May 1-3: Edinburgh

After all the leadup and talking about traveling and planning and everything, I’m finally here! I’ll admit I had a slight freakout just before I left home, second guessing myself for planning such a big trip for just me.

I got a ride to the airport with my parents, and did the usual waiting around thing (no hassles at the airport, straight through security in under 15 minutes), and was glad that YYZ finally has free wifi. The flight was fine, although there was a fair amount of turbulence that kept stopping the drink service, which in turn delayed the meal – we left at 8:30pm and dinner was finally served around 10:30. It’s an odd time change, because you lose an entire night to a flight that’s only 6.5 hours; we landed at 8am British time and I pretty much hadn’t slept a wink. I even had a bit of a panic attack about halfway through, ugh.

Once I landed in sunny Glasgow I took a cab to the train station then the train to Edinburgh. After being cramped on a plane for the night, the quiet train ride was relaxing. Train travel is so civilized. I knit a little on the train, which I didn’t do at all on the plane – I just didn’t feel up to it.

I’ve been to Edinburgh a few times, so it was nice to make my way over to ysolda’s flat, though my backpack and carry on bag were awfully heavy! It would’ve been much better and quicker if I’d say, had a map. Oops. The walk from the train station really isn’t that long, but it’s longer if you keep having to backtrack! After a few hours’ sleep, I headed out for a short walk around the neighbourhood and picked up a bit of food from Tesco to cook for dinner. It really is awfully nice to have the option to just cooking some comfort food for myself – something I’m sure to miss when I’m staying in hotels further along in my trip.

I didn’t really do anything in the evening, just relaxed and watched Doctor Who, and did some thinking about what I want to do the rest of this week. I’m pretty much on my own the whole time, which I’ve never had in Edinburgh because every time I’ve come, ysolda’s been here! The time zone change really kicked my ass this time – I couldn’t fall asleep for hours, then slept the morning away. Luckily all I had planned today was a bit of wandering around the city centre and shopping.

I walked through the Meadows and stopped off for a wee knitting break in the sunshine.

Had some delicious soup at Hula near k1 yarns on Victoria street, and bought some yarn and whisky!

Walked through Princes St Gardens, along Princes St then back along George St with a stop at one of my favourite fancy clothing shops, Jigsaw

A bit of a wander down an alley set me atop Victoria St, which is a very cool view. The sun sets really slowly here – it doesn’t just disappear. The light sticks around until nice and late – it’s still a wee bit light at 9pm so far, which will continue to get later through the summer!

After taking this photo (it was brighter than it looks in the photo though) I stopped off at Mums for a dinner of mushroom wellington, then headed back to the flat – and it was still light! It wasn’t the longest day of activity ever, but I figure I need a bit of time to get into the swing of exploring on my own, and rebuilding the stamina for going around all day. I really love having such a comfortingly familiar place to stay here, it’s perfect for helping ease me into feeling more comfortable for the trip ahead.