Initially as we were going to sleep, it didn't feel as cold as the others had made Stansted to sound like. But at 4am in the morning, the place suddenly turned damn cold and there was a whole massive stream of people who came to the departure gate where we were sleeping. Barely got any sleep. Sleeping at airports suck. I kid you not. Went to warm my hands in the toilet with the dryer before attempting to get some sleep again. This time it was much better, I even dreamt. But good things always have to come to an end. I had to wake up and we made our way to town at about 7plus am.
Got off at Waverly Bridge, up Cockburn and down the Royal Mile to Brodies 2. Not as pleasant as Abigails. Settled payment and started roaming. The streets were damn empty and buildings and shops were all so quaint. Everything would have been perfect if not for the chilly winds. Walked down Royal Mile souvenir window shopping, past John Knox's house, into the cemetery where Adam Smith (yes, the economist who came up with the 'invisible hand' market forces theory). Went back to the hostel for hot tea before gathering at Tron Kirk for the New Europe Tour.
The guide this time looked like a Leprechaun. He, Seth, was short and an English. Not Scottish. But he was good. Clear and entertaining, warranting us to give him tips at the end. He showed us the Mercat Cross, St. Giles Cathedral, the Scottish governmental area with Charles the Second "attired for a fancy dressed party, drunk on a pissing donkey", where Tolbooth House used to be with the Midlothian Heart, Gladstone Land (a 1500s conservation house with a Thistle and Fleur de Lis signifying the good blood between the French and Scots), Lady Stair's Close, Writer's Museum, the Burglar Alarm step, the Hub, the entrance of Edinburgh castle (where people who were accused to being witches were burnt), then recounted the Burke and Hare murders, brought the group to Grassmarket, break, Armstrong Vintage Store, the Maggie Dickson pub, Elephant House (where JK Rowling probably got inspired for her Harry Potter series), Greyfriar Kirkyard (with a freaky cementery and the grave of the devoted Bobby the dog), Covenanters' Prison (where only a quarter of prisoners managed to survive the ordeal), The Mound, many other musems we didn't have time to go to and finally Princes Street Garden.
We lost m along the way and so set a time to get back to the hostel. Won our game of Scissors, Paper, Stone up Playfair Stairs. Back at the hostel, we checked out details for the supermarket at South Bridge Road so we could go grocery shopping for breakfast the day after. Had Fish and Chips for dinner along with 1 fried Mars bar which I shared with yj. It wasn't as good as I expected it to be. Got the "national drink" Irn Bru to test out a taste of Scotland. Apparently it taste like Soda. The toilets and hostel as a whole left much to be desired. The toilets were small and lacked facilities. Plus I generally detest communal toilets. And other than the dirty sheets and bad ventilation in the room (we had a woman who kept coughing germs throughout the night), the neighbours were damn noisy (once this guy appeared with boxes on his head when we came back from drinking Irn Bru in the kitchen) and the kitchen was yucky and understocked (with regards to cups and utensils) too.
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