Wandering around the [UK]: Edinburgh Castle to Glasgow

Dear pipsqueaks,

This morning was yet another rushed one as we were informed by Ivy the approximate schedule: in order to return the car at the designated shop in time, we would have to leave within the hour. First thought, “so much for getting to enjoy the castle a bit”. A light walk around to the lake, and sing on the top of our lungs for no one can hear us. Maybe even dance a little to our own tunes. That would have been perfect. But, sadly, the dream bubble ‘poofed’ into non-existence above my head. Well, hopefully there will be a next time at some beautiful castle somewhere in the world.

(one last picture with Glengarry Castle before we go)

Having driven like madmen, we still couldn’t make it to the closing time at the designated shop. Then, with a few phone calls, we found out that instead we could return the car at the airport- which was closer to where we were- without the limitations of time. That meant we could’ve stayed a little while longer at the castle to enjoy the view! But of course, those thought were all too late. We were already near. After a quick return paperwork, we hopped on the next bus back into town. No trouble at all.

The bus stopped right across the street to the main Edinburgh railway station “Waverley”, which was exactly where we wanted to go because we needed a place to store our bags. I mean, it wasn’t that our luggage were heavy, but it always nice to be able to leave them at a safe location to allow us to comfortably enjoy our trip. You could almost guarantee the decrease in whining with that settled. So, we searched for Left Luggage while Ivy went to pick up the train tickets. When we did find the place, there seemed to be a line-up happening. But how was that possible? A storage place can be so full that they required people to pick up their luggage before accepting more? Regardless, we waited patiently until there was enough space for all 3 of our luggage- yes, they refused to combine two small pieces, even though it would’ve taken up the space of one. But fine, we weren’t in Chinatown, so we weren’t going to expect Chinese service of flexibility.

Actually, none of that bothered me- the wait or the inflexibility. It was the attitude of the staff members there. I agree they didn’t need to be all perky and smiling while they served customers, but they also didn’t need to act as if we didn’t matter. Excuse me, but yes we do matter. Without us, there wouldn’t be business for the company to have a branch here, which eventually leads to the irrelevance of your position as staff here. So whether you like it or not, as a staff here, keeping the customers happy is also a part of your job. So suck it up, princess.

Anyway, now that the darkest moment of the day had passed, it was Edinburgh Castle time! Having spent a good three days here, directions weren’t a problem at all. Actually, it shouldn’t be a problem anyway. As the castle stood right in the middle of the city atop a mini mountain, it’s hard to miss. I have to admit, the castle is an amazing view. The action of holding up my camera to take pictures from anywhere I could see the castle was automatic. Don’t ask how many snapshots of it I have in my collection- tons. With the light blue sky powered with white fluffy clouds, it does give off a “fairy tale castle” look. Dreamy…

 (looks like a far away castle, except it's only a short climb away!)

So, we took the most populated route up to the castle- The Royal Mile. As usual during this time of the year, it was packed with the Fringe festival attraction. Carefully maneuvering through the crowd, I found myself hungry. Funny how no one ever complains about hungry until I do, though, it’s quite possible that I get hungry too often. But what was there to eat? All I could remember was coffee shops and fish & chips. I had banned fish & chips by then, so we had to have something else. Then, while crossing a small street, a small eatery caught our attention. Named St. Giles Café & Bar, this quaint spaced was filled with conversations here and there. The wooden décor made the place felt almost like a big treehouse, bursting with flavours of coffee beans and oven-baked bread. Taking a huge waft, I knew I wanted a cup of hot mocha. As soon as we grabbed a seat, the confusion of what to order began. I went for a usual as I had always been particular with what I felt like eating at that exact moment. The same with Bun. Ivy, on the other hand, decided to go for their house special: bacon waffles. Super skeptic at first because waffles were always sweet, but never doubt a house special. Homemade waffles dressed under a layer of freshly pan-fried bacon drizzled with mind-boggling homemade syrup. The taste was so peculiar that I can still remember the feeling of surprise. Definitely a restaurant I recommend to visit if you were ever in the area. A five-star in Jessy’ book *thumbs up*! 

(I need an order of that right now, plz & thank you)

Happily satisfied, we were soon on our quest to the castle! Finally, after admiring from afar for so many days, we’re going to BE there! Actually, le sister had planned for us to attend the Military Tattoo on one of the nights, but not sure what happened to that. Apparently, it’s quite the performance to catch! Oh wells, can’t be forced. Imagining the seats filled with excitement, it was enough just to be walking through the arena towards the entrance of the castle.

(Welcome, welcome!)

(the Military Tattoo arena built just for the event)

Now, for someone who has quite the thirst for scandalous European stories, it didn’t occur to me that this castle, the very castle I was standing in, was where Queen Mary of Scots fled to in order to safely give birth to her son, King James VI of Scotland and I of England. The area was big enough to be its own little town, with the oldest building in Edinburgh- St. Margaret’s Chapel built in 1130. Literally the size of a standard room, despite the crowd, it was rather peaceful just grabbing a seat on the side to capture all the angles of this old building. This reminds me of the friendly discussion between Ivy and Bun about how someone becomes a Saint. For the life of me, I can’t remember their arguments, but it was just funny seeing them duke it out. But I think le sister won in a landslide after some serious Googling.

(proud to be Taiwanese) 

(the cycle of life: with death of Queen, came birth of King) 

(the EXACT spot where King James VI/I was born!) 

(representing Canada with shirt & Asia with Asian pose)

But anyway, back to what I was saying, I just love castles. The more ancient, the more mysterious. Just walking through the different rooms and hallways, you can almost hear the gossip and scandals bouncing off these stone walls. Possibly, I have a very active imagination. Everywhere we went, I could picture some event taking place. Oh! Let’s not forget the Crown Jewels! Certainly not as breath-taking as Queen Elizabeth’s collection, but it had something Liz didn’t- the Stone of Destiny. This magical stone came up during our walking tour on the first day in Edinburgh, and honestly, it’s just a stone. Except, you can’t imagine the importance of it! For every crowning of a new monarch in Westminster Abbey, this stone will need to be present and placed under the throne to which the new monarch must be seated. Then, after all the ceremonial procedures, it returns back to the Crown Jewel collection at Edinburgh. Crazy, eh? To think if it were to be left in some park, no one would ever think to point it out as the Stone of Destiny. Yet, it’s guarded as the most sacred piece among the Crown Jewels. Go figures.

(last time strolling down The Royal Mile)

As the time for our train ride drew near, we hurried back to the train station to pick up our luggage. So where were we going? After juggling between platform changes, it was hard NOT to know that we were heading for Glasgow. What’s there to do in Glasgow? Honestly, I’m not at all familiar with the place. But apparently, we will be flying out of Glasgow to our next destination, so we must spend the night there. Fine enough. Glasgow, here we come!

The train ride was only a few postcard-writing long, or maybe I had fallen asleep. Before I came to my senses, we were standing in the main lobby of the Glasgow train station, trying to figure out how to get to our stay for the night. I decided to stay out of it and just let the two sort it out. Mind you, it was already nearing 8:30pm, so the only thing on my mind was dinner. Of course, I know better than to whine at that moment because we had more serious things to deal with: directions. Suppose the hotel was within walking distance, so we mindlessly made it to our hotel called the Botanic Hotel.

(soooooo, do we know how to get there yet?)

Oh boy, were we in for a surprise. Maybe it was the time of day, maybe it was the unfamiliarity, but this place creeped the heck out of me. Upon entering the “lobby”, which was literally a simple reception, we were greeted by a mother and child. Not sure if it was just me, but it almost felt as if they dreaded our presence. Not a smile was given, nor a grin. I can’t imagine a person to be so lifeless. Yet, there she was standing in front of me. Okay, fine. I can deal with the hostile-ness, but why did she have to move us to their other building across the street? What’s wrong with this building, or rather, why did you allow us to book here and then move us to another place? Actually, now that I’m looking on their website, the other building is a lot older in comparison. Hmph! The feeling of being jipped is never one that I’ll get used to. So be careful when you book your stay in Glasgow, especially with Botanic Hotel!

Our room was less than amazing, but doable for the one night. For some reason, the room was so stuffy, possibly because the heater was on to the max. A quick fix, we left the window slightly opened to cool out the room while we stepped out for dinner. Of course, that’s only a safe solution if you don’t leave anything valuable in the room. Then again, you should never leave anything valuable in the room even if you had locked every possible opening. Now, the next problem to solve: where to go for dinner? By the time we were heading out, it was past 9pm with the sunset long gone in the distance. There didn’t seem to be anywhere close that we could just do away with for dinner. After a hurried loop up and down the street, we decided to have Persian food at Persia. Wow, was I impressed. Oh, it was also a Tripadvisor restaurant! See, what are the chances that at our times of need, we come across places like these? (ex. the first night in Edinburgh looking for food around 10:30pm when we walked into Turkish Kitchen, which turned out to be yums!). But yes, I had a delicious dinner in Glasgow despite a horrendous first impression.

(a trusted sign- by my standards anyway) 

(look at this serving! the lamb juicy and lightly seasoned lying on top of this crispy yet chewy on the inside butter pita bread *drool*)

Side note: To be fair, we didn’t spend enough time for Glasgow to grow on us like Edinburgh did. But maybe that was it. There wasn’t much to do in Glasgow for us to make our trip any longer. In any case, I don’t think I’ll be going back there any time soon, so better luck next time.

Returning back to our room, the temperature was much more bearable. Once again, with the sink outside of the washroom, it worked well when we prepared for bed. Surprisingly, the two were able to talk me out of showering before bed. Yes, I have a strong need for being spotlessly clean. If I don’t shower, I can’t sleep. But somehow, it didn’t bother me so much. As we said good night, I thought about where we will be heading tomorrow. Should I ask? Nah, I’ll just wait and see where the plane lands.

Until tomorrow, good night for the first and last time, Glasgow.