Good morning! I have officially arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland after a ROUGH travel day yesterday. I had a train booked for 0852 in the morning from London to Scotland. The French doctor who I was spending a lot of time with dropped me off at the train station and carried all of my things for me. It was so kind. And guess what?! He even kissed me goodbye before he left. My first kiss in Europe. It was wholesome.

Anyways, upon arrival at the train station, I was informed my train was canceled due to a bridge being out between London and Edinburgh. The train that I had bought a specific seat for already. They advised me I would be able to get on the next train, but it wouldn’t be until 1023. That was fine. I sat on my computer and worked on trying to figure out how to fix my blog homepage. I had my headphones in, nose deep in my computer work, in the zone when a young man approached me and got my attention. I removed my headphones and looked at him and smiled. He said, “I am so sorry to bother you, but I saw you from over there and you are my type.” I was shocked. You mean to tell me his “type” is a disheveled, lost, messy-haired, baggy clothes, look like she hasn’t slept in 6 weeks, American girl? No. We got to chatting of course when he asked me my age. I say 31. I shit you not, this man rocked back a little bit and said, “oh wow!” NICE. How sweet. I replied, “how old are you? twenty?” He laughed and told me 24. Great. So still a fetus. He then asked me for my Snapchat (which, by the way, I really dislike when men do this because it feels so…young haha). I agreed, typed my name into his phone, and never added him back.

I was able to get on the next train, but of course it was completely full and I was unable to get a seat. So, guess what I had to do? Literally sit on the floor of the train for almost the entire duration of the ride. It was a 5+ hour train ride with all of the delays due to construction on the bridge. Picture me and all of my belongings scrunched up on the floor with other travelers who also didn’t have a seat. On the bright side, I met a family from Portugal who I spoke to for a long time and they gave me so many recommendations of places to go and things to do once I got to Portugal! There was also a girl on the train my age who came up to me and asked if I’d like to sit in her seat while she used the bathroom. I graciously agreed to have a few moments to sit on something comfortable and stretch my legs out. She never came back. I saw her standing next to her father and they were taking turns sitting and standing with each other. I offered her her seat back multiple times, telling her it was her seat and I can sit back on the floor, but they refused to take their seat back. I got to ride the last 45 minutes of that train ride in heaven. I am so thankful for that family. What kind-hearted humans.

Also come to find out, my hostel mate advised me that I had forgotten my passport, Beats headphones, and expensive sunglasses at my hostel. I was so upset and stressed about leaving my passport behind that I was just anxious. Sam was coming to Edinburgh later in the day, though. Thankfully she was able to grab my things and drop them off with me. I met her at the train station and had never been happier to see my passport than at that moment. I am so thankful for her.

I then had to walk straight up SO many stairs and a large hilltop to get to my hostel. With all of the weight of my backpacks on me. I made it to my hostel and I laid on my bed and couldn’t move for a while. I just needed to decompress.

My last night in London, my hostel mates and I went to a live musical downtown. We saw Wicked and it was INCREDIBLE and so emotional to watch it live like that! We went out for authentic English Fish N Chips and they were the best I’ve ever had. The COD was freshly caught from the English waters. I had high standards coming from Wisconsin where “Friday Night Fish Fry” is sort of our thing. Along with an old fashioned of course. We then walked downtown to see Big Ben and the London Eye lit up in the night one last time.

Leaving London broke my heart. I cried on the train. I cried when I got to my hostel. And if I’m being really vulnerable here, I cried until I slept last night. To be fair, I am running off of barely any sleep, food, water, and walking 20-30k steps a day. I also feel like the stress of the travel day really got to me and I just needed a good night’s rest. I miss London deeply. I fell head over heels in love with that city from the moment I arrived in it. I liked the version of myself the best there and love the way London made me feel. I was also so sad about leaving the friends I had made. We all connected so quickly and ended up spending every moment together. Nothing prepares you for all of the goodbyes during travel.

Waking up in Scotland this morning, I’m feeling much better. My hostel is adorable. The kitchen is massive which I appreciate compared to my last hostel. This city is beautiful. It’s like a fairy-tale. I feel like I’ve stepped into a Harry Potter movie. I can’t describe it-you will have to see for yourself. This morning I woke up, got ready to take on the day, and walked down to The Milkman. It’s a famous coffee shop here that everyone goes to and comes for. I got whatever the barista recommended, which was a white flat and spinach and feta roll. AMAZING. Heaven in my mouth. It cost me 10.70 pounds for the two items. Which converts to $14.41 USD. Totally worth it, though. I got there at a great time right after opening. By the time I was leaving, there was a huge line out the door.

After I drank my coffee and read for a bit, I walked down to another coffee shop where I could get free access to Wifi. I ordered an English breakfast tea and it’s incredible. I am sipping on it and enjoying the views as we speak. I’m really looking forward to exploring Edinburgh today. I’ve already found a place where I can go see the highland cows in person. I’m also only a 30 minute train ride from the ocean so of course I will do that. The Fringe festival is also going on here currently. There are musicians and events and performers EVERYWHERE. The city is very busy. The people here are kind. I’m happy to be in a better head space today.

I’m already picking up on the English language here. They say “bloody hell” and “fucking hell” a lot here. They also use the phrase, “you alright?” for literally everything and it’s funny. I like being around the accents.

Alright, I’m logging off so I can go explore the city. I will write again soon. Mom, I miss you so much. And of course I’m missing the rest of my family, friends, and Panny the bearded dragon.

Chat soon.

xo,

Kals