Finally, though still sick, I am going on a good adventure today I decided. The weather is much, much nicer. Not quite sunny, but warmer and not raining.
I start my day off by walking to....crap, I forgot the name of the hill. Anyhow, it is a famous hill in the city. On top of it are a bunch of monuments. Edinburgh is famous for being a place of literary birth. Many famous writers in the 1800's came there to write and live. A famous one, convinced the city it needed more parks and got this land dedicated to being a park. The monuments don't really match very well. It's a random collection of different pieces that just stand out and make it all the more interesting.
The best one is the model of the Parthenon. It is just the front and a few pillars to the side. It is a full 1:1 replica though. I am sitting their reading about it and the story made me laugh out loud. During the mid-1800's Scotland was enjoying a great time of economic prosperity. They decided to build this temple since so much of city was built in that neo-classical/gothic Greek style. Strange, I know, but go with it. Well, after about 8 years of construction and being WAY over budget they just stopped. 150 years later they have never gone to finish it. So instead they just have the front pillars and top to the monument finished.
After walking around the hill, I make my way down. My second goal of the day is to climb Arthur's Seat. It is a small mountain dividing the old Edinburgh from the new. On the top of it is the "Seat" where the king was crowned. Really, it is just a stone.
I make my way down the hill in the direction of the mountain. I wander through random residential streets and end up next to protestors in front of the new parliament building. Apparently, this group of people is mad that they pennons might be cut because the government can't afford them. I guess bankrupting a country is more important that getting a very comfortable pension at the age of 55 for some Scotts.
I make my way to the base of Arthur's Seat and start my climb. It takes me about an hour and I am pretty exhausted. The cold I have is doing me no favors. The climb is beautiful and easily worth any discomfort experienced, though. It is pretty warm out today, to the point that I take my coat off. By the time I reach the top the sun has even come out to play for a bit, but the wind is heavy and forces me to put my jacket back one.
The funny thing is, when I get to the top, I look to one side that I see a lot of people coming from. So I guess, you can drive or take a bus up to hill and just climb the last 200 meters or so. I look at the 1000+ meters I climbed and just grumble to my self. Honestly, the climb is worth it. You don't appreciate things if you don't have to work for them.
On the top I decide this is the perfect plank. On the seat (people sit, stand, etc on it). I get a random guy to take my picture and it turns out great. Also, the guy is from San Francisco. He is on vacation for a few weeks in Scotland and England. We chat and start walking down the mountain together.
We decide to go the easy way because he was told there is a good bar on that side. We he confused, I follow him and we end up off the path walking through the woods. Now, part of me thinks, "Oh good, this is the day I die..." But this guy didn't give me the creepy vibe. It was pretty funny when in the middle of the woods we find a small camp, all naturally made. A wooden shelter, campfire pit, etc. Pretty creepy and we move on quickly. We end up in a meadow and then in a residential neighborhood, suburbs really.
We start wandering through them and at this point, without question, we know we are going the wrong way. Finally, we find a main street and ask a guy for the best way back to old town. He give us the bus number we need. We find the stop and hop on. It is a twenty minute or so bus ride.
My new friend and I part ways, exchanging e-mail addresses and I head back to my hostel exhausted and ready to lay down.
The rest of the night is pretty simple. More reading. I meet some people in the common room and talk to them. Even walk a movie with them. Nice people, from all over. A very pleasant night overall. The adventure is not just about what I see or who I meet, but just the experiences I have and today was full of good ones.
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