My English Summer - Day 03

Continuing from where I left off, two posts ago. 01st of June 2010, I took the morning train out of King's Cross to Edinburgh. The journey takes about 4 hours, and the trains are very comfortable. I liked having a power point next to the seat, especially as my cell was low on battery. The train was a great way to see more of the countryside, which was really green. We passed scores and scores of sarson ke khet, which reminded me of home naturally. And yes, all the cliches are true: rolling meadows, cows in pastures, churches, picturebook cottages and houses with sloping shingled roofs...Beautiful.

I was really excited about getting to Scotland, but also just a little bit nervous. This part of the trip was truly a solo trip for me, I didn't know a single soul there and I had no idea what lay in store. So yeah, there were definitely some butterflies in my tummy as the train pulled into Waverley station, Edinburgh. It was overcast and a drizzle started up almost immediately; luckily the hostel I had booked was just a 5 minute walk away. Checked in, got up to the dorm to dump my stuff and met one of my room-mates Amanda, an American who had been studying at nearby Stirling University and was in town for a couple of days before flying back to the US.

My first evening in Edinburgh was also the day I fell in love with the city. Edinburgh's medieval Old Town and the 18th century mostly Georgian New town are both World Heritage Sites and one can spend days just exploring them. I had three days here and spent hours just walking everywhere. On this first evening I just took an exploratory walk up the Royal Mile up till the Caste.  The Royal Mile is a cobblestoned street that connects the Castle with the Holyrood Palace and actually measures about a 100 yards more than a mile. The part of the mile close to the castle is where you will find the highest concentration of souvenir shops, restaurants, T shirt sellers, and all the usual suspects one expects to find in any touristy area. But it is still an interesting walk, with medieval buildings on both sides of you and dozens of narrow alleys (called Wynds or Closes) leading off from it. Go down any of these wynds and you never know what you might find. Also, a part of the Mile is fully pedestrianised. I think I went crazy just taking pictures of everything - every building looked beautiful and there were some great views.

After this I just walked wherever I felt like, and stopped wherever something sparked my interest. Took a turn on to South Bridge road and found myself at the University. They welcome visitors into the Quad, so I went in and walked around. It was very quiet and beautiful, and at one end of the Quad I found a memorial to alumni killed during the World Wars. Then I walked across Waverley bridge to the New Town side of things, and took a look at the Monument, the Royal Academy and its adjacent building the National Gallery, the Mound etc. Old Town and New Town used to be divided by the Nor Loch - the town's water supply cum sewage dump. This was eventually drained and converted into a beautiful green area called the Princes Street Gardens. It's a great place to sit and people-watch. You also get great views of the Castle, and some decent ice cream!

By the time I finished my walk it was around 8pm, and it was still bright and sunny. To somebody used to dusk setting in by 7pm in summer, it was a little strange at first to see that it didn't get dark till past 10pm here. It was a little disorienting, especially since all shops and cafes were shut by 6pm. The only shops open till late night turned out to be stores owned by Punjabi-speaking men from Pakistan!

The first day in Scotland turned out great. I managed the connection Woking - Waterloo - King's Cross - Edinburgh safely, found myself in a beautiful city with three days to spend as I wished, and made friends.My roommates from the hostel, Amanda and Melissa, were to give me company over the next couple of days' explorations of the city. More on that, in the next post!