Bonjour Paris!

Oh, the last day of London ended up being rather amusing.amazing. First off, I went to Stonehenge! Which was just as cool as I'd hoped it would be. I'm just sad I couldn't get a sunset tour where they let you actually walk up to the stones instead of the set distance away. But that was only because it was the wrong time of year for that, so unfortunately, I have found yet another reason to come back. Darn. The tour came with an audio guide to0, so I got to learn a lot about what they've learned about Stonehenge and it's construction over the years. And since I picked the tour with extra time I was able to walk out to the barrows too. Overall, a very satisfying experience.
As I had a 6 am train to Paris, I figured I'd be going to bed early, no big deal. So imagine my surprise when at 9:30 at night I find myself on the tube heading to a club with about 10 people from my hostel. Still not really sure how I managed to get talked into that, but that's just a whole other story. I kinda figured it might be meant to be, seeing as how most of the group was a large bunch of French guys, some from Paris, and that it was just too fortuitous on the eve of my departure there. The most interesting one in the group though was the British gal who got in full cat costume for the club (really a fairly common thing to do there) especially since she had a whip, a kit of makeup, and quite a personality. She could not stand still if her life depended on it! On the tube she was putting makeup costumes on all the French guys, my favorite one of which was the lightning bolt on the forehead.
Turned out that the club the French guys had found, was actually a pub. A very small pub. And they couldn't seem to tell the difference! Very amusing over all, but our resident cat was slightly less amused and was on her phone like a mad woman finding another club to go to in the area. I had a lot of fun though! Kevin (from Canada) and I made the best of it and just kept trying to piece conversations together with the French guys (I can remember none of their names unfortunately, and they spoke very little English), showing off our worst dance moves imaginable (we had all the French guys discoing with us for awhile), and just overall laughing about the fact that we were in a tiny pub unable to communicate with most our group on the far east side of London. At least some of us found it amusing. I split for the hostel not long after when they decided they would rather take the expense of the tube for one stop rather than walk 5 minutes and they weren't even quite sure where they were going again. Figured that was my sign to head to bed.
I have been in Paris officially for just shy of 24 hours though and it is amazing. Beautiful city! I really like it here so far. When I got off the train it was an absolute downpour. And of course I lost my airport in screening at the train station that very day. So I was running for the hotel when I heard my name and turned around to find Jonette running in the rain too! So we went in, checked into our hotel went outside, and it was the most beautiful blue skies. You would never known the rain we had been in 10 minutes earlier! And the rest of the day continued like that.
We ate some French Onion soup, some of the most delicious french fries I have ever had, and an amazing pizza. Wandered around, found Notre Dame and the Louvre (though we didn't go in either yet, but hey, we have two weeks!), got lost, got unlost. It was a lot of fun. We also found a bridge with chain link which had tons of padlocks attached to it with couples names on it. Very cool, though we weren't sure what started it, if anything in particular. It might just be like the shoe tree, something people just cobbled together over time. Some people had obviously just scrounged their bags to see what they could attach. There was even a fork tied on with headphones, twist ties, and key rings. I loved it.
Today I'm going to meet up with Kristi for a short time before she heads to Germany. I'm excited to see her. How cool is it that we are in Paris at the same time, even for so short a period. So until my next adventure, au revoir!

My favorite part of London is...

I've decided that my favorite part of London is it's hills. Locals measure everything by hills. The place your looking for is at the top of the hill. The tube station is at the bottom of the hill. If you find yourself on this hill you've gone too far. Funny thing is, I've yet to see a single on of these supposed hills

These are the two sides of the intersection next to St Paul's cathedral. One of these two stretches is marked and named as an official hill on London maps. Can you guess which one? If I hadn't seen I on a map I wouldn't either. It is in fact he second one facing the bridge and the Thames. It makes directions quite difficult to follow when you can't even see the landmarks mentioned. And in Scotland they kept talking about their mountains. Again I say, "What mountains?" They do have some gorgeous hills, but I can't see them as mountains. Just amusing to me.
Made it to Spitalfield market today. Was rather disappointed. It was definitely no Portland show mom! Speaking of which, tell the guys hi for me and have fun.
Excited for Stonehenge tomorrow. More excited for Paris. Did I mention I was hanging out in my hostel in Edinburgh with a German gal? Very nice. Taught me a good phrase for me to know. Ich spreche kein Deutsch. I don't speak German. Oh the little things.

One more day

So tomorrow is my last day in Edinburgh, which is strange to think about. I have felt so completely comfortable in this city. I can't believe I will have been here for almost a week and a half when I leave. That's the longest I've stayed anywhere here yet. And I'm heading back to London, which my stomach is not so excited about. I will officially been coming in at King's Cross though, which is exciting, as I will be there for real and not just to track down Platform 9 3/4. I will only be there for two days before I'm off to Paris though! I can't believe I have been here for a month. It is so surreal!
I'm trying to decide what it is I want to do for my last day here though. Today I climbed Calton Hill, and it was so perfectly beautiful with bright blue skies that I couldn't resist climbing the Crags up to Arthur's Seat again, but I took a different route then before. It was just as wonderful as the first time. Definitely my favorite place here. I may just wander around in a couple areas of town I don't know quite as well. One last random wandering to see whatever I come up to.

Ghost Hunters

So I went on the ghost tour today. I decided on the one called Ghost hunters because it did not allow children do to the goriness of the stories and higher scare chances. Alas, I did not see a ghost though. Our guide told us though that "The Watcher" was actually following us; though he commonly follows most groups. With the sole intention of making sure they leave sooner than later. He has a history of turning off all the lights, blowing out candles, throwing rocks, scratching people, and even on three occasions, possessing someone to make people leave faster. I even hung out in the room they call his HQ, which is where he most commonly truly "attacks" people. The funny thing about him though, is even though he's called the watcher, the people who have actually seen his face (which is rare, usually you hear his footsteps, see his boots, or feel him breathing on your neck) say he has no eyes, just holes in his head. And that his mouth is just a black elongated hole in his chin. Sounds to me like how the victims looked in The Ring.
The closest thing I had to an actual encounter is that I did notice while in one room that a single candle down the hall and in the next room was flickering. Because I remember thinking, how funny if my biggest encounter here is a draft. This was ironic because when we hit the next room, she mentioned that if you feel a draft at all, it isn't. Because we are four stories underground and there are no drafts. As in the builders who were making sure it was safe when they opened up the vaults in '96 said it was impossible for there to be any when someone mentioned one. So who knows what I saw. Could have been anything or nothing. I like to think it was something though.
Thus ends my Edinburgh ghost tour through the vaults. Though I did hear some amazing stories from throughout Edinburgh's past. Definitely a fun adventure. And for my friends who have complained about some of the tour guides lacking authenticity. My gal and a thick Scottish accent, and got awesomely into the stories, including jumping out at us and screaming when appropriate in the stories. Or just simply refusing to go into the Watcher's room, because as she put it "I just don't like that room and I don't go in it if I can help it." So I was highly satisfied with her.

Couple days later.

So I haven't really written in a couple of days, sorry for that. They were kinda interesting ones at times. The day I hung out with Madge, I lost my camera. I'd retraced my steps and nothing (I'd noticed it missing within 5 minutes of leaving the restaurant), so we were hoping it was at the restaurant, which had closed as we left.
So I headed out bright and early the next morning. Only it wasn't quite so bright. More like monsoon flooding. But I headed out anyway, because I also needed to get a new ipod cord since mine had gone missing the night beforehand. Which I really just find amusing in the long run because it only fits my particular model ipod so chances were the person who took it got nowhere with it. Eventually I found a place here that sells ipod cords, and I had the guy triple check that he was selling me one that would work with my model. He told me he had plugged mine into an identical one and it had worked so I was good to go.
Afterward I headed back out into the rain/flood. Couldn't find the restaurant. Eventually after asking people who all gave me conflicting directions I located it, but I was drenched from mid thigh down which was as much as my umbrella covered, and the store was not open yet. So I retraced my steps again, even though I knew if I found it now it would be useless after the rain. Somehow actually managed to get more wet than I was, so I headed back and went to the cafe above Rotato to wait for then to open. The cafe lady was really nice and went down through the back door and asked if it was their for me. It wasn't. My camera was long gone.
So I gave it up as lost and went back to my hostel. Tried to plug in my ipod. The cord didn't fit. So I headed back into the rain again, walked back across town, and the guy exchanged it for one which he opened up and plugged in himself this time to ensure its working. Once I got back to my hostel, I walked up to my room on the third floor to find my key card didn't work. So I went back down, got it fixed, went back up, it still didn't work. Did this three times before I could get into my room. The hostel workers were very nice and apologetic about the whole thing, and I know it wasn't their fault, it was just a lot of things all at once. So I decided it was a good day to take a nap and just hang out in bed. That evening I was invited to the pubs with two of my dorm mates though, Arielle and Stu, which was a nice culmination to a not so nice day.
The following day was Saturday which was a lot of fun though, just to contrast the not so fun of the day before. I hung out in my hostel most of the morning and made a bunch of friends at breakfast. It was actually pretty funny. There was Diana from Germany, Rebekah from Tazmania, Collin from southern England, and myself. It was a lot of fun though just hanging out and chatting with all these very different people. We all just compared places we had been and where we were all hoping to continue going.
Then in the afternoon Madge and I went to Char's flat for lunch and football. It was really good to see Char! Madge and I met halfway there by chance (since we were walking nearly the same route) and she got to learn how awesomely nerdy I am when she yelled at me from across the street for several minutes before I noticed because I was listening to Gregorian Chant on my ipod. Sorry Madge!
After the game we decided to go on a walk across town, and then we caught the bus to the Firth of Forth. I just like that it is called that. We walked along the board walk and then caught the bus back. It was very low key, but nice. It was good to just hang out with and chat with people I knew.
I tried to go on a ghost tour last night, especially since it was a full moon last night, but it was booked. I did get on for tonight, and the day after the full moon is almost as good as the full moon. Right? Close enough anyway. I'm excited though, it's the one which goes down into the vaults and kids aren't allowed on it because it's supposed to be too scary for them. They tour guides sweat that they don't do anything nor do they have anyone down there to do things and scare you. Anything you experience is real. I'm really excited for it! I went out and bought some gloves and a hat today though, because it's getting rather chilly at night and I'm sure underground will be the same. And I'll need them soon enough anyway! So for now I'm just biding my time until this evening.
I'm getting awful excited for Paris though, can't believe its a less than a week away now! I'm ready for a new country! And who knows, maybe I'll actually get my French going, instead of having just a bunch of random words. This week should be fun though. Spitalfield Market, Stonehenge, National Gallery, and if I can get it in Oxford or Cambridge too! All depends on my care package. Common mail!

Ultimate Adventure Part 1

So today began a series of hopefully many more Ultimate Adventures. Madge and I took the day to hang out. So yes, the term has officially been dubbed as such. It was a lot of fun to see her and catch up a bit. We wandered around and she showed me the places she has lived in Edinburgh. Then we climbed up the Scott Monument. That is one TINY spiral staircase. Especially when people are passing each other going up and down. I could barely squeeze through the last flight just on my own! Once there we decided to leave our mark amongst all the graffiti and left an I <3 Ultimate Bagel message. It seemed appropriate as we'd spent most of the morning talking about the shop and bagels in general.
After this we swung by the Fruitmarket Gallery where we had fun playing in the elevator and on the stairs. I still think they are the greatest things ever! Then we went to lunch at Rotato, one of the local baked potato shops where the infamous Andy joined us (I had actually met him earlier in the day, but he had things to do while we wandered around a bit). We began the planning of a book on hostels! I think they should go for it, it would be a lot of fun to make. And I still happily volunteer myself as a guinea pig!
After that we just hung out for a little while before I called it a day. While it may be clear skies still, it is rather chilly none the less, and I for one didn't fancy being out in the cold when it stated to get dark. Which it is doing noticeably earlier these days.
Made a new friend in the dorms today too. Stu and I hung out after noticing we were both reading Sho-gun to discuss our like of James Clavell.
All in all it was a good day full of good people with good conversations. Go Ultimate Adventure, Go!

Let the sun shine on!

The last two days I feel I have been very productive. Yesterday when I woke up to a beautiful sunrise and a mostly clear sky I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to climb to Arthur's Seat and the Crags. It was a beautiful climb and it felt really good to do a hike like that, even if it was pretty easy. Then right when I got to the top it started raining a little. Which wouldn't have been too bad except it is very very very windy up there. Which made the rain hurt a bit, so I didn't stay at the top for very long. But on the way down I learned how slippery those rocks get when wet. I can't tell you how many times I almost fell and it was only be my sheer coordination that I maintained standing. Or it could have been luck. Or the chain railing. I like to think it was skill and coordination though.
I also found a fabulous cafe on the Royal Mile called Almost Sunday. I don't know that the food really was that much better than other places I have been, but the staff was so beyond friendly and nice that it sure seemed like it was. It was really a very nice morning, even with the freezing rain on the hill. I also went to the Museum on the Mound, which wasn't very exciting unfortunately. Alas I didn't realize it was a museums about the founding of the bank there until I got inside, and then I might as well check the whole thing out.
This morning I woke up to another gorgeous blue sky. Can we talk about my luck with the weather here? I think I have had two legitimately bad days and I have been here for just shy of a month. That is not something I was expecting on this trip. The only downside to this morning's clarity though is it is the time of year that you need the cloud cover for it to be warm. So while beautiful and sunny, it was almost bitterly cold at the same time. I was not one to be deterred though and I headed out on my own personal art walk. I went to the Dean Gallery, GOMA, Collective Gallery, Stills Gallery, Fruitmarket Gallery, and one other I can't remember the name of. Loved the Stills and the Fruitmarket though. The Stills had a collection of black and white forest shots. But my favorite section was pairings of photos of the same location, same angle, but with a notable time difference between the shots. Its amazing the little changes we don't notice accumulating over time with basic things like that.
But even better than that was the Fruitmarket, which also had notably the friendliest and most personable staff. The had a staircase where each step was pressurized and hooked to a speak so as you climbed the stairs each one released a different note making a chromatic scale as you climbed up or down. And the elevator sang. When you went up it started with a bass at the bottome of his range singing upward, more voices joining in and dropping out until there was only a high soprano as you reached the next floor. It went in reverse on the way down. I totally want a musical staircase and or elevator! It was amazing! And the best part was the staff there encouraged me to take all forms all directions to make sure I heard every rendition. And then we all talked about how it would be fun to get a group on the stairs and have each person claim a couple notes/stairs and play an actual song by walking up and down. That would be so much fun.
Then I went to a pub which was recommended to me by my hostel. So much food for so cheap! I couldn't believe that it was actually good food too! I can't decide though if it was actually good or if my taste buds just don't care anymore. I think I'm going to go with the former though. Score one for my hostel though. Actually score several, as they have also introduced me to or reminded me of tons or music. They play great stuff all day long! And they not only fixed my stay for the days I wanted (the internet bungled my request a bit) but they made sure I wouldn't have to change rooms or beads any more. Keeping things simple they said. Basically Edinburgh rocks on all levels possible at this point.