They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!

They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!
I figured that a Braveheart quote was a good way to start off this post about my Scotland trip....

So, I left Dublin on Saturday morning and after a short half hour plane ride, I ended up in Glasgow, Scotland. I took the train from the airport into the city centre. The first thing you notice about Scotland is the rolling hills and the many golf courses around. Once in the city centre, I began to explore. Glasgow is well known for it's shopping so I took a quick trip around the shopping district. What I soon noticed was that Glasgow is much cheaper than Dublin, even with the conversion rate between the Sterling and the Euro. Oh yeah, also the Scotish accent can be quite difficult to understand, especially when older people talk, but I like the accent, none the less.

Next, I wandered around George Square and headed east to the cathedral and the Necropolis which were the two sites that I wanted to see here. Glasgow is a small city and it's easy to get around by foot. Another thing to note is that Scotish people do loads more exercise than the Irish. The towns are full of little hills everywhere and people are always running or biking. Ok, back to the necropolis. I walked up to the top where you can get a nice view of the city. By the time I got to the top of the Necropolis, my backpack was starting to get really heavy, so I decided to go and drop off my stuff at the hostel. After dropping my stuff off, I wandered the city some more.

I went back to the hostel for dinner after stopping off at a health food shop and ran into two French girls from Dublin. Scotland is very vegetarian/vegan friendly, so I was able to find food easily. After dinner, I went with them to see a movie because Glasgow was voted the City of Culture in I don't remember what year. The movie theatre was HUGE seating close to 400 people and it was at least 6 floors high!!

The next day, I woke up bright and early and took a bus to Edinburgh, which is only 1 hour away. Edinburgh is absolutely georgous!!! There is a picture moment everwhere you turn. If you have a chance, you must visit Edinburgh. I was super impressed. From almost anywhere in the city, you can see the famous Edinburgh Castle situated on top of a hill.

The first thing I did was walk up Calton Hill. From here, I got a great view of both the old and new town. Next, I walked to the old town and found myself on the Royal Mile. At one end of the Royal Mile is Holyrood which contains the Palace of Holyroodhouse which is the Queen's official Scottish home. I took pictures from outside as I didn't want to pay to get in. Next, I went in the opposite direction to Edinburgh Castle. Normally, it's 11 pounds to get into the castle, that's around 25$...crazy!! however, this weekend was 'Visit the Castle for Free' which happens once a year. The line was super long but I didn't mind. The first section was the scene of executions and mutilations for centuries, nice huh? There was also a tiny chapel which is the oldest building in Edinburgh and was super small.

After the castle, I was getting tired of my bag again and went in search of a hostel as I had not yet booked one. I found a hostel for 13 pounds near the castle. The hostels in Scotland are more than Dublin and Belfast but everything else was cheaper. After dropping my stuff off, I wandered into the new town and took a stroll in the West Princes Street Gardens. Edinburgh was colder than Dublin but with the sun, it was ok. Next I walked around the National Gallery of Scotland and went back to the hostel. I met loads of Aussie's and Americans in this hostel.

Monday was my last day in Scotland and I woke up sick. I had a cold, a stabbing headache, aches all over and the chills. But since it was my last day, I decided to give it all I had. I went to Holyrood Park with a French guy that I met at the hostel and we climbed to the top of this stupid hill. It was not a good idea since I was sick but the view was worth it. It took us about 1.5 hours to get up and back down. The climb killed me. It also made my headache even worse and made my body ached even more from the climb. I left Edinburgh in the afternoon and headed back to Glasgow. I tried to wander the city some more but was just too tired. Around 5pm, I took the train back to the airport. My plane didn't leave until 9:45pm but I just couldn't go anymore. I waited in the airport and then caught my flight back to Dublin and jumped straight into my bed.

ok, gotta get to work now. Am feeling a bit better today, however the headache is still here and I need to be adjusted because my back is hurting from carrying my backpack. Overall, my trip was fun though it was a lonely travelling alone at times. Until the next trip....