We flew Ryanair from Dublin to Edinburgh. I'll do a more thorough review of my experiences with Ryanair later when I post about my bag, but for right now I'll say this: Ryanair is not nearly as bad as they ever made it sound. Seriously, to other travelers out there: it's going to be ok. Just measure your bag when you get there and if it doesn't fit take some clothing out, put it on (layers!) and then try again. We simply kept our noses down, tried not to get noticed, and moved right through the line without our bags even being checked for size limits. We loved the price ($20 tickets each for the pond hopper flight, all fees included!), and we got where we needed to go safely. That's all that matters. (However they aren't perfect, as my friend Tiffany would tell you...but she still uses them, because you know...a dollar saved is a dollar more for dinner, right?)
The entirety of our sightseeing during our first day in Scotland was a) done by accident, and b) unintentionally the only thing we got out to do that day. We hopped on bus #35 at the airport with the intentions of getting to our first Airbnb to check in, and just as luck would have it we missed our stop. But we are so glad we did! We got an entire tour of the city from airport to coast! At the end the bus driver laughed at us, since we had ridden his entire bus route. He got us where we needed to go though, and was so completely thoughtful, that I wanted to pack him up and have him take us everywhere in Edinburgh. Also, it was the first double decker bus of the trip and that was something to write home about on its own!
If you haven't heard about Airbnb before, let me introduce you to the idea... There are three main words you need to know: host, guest, and listing. The host is the person who's house is being stayed at; they are responsible for keeping their house clean and ready for guests, as well as assisting guests in finding the house, nearby grocery outlets, etc. The guest is just that, the person that stays at the host's house; they are responsible for keeping the house clean, respecting the property of the host, and paying a lodging fee. The listing is how a guest finds a host; all listings are written by the host, are available on the website, and explain (hopefully accurately!) what the guest can expect when they arrive. Usually there are pictures for the listing, and in an ideal situation there are also reviews from previous guests. A listing also includes the host's set lodging fee.
In short, it's a really cheap hotel, with a local, in residential housing. Come on! Does it get cooler than that?! (the answer is no)
Steven and I had four criteria for our Airbnb in Scotland:
1. It had to have lots of pictures depicting a clean, well kept home.
2. It had to have wifi, a kitchen, and a washer/dryer available for guests.
3. It had to have positive reviews from previous guests.
4. It had to be near a bus to the city center and a grocery store.
Stefan's home met these needs perfectly, and although we missed our bus stop on the way there (probably due to sleep deprivation) we enjoyed our stay there thoroughly.
After we did find our way to our Airbnb, we tried to get to church. But cue the internal compass mix up, and we never got there. We thought north was south and south was north, and by the end we were totally lost. Finally backtracking our steps to what we referred to as "our house" we decided to call it a draw and get some sleep. Long story short we slept the rest of the day...only getting up to make some dinner.
The next morning we hopped out of bed completely recharged for Edinburgh! After meeting our awesome housemates, Tiffany and her mom (and her boyfriend who joined us later that day), we took the bus to New Town. A quick explanation of Edinburgh's city center would be helpful at this point; there are two parts which lie on opposite sides of the river, Old Town and New Town. Old Town contains most all of the historical sites, and New Town is modern buildings/shopping. We spent all of our time in Old Town, only walking to and from New Town for the buses.
Our first planned stop was obviously the Edinburgh Castle, because duh. To get to the castle you walk up what they call "Royal Mile," which has historical buildings interspersed with tourist shops, eateries, etc. We tried to find the Struthers tartan, but finally had one shop owner look our name up only to tell us that the Struthers clan was too poor to afford their own tartan, and had to use the Tweedside District tartan. We joked that this is why Steven is such a penny pincher, and that I'm a penny pincher because of the Irish potato famine. It runs in the blood, right?
When we finally got to the castle we spent an easy four hours exploring, and didn't even get to see the whole thing! We went on a guided tour where we found out that the 600 year old roof of the banquet hall has no metal or rope-simply wooden pegs and beams, that the castle was never taken by force-only by siege, and that the oldest building is the little church at the highest geographic point, where you can still get married (with only 20 guests).
We adored the history, even recognizing a few American flags carved into the wooden doors in the dungeons. But the best part was the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny, which has only been back in Scotland after being stolen by England since 1996 (thanks to Queen Elizabeth who is my second favorite Royal, right beside the obligatory Kate Middleton). We weren't allowed pictures of the crown jewels, for obvious reasons, but they sparkled almost too much to believe they were real!
A walk back down Royal Mile took us to St. Giles Cathedral, where we decided that we should buy an old neglected cathedral and restore it as a home. Something about the stained glass, wood work, and stone masonry tugs at my heartstrings! We also ate at The Baked Potato Shop, which we heartily recommend, the potato we ordered was large enough to fill both of us, and was less than 7 British Pounds!
A short trip to the Scott Monument, and then home for dinner and the grocery store, took us right up to our 9 pm tour of the Real Mary King's Close. We had debated if this tour would be worth the money, but we promise you it was. It was theatrical, which isn't quite our style, but the actors still presented the facts and stories of the entire underground of Edinburgh's Old Town. To make a long story short, Edinburgh dates back pre-black plague. When the plague came they literally built over the old city using the technology of archways. Basically every building in Edinburgh's Old Town is on top of a building that dates back to pre-black plague, not just "on the same ground" as the old buildings, I really do mean on top. We had no idea!
We made our way home that night feeling content with the amount we had done that day, but still eager to see more.
Fascinating! Great pictures as well!
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