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Edinburgh

I quite simply had an absolutely incredible time in Edinburgh. I wasn't immediately struck by its charm and beauty, but by the time it came for me to leave, I was in love.

I stayed with my beloved Nat, which probably greatly influenced my feeling for the city, but everybody she introduced me to was also lovely. The people were so warm, friendly, chatty and interested, which contrasts London so sharply that it was almost as much of a culture shock going home to London as it was when I first arrived. In the 4.5 days I was there, I had genuine conversations with more than double the number of people I've spoken to in the 10 months I've been in London (existing friends and other Anzafs excluded).

I knew my trip was destined to be interesting when I swayed into the smoking carriage on the train and sat across from a man preparing a roley with his prosthetic leg propped up on the chair next to him like a guest.

If there was one thing that was disturbing about Edinburgh, it was the sheer volume of tourists. Which is not really very different to London, except that a staggering percentage of them were American. At least in London, the nationalities of the tourists are fairly well-mixed. They were everywhere. I got stuck behind them in every nook and cranny in the castle - if there was no room to overtake, I would be stuck behind a string of grotesquely obese retirees trying to navigate medieval stair cases. The urge to push them just to watch them all domino down the stair case and land in a moaning mushy lump was almost irresistibly strong. Come on! None of them would have been hurt, each one of them had better built-in padding than an entire American football team.

 
   
For those who know him, this man needs no introduction. For the others, this is my ex, Paul. He met me at Waverley train station and carried my bag for me for the rest of the day. What a sweetie. Apart from being nearly double the size he was when I last saw him, he hasn't changed a bit. This picture does not do him any justice. I cheekily asked him if his muscles would pop if I pressed too hard. All this growth is the result of discipline, diet and training. Not. This is Greyfriar's Bobby. I had absolutely no idea he was in Edinburgh. I actually had absolutely no idea where he was at all, so it was an enormous surprise to see him. I'm sure you all know his story, so I won't bore you with it.

Next to him is the infamous 'No dogs allowed' sign inside the cemetery, literally meters away from Bobby's headstone. Needless to say, the locals find this incredibly amusing and draw your attention to it at every possible opportunity.
The Pubic Triangle
So called because there is a strip club on each point of the triangle. Nat wasn't sure, but she thought they might be the only strip clubs in Edinburgh. James disagreed, and I'm sure he would be more informed on the subject than Nat. For a red-light district it was disturbingly quaint.

I did the castle on my first full day in Edinburgh. It was expensive, there's no doubt about that, £8.50 to get in and another £2.50 for the essential audio guide. I could have joined one of the free guided tours, but I couldn't bear the prospect of being stuck with the 'Maryland Dairy Judging Team 2002' for an hour. Even though I didn't take advantage of the free tour, I still think all the money I paid was worth it. The views of Edinburgh from the castle are breathtaking. This one here is a view of Arthur's Seat I believe. Which I was too tired to contemplate walking up. And it rained a lot while I was there. Look at the threatening clouds - they meant business...

This is just another view from one of the castle battery's. The only thing I can name on the skyline is Waverley station - everything else, ask Natalie. I have tonnes of photos of different views from different parts of the castle. Halfway through the day, I took a break from my touristing and walked to Nat's work to meet her for lunch - because everything in Edinburgh is, at worst, 20 mins walk away from where you are. That's how I got the other photo of the outside of the castle. I went back after lunch because I still had to do the war museums, war memorial, jewels and honours. As I said, you certainly get value for money for your ticket to the castle, but not enough value to spread it out over two days. Anyway, I wanted to do the Edinburgh Vaults tour a little later. Which I did, and all I can say to anyone thinking about paying the £6.50 to do it is DON'T. I think I was the only person on the tour who was actually on the tour they intended to go on. Everyone else thought they were doing the Mary King's Close tour. No prizes for guessing where my fellow tourists were from...