Life is a journey, my friends, and no matter how cliché that is, I’m sticking to it. Today is my last day in Edinburgh, Scotland. The only word I can think of to describe this city is: gorgeous! Remember all that stuff I said about finding a state of mind that you can call “paradise”? Well, it’s really hard to say that here where I’m having fantastically sunny weather for this time of year. But before I get into what I learned in this installment of my little adventure, let me take you through my trip thus far…
Paradise, my friends, is a myth. Its not a Caribbean beach, or a trek in Peru, or a journey across the Sahara desert, or scuba diving off the coast of Australia. Its a state of mind. A playground of mundane amusements can become a world to discover in proper sunlight
I arrived three days ago, after spending a few days in sunny London visiting friends, and it was pouring down rain – oh great, I thought, more of that weather drifted over the border along with my plane. But all hope wasn’t lost! Scottish people are really nice – genuinely nice. Ok, maybe I’m generalizing a bit, but my first encounter with anyone Scottish came at the airport – and I think that these people are the indicators of a country’s attitude to foreigners. In my opinion, if you have a good airport experience, then you’re bound to have a good time in the country itself. I appreciated, upon my arrival, the instant acceptance of any cultural differences between me and the local people. Truth be told, I had some trouble understanding the taxi driver’s accent – but he was kind about it.
Now I’ll skip all the boring stuff of me getting to the hotel, getting cleaned up and getting my camera out for sightseeing, because all that was interrupted by a call from an old friend of mine who I haven’t seen in years. Mike, a fellow comedy lover and all-round solid guy, called me because he heard I was in town and offered to give me a private tour of the city. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance!
Oh. My. God.
We went everywhere from the Edinburgh castle, to the Royal Mile, to tiny side streets that led to open fields of emptiness and wholeness all the same. There was even a change in the weather to cloudless skies and bright sunshine, helping the beauty of the city to really strike you in the face (I mean that in the nicest way possible – like a slap in the face from someone you love to tell you to pay attention!) I’m not a terribly active, sporty person – while I do appreciate nature’s beauty – but you know you’re in some form of paradise when you hike to the top of a mountain in the middle of the city just because it’s there. More than that, I felt that it was almost a spiritual experience. I felt free, and close to nature that it brought me a sense of peace. Maybe this was a taste of that paradise-state-of-mind that I spoke of previously. The words that ran through my mind just as I was leaving the mountain was something my grandfather used to say to me, but really hit home in this moment: “never hesitate to take a first chance at something life-changing.” It was so clear to me. Right there. Right now. Stop worrying. What’s the point? You spend so much time and effort into worrying about the outcome of a decision instead of the possible opportunities that could come of saying yes. I vowed that I’d milk this adventure for all I could get… “why not?” would be my new mantra.
With this newfound mental clarity, we revisited the Royal Mile – definitely my favorite place in Edinburgh because it’s always bustling with activity in preparation for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, evident from the crazy number of advertisements stuck to a pillar in the middle of the street. This festival is a month-long theatre festival where actors come out onto the Royal Mile and promote their performance while in character. It was an incredible experience, and you haven’t lived until you’ve had someone in rags come up to you while crawling on the ground and hand you a flyer – and before you say anything, it is nothing like any encounter with beggars on the street. Since the festival doesn’t start until August, most of the shows at the moment are doing a test-run, so to speak. Best part… cheaper tickets! Mike and I ducked into two shows while we were there: an improv show, which was hilarious, and a drama, which honestly wasn’t anything to write home about – so I won’t. The only thing I will say about it is that, although it wasn’t my cup of tea, the hot blond male lead definitely caught my attention!
At night, the real party started. I realized that I had gone the whole day without seeing a man in a kilt – my personal goal while in Scotland! At 9.30pm, this goal was completed. Let’s rewind… I got back to my bed’n’breakfast at around 9pm, and I was starved! I had eaten bits and pieces here and there, but I hadn’t actually sat down to eat a meal all day. Before going on his way, Mike suggested I try some real Scottish pub food, and after a day like today, I had to give it a try.
The Greyfriars Bobby Bar was amazing. Named after a famous dog who guarded his owner’s grave for years until he passed on, this bar is host to great food, people and music. This place has typical Scottish cuisine in the restaurant section, as well as good ol’ draft beer in solid glass pints – one step into this joint and the friendly atmosphere overwhelms you into calmness and excitement. The meat dishes looked exquisite, but I went straight for the bar, which didn’t have a long line of people waiting for tables, and told the bartender to give me what he thought was the typical Scottish dinner… big mistake. He brought out two pints of beer, a massive plate of french fries, a leg of lamb, and I stopped him before he got to the haggis (I’ve already had that pleasure before!) I looked up at him and gave him one of those “are you kidding me?” looks, when a flock of men, and I mean manly men, strode over to me and started to talk to me. Now, I’m not one to be easily intimidated, but these guys looked like rugby players because they were all about 6’ in any direction you measured them – but these were the men I was waiting for: they were wearing kilts! I inadvertently broke the ice by mentioning that they were the first men I met in Scotland with kilts, which made them laugh so loud I swear the floor shook a little. Quite surprisingly, they kindly asked if they could join me. Usually I’d be weary to accept, but it was perfect timing to test out my new mantra! They sat down with me, we had a couple of beers, they finished off the rest of my food, it was a good night. The best part, however, was once these 6’ Scotsmen got some alcohol in their system and started to teach me some Scottish slang. Let’s see how much of it I remember: “Aye, I’m visiting a but and ben, but I dunnae ken. Yer haver s’gotta mean yer bluttered! Yer auxters are boughin’ an yer hair is a burach, an ye looks like an eedjit, but do what suits ye. Show me to the shunky and give me a tattie, else yer erse is oot the windae.” You can do the translating on all that – I’m not too sure what that all means, but those are the phrases that stuck in my head after that night. Oh what a night.
So with only one full day to really explore this beautiful city, I have yet to explore it’s cracks and crevices and find out what makes its people so happy. A second and third visit are definitely in store for the future! I don’t think I have the words or the ability to describe Edinburgh’s beauty. I can’t do it justice. Breathtaking during the day and at night, the city is filled with so much greenery and life that my eyes were constantly entertained.
I’ll leave you, my friends, with three words that seem to capture the city’s vibrance: “just say yes.” You never really know where life is going to take you, and you’ll never get anywhere if you block off new roads with skepticism or refusal. Take my word for it, you can always go back, but you may not always be able to go forward that same way again. Take the chance, any may yer lums reek lang and weil!
With love from paradise,
Amita
The next stop on Amita’s Adventure: Nice, France!
With Love From Paradise: Edinburgh