Old Friends, New Friends
So we arrived safe, sound and tired in London. Checked in at our hostel at around 11:30am and then to stay awake we walked around the city for the rest of day. We stuck to our original plan to go and see the queen's jubilee parade. Little did we know that the whole commonwealth had decided to come out and see the parade too! Thousands of people milling around trying to get a good view of the queen. We found a spot along the road an hour before the parade was to start where we thought we might be able to look down and see the queen briefly before she turned the corner. It was an eventful hour, I chatted up a metro constable (there were tonnes of them) and watched about 8 of them arrest some guy for selling flags. So that was fun. After waiting an hour and the anticipation mounting…..we managed to see….the horse plume of one the honour guards…..! So that was a little anti-climatic but oh well. We walked back to our hostel and had some Subway (not very english I know) and then went to sleep early as we were exhausted. Next day we woke up around 6:30 because we were all messed up and started really touring the city. Checked out Tower bridge, took a free tour of the london museum, etc etc. Also we went to our orientation for BUNAC/SWAP and they gave us tips about opening our bank account etc etc boring stuff. After walking over 20km all around the city we saw Pizza Hutt (i know not very english) and had to see if it was the same as North America (It wasn't). Went back to hostel at last after that long day. Hostels kind of remind of college, lots of youth, stinky and alcohol. Nothing a pair of earplugs and breathing through your mouth won't fix.
Next we got up and walked an hour and bit to the bus station were we caught a ten hour bus ride to edinburgh. Saw some gorgeous countryside that we want to go back too and arrived in the city that is shrouded permanently (or so it seems) in fog. Our host says that in the 16 years she lived in Ediniburgh she never once wore a t-shirt because of the chilly/foggy breeze that comes off the water. Besides the weather the city was awesome, entirely old looking and gorgeous. I went to have a shower at the hostel, when I came back to our room sophie had made friends an australian fellow named Jake. We ended up going out to the pub to have some pizza and a pint, which was really fun and authentically scottish (unlike pizza hutt and subway).
Next day we headed off to Edinburgh castle (expensive) and did the tour there. Not too shabby, neat castle with lots of good exhibits and the scottish crown jewels. As we were leaving the castle to catch our bus I decided I would take a picture of all the suckers coming into the castle later in the day as they all had to wait in line and we got to just zip right into the castle. Heres a look at the picture I took:
As I looked at the picture I said to myself "Hey I know that guy in the blue coat!" I waited for Sophie to get back from the washroom and we caught up to him. Turns out it was my friend I met when I was a councillor at muskoka woods. He was/is from Ireland and went to Edinburgh for the first time in his life...just as we happened to be leaving the castle.....small world! Old Friends and New Friends in Scotland!
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