Sometimes I publish more than one days worth at a sitting so be sure to check back to see if you've missed anything. Because I know you're soooooo interested. :-) Oh and for some reason, the format is fucked up because I posted those pics of Peanut a while back. By the time you read this, they might be gone :(
I slept in this morning, till almost 8:30am! I'm a light sleeper so I tend to wake up whenever anyone even breathes, it can be useful when the alarm is broken though. Hey you know what's weird? Sleeping in a room with 5-7 people that you don't know at all. It's also a weird situation at this hostel because many of these people are longterm guests which makes me feel like I'm invading their personal space/room. But no one's been supremely rude although I wouldn't say friendly persay. The one girl I chatted with last night is also here for the weekend, she actually goes to Berkeley but she's studying at Cambridge right now. Small world! I could see she was quite keen on meeting people though so that was nice. Who knows, maybe they'll go out tonight and I'll join them (it IS Friday... although I've begun to lose track of the days). Last night a small group of us watched "Catwoman" (quite possibly the worst movie ever made) but I couldn't take too much since I was so tired and headed to bed around midnight. Woo, party animal!!
It's so funny because the hostel presented themselves as this modern, pristine, new place (from their website, (www.highlanderbackpackers.com) but it's actually not at all. It's located in a converted house, actually more like what I expect a brownstone in Chicago is like, where all the "houses" are attached to each other. But it is super homey and comfortable as well as clean so I can't complain. Also, I had to cancel my last night (Monday) since I couldn't get a place ticket out on Tuesday and they usually charge a % but the guy gave me a full refund. Sweet.
After getting ready, I headed out to Ediburgh Castle which is the only castle located within walking distance of me. After some much uphill walking, I ended up at the front gates where admission is £9.50. It's a total tourist trap but you can't NOT go there when you come to Edinburgh. The sight was interesting enough, a lot of recreated still scenes a la Pirates of the Carribean. I'm a dork though so I tend to enjoy displays like that. Since it was a castle, there was a lot of war type museums on site which, although would interest my father, doesn't quite hold the same interest for me. The views were beautiful though, the castle overlooks the entire city. There was also a wedding taking place in St. Margarets cathedral which is the oldest building in Edinburgh. I saw the crown jewels, took some pics, and marveled at how many goddamn tourists were around (including myself, ha ha ha).
The exit leads you straight onto the Royal Mile which is just an extension of a tourist trap with souvenier shops and overpriced cafes. I wanted to hit up the Royal Museum of Scotland though so I didn't linger too long although I did make a brief stop at the Writers' Museum and saw a short Robert Louis Stevenson display.
At the Royal Museum, they are having a special exhibit focusing on the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia (from before the Revolution). For some reason, it greatly interested me and I purchased a ticket. The whole exhibit engrossed me though.. I think the story tends to attract a lot of people because of how close the whole family was and because of the weird stuff that surrounds them (such as how close Rasputin got to the family, how the son had a sickness, and the whole family's eventual murder). It was definitely one of my favorite things that I've seen since I've gotten here.
The exhibit actually greatly depressed me, to see how close this family was and how it all ended. Quite unfortunate. I had little motivation to see the rest of the museum so I headed back to the city center where there's a park. I did some people watching, postcard writing, and reading (which greatly helped my mood) before deciding to hit up Marks & Spencers food bin for dinner. I kept reading about it in this British book I was reading so curiosity finally got the better of me.
Holy crud, I'm going there everyday! The food is pretty reasonably priced (considering it's the UK), it's tasty, and they talk about using sustainable farming (even the local grocery store's own brand is organic... like that's all they offer, how rad is that?). I love it, there's so much I still want to try and I pretty much refuse to eat in any restaurants till I leave. Grand!
It's barely 7:30 and I'm already falling asleep. Aye, I think it's time to go outside.
Peeeaaace!
1 comment:
I went to the Czar exhibition about a week before you Salina! I thought it was impressive (I especially liked the museum's facade) but there was too many diamonds, crowns & dresses for my liking. Oh, & the repetitive background music really pissed me off! His death was tyranicide, he deserved it for being undemocratic. The family photos were touching though. I've never been to the castle before despite living an hour away &, after what you said, I doubt I'll ever go!!
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