 'gettiing in the spirit' for another big night out. Jason and Kim wanted to take us to a nightclub which had cheap drinks and good music, so we couldnt be rude and say no...
This was the first night we experienced 'The Hive'. It wasnt an overly big club, but it had 2 seperate rooms which were seperated by the bar. It reminded me a bit of the bomb shelter bar in Switzerland. They really did have cheap drinks and really good music. One room was playing really old stuff, and the other new. But we mainly stuck to the old stuff. Lots of good dancing songs. The walk home that night was what you would call in contiki 'a Merry One'. We walked over Edinburgh bridge singing and dancing. Laura and Jason had decided to go to the casino so they left, meanwhile me and ash stayed back serenading the night workmen with the neighbours theme song. When we got back to the hostel we stayed up cooking midnight snacks waiting for the others to get home. We found vegemite, and as we were all aussie, we were quite excited. So excited in fact that we made vegemite facials!! We painted our faces with the vegemite and sang the vegemite song. Turns out it is actually quite good for your skin!! It was around 6am before anyone made it to bed. Edinburgh was officially now my favorite.
The next day was a complete write off. No one woke up until around 3pm. Then we met in the dining room and just kicked back the rest of the day. It was nice to not have to go anywhere or do anything. Just all hang out.
As we once again didnt achieve much that day we decided to have another big sightseeing day the next day. We went to the walking tour which takes about 3 hours and covers most of the history of Edinburgh. It was so interesting. A lot of the history took place before Australia was even discovered!! We learnt all about the street merchants, crime and punishment, murders, the graveyards etc. We also learnt about Harry Potter, we saw the cafe where the first 2 books were written, and the school which gave JK Rowling the inspiration for Hogwarts. A few of the characters were also named after people buried in the graveyard also.
When the tour finished we went back to the hostel. Two more contiki friends were coming that night to catch up and stay a while, Tim and Tom. We went to get them from the bus station that night and got them settled in. While catching up we also managed to convince another contiki friend, Liam to come the next morning. We were so excited to have so many of us together again. After dinner and drinks at the hostel we decided to take Tim and Tom to experience The Hive. That night was the snow party. They had snow machines which let out foam over everyone and the whole rooms really did look like it had been snowing. It was awesome.
When the club closed we decided that we werent finished partying yet. And we decided to try to all stay up to pick up Liam from the bus station. He arrived at 7.30am so it would be a bit of a mission...
We left the hive then we decided to go to the graveyard. During our walking tour, they had told us about the ghosts that haunt the graveyard at night so we decided to test it out. Along the way we had a few mini adventures. We had our photos taken with some animals, found some free clothes and pillows... by the time we made it to the graveyard we may have actually looked like we were homeless!! We also made a few friends along the way. Edinburgh really is quite social!!
The graveyard was a bit of a letdown. No ghosts!! But we had a look around anyway and had our picture taken with the Bobby statue. Bobby was a dog owned by the old caretaker of the graveyard. When the caretaker died, bobby used to return to the graveyard every day and sit on his owners grave. It went on for nearly 14 years until bobby died. His statue is now a monument out the front of the graveyard and is a well known part of Edinburgh.
After that we decided to go back to the hostel for a snack. Kim had cooked spaghetti for us again as a midnight snack so we all ate some of that. Then we stayed there for a while singing and messing around. We started to get tired so Jason took me and Laura to Castle Hill for sunrise. It was beautiful. It overlooked all of the royal mile, and you could see almost all of Edinburgh. We got there in time for sunrise and it was amazing.
Then we went to get a coffee from Maccas as it was still an hour until Liam would arrive. Sadly I hit the wall while sitting in Maccas though and had to go home to bed. I figure I did well to make it to at least 7am!! Laura went to get Liam and then met us back at the hostel.
Once again, the next day no one achieved a lot. We caught up with Liam a bit and just chilled out. By this point we really felt like locals in Edinburgh and it honestly felt like home. It was really nice.
The next day we did a little bit of shopping and started planning a road trip. Liam, Tim, Tom, Laura and I were wanting to do a tour of the highlands, but as we had left it so late most of the tours were fully booked. So we decided to hire a car. We started organising that and planning where we would go. We would leave the next day and spend 3 days road tripping.
That night the spanish crew at the hostel had a Sangria night as a farewell to one of the girls who was leaving. We stayed there drinking Sangria for a while, then most people decided to go out, but as I would be driving the hire car the next morning I decided I better not drink much that night!! It was the first night I had stayed home while the others went out, but it was a good thing. There were a few big days ahead!!!
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