Leaving around noon, the five guys and I hopped on the six-hour train to Edinburgh. The ride flew by thanks to the very personable British man we met who showed us his cartoon drawings he was going to BBC to pitch for a show. Some of them reminded me of old Nickelodeon shows I used to watch when I was little. I was not surprised when he told me they were the exact shows he had been inspired by. He seemed so much like us and it really made me realize how similar Brits can be to us Americans. We parted ways and finally made it to Edinburgh. I was blown away by how beautiful Scotland was. We walked out of the train station into a gorgeous green haven with castles, cobblestone pathways, and men in kilts—seriously. I really was not expecting any of this. Friday night we checked into our hostel and headed to the main street, Royal Mile. We walked around for as long as we could until we had to eat. Did I mention it stays light out there until about 10 p.m.? After dinner, we went to The Scotsman’s Lounge where we listened to live Scottish music. I decided to try some Whiskey and really embrace where I was. We checked out another pub with a live band but then called it a night so that we could be somewhat rested for the British Open in the morning. Saturday, we all woke up in our camp style bunk-beds around 9. After showering in the communal shower and having our free “breakfast,” we got the train to St. Andrews. The ride was only about an hour long and we all passed out during it. I bought my 25 pound ticket at the gate and was bummed that I had to part ways with my camera and phone during the tournament. I did not pack accordingly, as the wind chill was freezing and I was in a skirt. I stuck it out and lasted all day. I really enjoyed myself too. We were all of five feet away from Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy (just to name a few). I was glad the boys wanted to go so badly since I probably would not have on my own. The ride back was somewhat eventful. Brady and Sam ended up sitting next to these Scottish guys who kept making them chug a bottle of wine. The guys were hysterical and obviously just wanted to have a good time. We ended up getting off at the same stop as them and having a beer at some bar/restaurant on the other side of town. Ryan, Jack, and I took our stuff back to the hostel, I put on some warmer clothes, and we met the rest of them at Candy Bar. I had no idea places like this existed in Scotland. It was a very posh nightclub with beautiful people. After a few drinks the boys were starving since we never really ate dinner (my eating schedule has been so off). I asked around and found some pizza place where I ordered pizzas for the guys to-go (or “take-away” as they say here). I felt a little like mamabear since I seemed to be the most sober/responsible one of the group. Back at the hostel, we decided to wake-up Brady out of his comatose at about 2:30 a.m. and tell him it was time to check out. This joke lasted about an hour and was honestly one of the funniest moments on this trip to date. Sunday morning, we woke up and explored the city a little more before our train left at about 1 p.m. Determined to see the Castle, I ended up lugging my huge Longchamp bag all the way up Castle Hill. I hate that we only had a weekend because there are so many more things I would love to go see. This experience really is making me realize how anxious I am to travel and see so many more places.
Leaving around noon, the five guys and I hopped on the six-hour train to Edinburgh. The ride flew by thanks to the very personable British man we met who showed us his cartoon drawings he was going to BBC to pitch for a show. Some of them reminded me of old Nickelodeon shows I used to watch when I was little. I was not surprised when he told me they were the exact shows he had been inspired by. He seemed so much like us and it really made me realize how similar Brits can be to us Americans. We parted ways and finally made it to Edinburgh. I was blown away by how beautiful Scotland was. We walked out of the train station into a gorgeous green haven with castles, cobblestone pathways, and men in kilts—seriously. I really was not expecting any of this. Friday night we checked into our hostel and headed to the main street, Royal Mile. We walked around for as long as we could until we had to eat. Did I mention it stays light out there until about 10 p.m.? After dinner, we went to The Scotsman’s Lounge where we listened to live Scottish music. I decided to try some Whiskey and really embrace where I was. We checked out another pub with a live band but then called it a night so that we could be somewhat rested for the British Open in the morning. Saturday, we all woke up in our camp style bunk-beds around 9. After showering in the communal shower and having our free “breakfast,” we got the train to St. Andrews. The ride was only about an hour long and we all passed out during it. I bought my 25 pound ticket at the gate and was bummed that I had to part ways with my camera and phone during the tournament. I did not pack accordingly, as the wind chill was freezing and I was in a skirt. I stuck it out and lasted all day. I really enjoyed myself too. We were all of five feet away from Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy (just to name a few). I was glad the boys wanted to go so badly since I probably would not have on my own. The ride back was somewhat eventful. Brady and Sam ended up sitting next to these Scottish guys who kept making them chug a bottle of wine. The guys were hysterical and obviously just wanted to have a good time. We ended up getting off at the same stop as them and having a beer at some bar/restaurant on the other side of town. Ryan, Jack, and I took our stuff back to the hostel, I put on some warmer clothes, and we met the rest of them at Candy Bar. I had no idea places like this existed in Scotland. It was a very posh nightclub with beautiful people. After a few drinks the boys were starving since we never really ate dinner (my eating schedule has been so off). I asked around and found some pizza place where I ordered pizzas for the guys to-go (or “take-away” as they say here). I felt a little like mamabear since I seemed to be the most sober/responsible one of the group. Back at the hostel, we decided to wake-up Brady out of his comatose at about 2:30 a.m. and tell him it was time to check out. This joke lasted about an hour and was honestly one of the funniest moments on this trip to date. Sunday morning, we woke up and explored the city a little more before our train left at about 1 p.m. Determined to see the Castle, I ended up lugging my huge Longchamp bag all the way up Castle Hill. I hate that we only had a weekend because there are so many more things I would love to go see. This experience really is making me realize how anxious I am to travel and see so many more places.
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