Edinburgh

I have done a lot more planning for my Europe trips and decided to take Spain out of the July/august group, and have it as it's own trip. So I'm going to Spain on June 14th-18th and will be going to Madrid and Barcelona. 

I took it out of the other mix of trips because now it gives me more time in all the cities in my July/ august trip. It also will calm me down a tad because it's a foreign country that I'm doing solo, and it would make me a lot more comfortable going from Scotland to Spain and Spain back to Scotland. Opposed to throwing it in the mix of the other foreign countries. 

Spain is probably the one trip that scares me the most because it is a foreign country that I'm doing solo. Where as Paris, a lot of people do speak English there. Croatia in summer is very touristy so there will be other people speaking English. Italy I'm doing with my roomate, Greece I'm meeting up with one of my moms friends. And Germany they all speak English there aswell. So hopefully that gives you a mental picture on why I think Spain is going to be the most "scariest" in it's own way. 

I did more walking around Edinburgh and got a lot more pictures of the city. 

Balmoral hotel 

Balmoral hotel during the night 

Balmoral hotel from the front 

Church 

Side streets 

The Scott monument 

The Scott monument 

Scott monument 

Europe trip planning!

Wow crazy day! So my friend Jadyn messaged me and said she can't do the Italy trip. I was quite sad because it would have been nice considering I was going to be there a week, and it's always good to travel with another person. Espiscally how I will be traveling to a lot of other places solo so doing a week trip with another person would be great! 

I was talking to my roommate Astrid and I jokingly asked if she wanted to go to Italy with me and she said yes! Her sister lives in Venice Italy and she was going to visit her in July and she has to be back in Edinburgh in august. So she said if I can make it to Venice in the last week of July she would do Venice, Pisa and Rome with me! (The entire trip I had planned with Jadyn) 

So after much thought and different scenarios in my head I happily agreed and now I'm starting my Italy trip about a week and a half earlier than I was going to. 

I will be in Croatia from July 19th-22nd and because Croatia is extremely close to Venice, literally less than 9 hours by car so less than that by train. Because these cities are so close I am going to try and change my flight return "Croatia to Edinburgh"... To Croatia to Venice. And just start my Italy trip then! 

After me and Astrid had it settled that we were going to do the Italy trip together I started thinking that after Italy I was going to do Greece then come home to Canada. Which would have made me home by mid august. However now because I'm doing the trip a little earlier it would put me home at the beginning of august. 

Thus begins me thinking of going to more countries. My thoughts are to go to Spain (Barcelona, Madrid) see these 2 cities for a few days and then go to Berlin Germany and then come home. Adding about another week to my travels. 

At lunch time I was thinking I was going to Italy and Greece in august. And then only a few hours later I'm starting the trip in July and doing Spain and Germany aswell! Wow can some things change in a matter of hours! 

Very happy I've changed the plans because I get to do a week of travel with another person, and I get to see another 2 countries! Possibly even 3 because if I can't fly from Croatia to Venice I would travel my train and go through Slovenia. Giving me the chance to stop and see that city for an afternoon or day possibly. 

All the countries I will be visiting within 3 weeks of July & August! 

Croatia 

Slovenia (possibly)

Italy

Greece 

Spain

Germany 

Edinburgh Scotland

So I had this past Sunday off and here in Edinburgh there is an extremely large hill that's called "Arthur's Seat". It isn't a hill it's a group of hills all overlapping one another and when at the top you can see the entire city of Edinburgh. I had been planning on climbing it for some time now so today seemed like the day to do it. 

First off much bigger when your actually climbing it compared to seeing it from the city streets. It towers over the city and I can see the hills from almost everywhere I have gone so far. 

I did it in the evening which wasn't the best idea because it was so windy, I climbed the one side to the top and then realized I had climbed the wrong one, because looking out I could see another hill much higher. So I didn't get to the highest point but I intend to go back and do the bigger one on one of my next days off. 

My accommodation is booked for my Paris trip! I'm staying at someone's flat that rents a room out to people. The room has a 3 person bunk bed from the looks of it so dear god lets hope I'm on the bottom or at least middle. But it's good because I will only have 2 other roommates. 

Staying here was the cheapest place I could find that was still in the city centre of Paris. I was told from various people that you should stay in the centre because travel costs alone would add up if you stayed outside of the centre. So may aswell pay that extra money and be in the centre, that way your saving travel time too. 

Still waiting to hear back from my friend jadyn on whether or not she can do the Italy trip with me. Fingers crossed she can because it's going to be a 7-10 day trip and it would be great to spend it with another person! 

View of the hills from inside the city 

View of the city from the smaller hills 

Wasn't the best path to walk on at times 

View of the city 

View from my flat. 3rd floor, stairs only, more than 80 stairs to the top. Needless to say I hate getting groceries! 

Life in the UK

So it hit me recently that even though you know I'm living in the United Kingdom (Edinburgh Scotland at the moment) you don't know how very different the way of life is here. So this post is dedicated to me trying my best to explain all the different things they do here or what's different in my opinion. 

First off there is a 7 hour time difference if you weren't aware of that. In Edinburgh it is typically always cloudy and more than half the days of week it's usually raining. 

Countless expressions are different here, the list below shows what we "Canadians" would call it on the left, and what they would call it on the right. 

Candian - UK 

Trucks- Laurie's 

Sweaters- jumpers 

Apartment- flat 

To go- take away 

How can I help you- yes please 

Thank you- cheers 

Sidewalk- pavement 

Lake- loch 

2:30- half 2 

Hungry- peckish 

Bucks- quid 

Rent- to let (as in I have an apartment to rent- to I have a flat to let) 

Line- Queue ( So an example of hearing that all the time would be "the Queue starts here".. Aka "the line up starts here"

Right away- straight away 

Pounds- stone 

They still use skeleton keys! 

And the weirdest one for me that I still have a hard time reacting to is "are you alright" which in their minds means "hey what's up". It's just another way of saying hey, how's it going? Or what's up. But instead they say "are you alright". Which is so strange for me still after 3 and a half months. Whenever I hear it I get such a confused look on my face and am just like "uh ya? Do I look sad or something"? Well I don't say that but I'm usually always thinking it. 

They have more alcohol here than anywhere else in the entire world I think. Well in Scotland at least they do, unsure about the rest of the UK. 

Also distance is absolutely nothing in Canada, having to "rip up to Lloyd" as we would call it back home. (Which is an hour from macklin) Or I have to go to Saskatoon/ Edmonton for the day. Which is 2.30/3 hours. Not a big deal to us back home. Yet here 2.30/3 hours and you would be halfway across the country here! 

When I told my friends here that we would have to drive at least an hour to possibly 3 hours just to go shopping for various things they thought that was the craziest thing ever! They were absolutely speechless that I went to a college almost 3 hours from home and I would frequently drive home just for the 2 day weekend. 

Also it's free to withdrawal cash from any ATM in the United Kingdom (with a UK card of course) opposed to Canada where you get charged at every ATM unless it's the ATM that you bank with.

And since I'm saving for trips across Europe I didn't get a bus pass because they are £54! Which is $108 Canadian. So I walk the 30mins each way everyday which isn't bad. 

I have added various photos of some buildings here in Edinburgh that I pass by on my way to work everyday.  

Down the street from where I work 

That's a coffe shop inside there! 

Typical Edinburgh street 

Planning trips in Europe

Wow! Ok so been awhile since I have last wrote in here. Been quite busy with work and all but also in the middle of planning more trips to Europe! 

First off work is going good, I work 5 days a week so it keeps me busy and I'm starting to meet people at work which is great! Work is enjoyable, on weekdays I do the sales part, dealing with bookings, promotional ideas, and other stuff like that. And on weekends I bartend which even though I have the experience was quite challenging at the beginning! Only because on weekends it's half price cocktails and they have 55 cocktails to choose from. It's also located right beside a playhouse theatre, so it's always busy. However nonetheless I'm catching on and will have plenty of new cocktails to make for family and friends when I get back to canada :) 

The other day I sat down and made a list of all the places I want to see in Europe before I come home. What's on my bucket list to see basically. Because with these flights only being a few hundred dollars here and there, and the flights only a few hours I really need to take advantage of it and see them now, before I go home and possibly never get the chance again. So after my list was complete I went ahead and booked a few trips. 

On June 2nd (my birthday!) I will be flying to Paris to spend 5 days there, being a tourist and getting to know the city. 

Then on July 19th I will be flying to Split Croatia, where I plan to spend 4 days seeing split and Dubrovnik. 

Both Paris and the country of Croatia were on my list to see before I come home, as well as many places in Italy and Greece. 

Tentatively I'm planning a big Italy trip. Where I will see lots of cities such as Venice, Pisa, Rome, and a few others along the way possibly. Ending up in Rome where I'm not far from Greece, so I will then fly there and tour Greece for a bit. 

That trip hasn't been booked yet and won't for awhile yet. My friend jadyn that I went to Amsterdam with possibly wants to come which I would love! Because these smaller trips will be good to go at alone, but the Italy/Greece  trip would be awesome to do with another person! 

Eiffel Tower in Paris

Dubrovnik city in Croatia 

Fort Augustus- Highlands day trip

During the highlands day trip we stopped in a town called Fort Augustus, right beside Loch Ness. Loch Ness is 23 miles long and 745ft deep. It's the deepest loch in all of Europe. 

When we first stopped I went and took all my pictures in front of the loch, and took in the view it had to offer. Amazing view! Absolutely breathtaking! After this I walked along the loch leading into town. The best way to describe it is there is a very long canal that stretches along the highlands, going through towns and villages eventually leading to Loch Ness. 

So like I said there is a canal that runs through the town and any time boats want to go out towards the loch they have to go through the gates that open along the canal. There are 7 gates you have to get through! It would probably take you more than an hour from when the first gate opens first to when you finally get on the loch. The gates only open 1 at a time then they have to be closed because the canal goes downwards on its way out to the loch. So each gate gets opened and the boat goes through, then it gets closed and then you have to even out the water with the next gate that is about to open. (If none of that made sense hopefully the pictures I have will clear things up for you!) 

I walked around the town for a bit, looking at different things and such then it was back to the bus for the rest of the highland trip. 

Straight ahead is the loch, and this narrow water is part of the canal- behind the camera is the canal that goes through the town. 

Boat tours on Loch Ness 

Bad ass grandma out for a drive in the sickest car there is! 

The canal through town 

Gate opening to let boats through 

This couple just walked along above the canal pulling their boat. Instead of driving it, then stopping & waiting for the gates to open and close. 

Driving through the canal. 

Again pulling their boat through the gates. 

See how the water is much higher on the right side of the gate? And much lower on the left. 

Boats waiting for the water to fill up on the other side, and go down on their side. (Basically waiting for water to even out)

Water being filled in on left side from the water on the right side. 

Water going down on right side, and rising on left side 

Fort Augustus right in the centre of the highlands and beside Loch Ness 

Someone's front yard 

Now that's how you drink tea 

Random trails in Fort Augustus along the canal 

What used to be an old bridge across the canal. 

Church in Fort Augustus 

Typical rock walls in Scotland