During my first few days in Scotland, I didn’t feel the instant spark I was hoping for. At first I blamed it on my stressful travel day then I blamed it on London stealing my heart immediately and missing the experiences I was having there. The friends I had made were still all together and were sending photo updates which I absolutely loved but I was suffering from FOMO. I think I have finally pinpointed what’s felt off about Edinburgh after spending four whole days here. I truly think it’s the Fringe Festival that’s happening here currently. My hostel is only one block away from the Royal Mile and that entire street has been jam packed since I’ve arrived. The streets are closed off for the performers and you can barely move through the streets due to so many people everywhere. I. Hate. Crowds. I also hate waiting in long lines. Festivals are not for me. Also, mostly everyone at my hostel seems to be traveling with someone else. Again, I think it’s because everyone is in town for the festival. This makes it difficult to meet people. I’ve also encountered multiple social interactions at my hostel of people saying awful things about America and Americans. They did not know I was American but it was still hard to hear those things. I can’t help where I’m from and I can’t control who our president is. To group us all into one stigma is hurtful and it really surprised me to hear these things in a place where travelers come from all over the world.

I’ve spent the last two days getting away from downtown and it has completely changed the way I view and think about Edinburgh. I was finally able to enjoy what the city has to offer without being around the stress of the crowds.

I spent the first couple of days visiting local coffee shops, trying authentic Scottish foods, walking around town, and viewing a lot of the street performances. I will say they’re incredible and some of them are so funny they had the crowd and I laughing out loud multiple times. Sam is also in Edinburgh visiting a friend. We were supposed to meet up to see a show together but the tickets were sold out at the gate so I was unable to go with them. I tried authentic English breakfast tea for my first time served with a side of milk to go in it and it was incredible. I visited an art gallery that was three stories high and had SO many paintings from all eras of Scotland and other parts of Europe. It was interesting to me and I learned a lot about this country and the history of what life was like here when the kings and queens ruled it. Shakespeare is everywhere. The buildings are magnificent and there are castle type buildings everywhere. Oh, and you are constantly walking at an incline and up stairs here. It doesn’t matter that you’ve just walked up a 2-mile hill and 400 stairs, if you turn around to go back the way you came from, you will still somehow be walking at an incline and up more stairs. That’s how it feels anyways! My legs are so strong now that a watermelon could literally look at them and it would break open.

I tried authentic Scottish whiskey at a pub and I don’t even like whiskey. I ordered a whiskey sour and ended up drinking three of them. That’s how good the whiskey is here! It’s unbelievable. I wish I had the funds and space in my backpack to buy some to bring home.

Yesterday I wanted to get away from the crowds so I hopped on a 35 minute bus ride to Portabello Beach. It’s a cute coastal outskirt of Edinburgh and had so many cute cafes that sit along the beach pathway and cute lil local shops to check out. The beach was cute. There were dead jellyfish everywhere! I was sunbathing and reading my book when all of a sudden I heard a small child start screaming that he had been stung. He was crying and screaming about how bad his foot was stinging. Poor buddy. I didn’t go in the water after seeing all the jellyfish on the shore, but I did enjoy the views for a few hours. It was nice to lay in the sun and relax for a bit. Besides, anytime I am near the ocean I am happy.

I’ve also taken some time throughout my trip here to just find a hill to sit on and paint my view. Last night I hiked up to Calton Hill to watch the sunset over the city and it was one of my favorite sunsets I think I’ve ever seen.

I crossed paths with this elderly English man yesterday. We started chatting and he asked where I was from. He said he genuinely couldn’t tell where I was from because I had a very “rich” accent that sounded well traveled. I told him that was seriously the best compliment I’ve ever received in my entire life. I could have hugged that cute old man.

Today I hopped on an hour train ride to Swanston Farms to see the highland coos. I was hoping and praying I’d see them because the farm allows you to use the back of their land to hike the Highland Hills and look for wild highland coos, but there’s absolutely no guarantee that you will find them. I grabbed a quick iced coffee and sandwich at the farm brasserie and started my trek into the highlands. I walked straight up hill for I don’t even know how long. It took me a long time to spot the cows. I’ve walked almost 30,000 steps today if that tells you anything. I finally spotted a whole heard of them grazing together. I was so excited to see them I was shaking. They’re massive in person! I wasn’t expecting them to be as big as they are. I sat on the ground and watched them for a long time. While I was sitting, I met two girls from Poland. They’re actually twin sisters! We chatted for awhile and it turns out one of them performs in one of the shows here in Edinburgh for the festival. They were so nice.

While sitting and watching the highland coos, I also met this woman named Rita. Rita was incredible and I will never forget her. Rita was in her 40’s, although she looked in her early 30’s. She had left America in her 30’s and traveled around the world for an entire year after leaving an 8 year relationship. She came back to America and then packed up her belongings and moved to Albania. She’s been there five years now! She is amazing and I felt like I was talking to a mirror image of myself. We actually ended up hanging out for a bit after meeting the cows together. She gave me so many great travel tips and advice. She’s also welcomed me to visit Albania if I get over there. I am so happy my path crossed with hers!

After leaving the farm, I took the bus down to Dean’s Village. It’s this amazing village part of Edinburgh. The pictures just don’t do justice. I found a cute little drink stand there and got a lavender iced tea. They have so much iced tea and coffee here! After Dean’s Village, I was walking to Edinburgh Castle when I came across a local outdoor market. I walked through it. Everything being sold was handmade and handcrafted from the locals of England. They even had spaces set up in their tents where they were actively sewing and painting. I stopped and talked to multiple of the locals as I wanted to hear their stories, journeys, and what had inspired them for their art. I had many incredible social interactions with the locals and that meant a lot to me. I also picked up a few hand crafted souvenirs for my family.

I’m sad that Edinburgh has finally grown on me and now I’m leaving. I am catching a 6 am flight to Italy tomorrow morning which means I have to be up at 2 am to catch the train. I was originally supposed to go to Poland but plans have changed and I’m heading to Italy! I know it’s going to be incredibly hot, but Italy has been on my bucket list and a dream of mine for so many years that I can’t believe I’m finally going. I can’t wait to try some amazing pizza and pasta! I’m also looking forward to some nice beach time.

Some things I’ve noticed about England:

The bathrooms are almost always underground in the basement in every pub, store, or restaurant! You typically have to pay for public restrooms. Also everything here is cashless. They use tap to pay at every single place I’ve been on my journey so far. Even most of the street performers had little calculator shaped boxes that you could type in the amount you wanted to tip and tap it against your phone. I didn’t even get a passport stamp when I got to England because it was all electronic! It’s crazy. I haven’t pulled cash out once which has been nice to not have to worry about it.

The dogs are usually walked off-leash. At the parks, down the streets, you name it. They’re very well behaved and have great recall. It’s also not custom here to walk up and pet a stranger’s dog like it is in America which does make me sad because I want to pet every single dog that I lay my eyes on.

When the British want to say “you’re welcome” or “have a nice day”, they say “cheers!” instead which is adorable. They also use “you alright” for “do you need something?” and “fancy a drink/food/coffee (or literally whatever)” instead of “would you like?”

It’s also not really custom to tip here. The service workers are already paid a livable wage. If you have a great experience and/or service though, you can add 10-15%! There’s absolutely no pressure to do so though.

I’m getting used to relying completely on myself and my instincts for every decision I make. I feel like I’ve already grown so much in the short amount of time I’ve been here. I’ve also gotten really good at grounding myself and living in the moment. Every time my mind starts to wander I will say to myself “be here”. That may sound cheesy but it has been working to keep me in the present moment and not be anywhere other than where I am.

I’m heading off to bed as it’s past 10pm here and I have a flight to catch soon. I can’t wait to be in Italy tomorrow!

Talk soon.

xo,

Kals