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| Iceland |
So you know how I told you I was only 30 minutes late departing Boston on Thursday? Well, we were delayed even longer because a plane had to make an emergency landing, so we didn’t board until 10:45pm. I would have had the entire row to myself, but some lady sat in the aisle seat. I dozed in and out of consciousness during the 5.5 or so hour plane ride, I don’t think I ever fully fell asleep. We land in Iceland around 8am (Greenwich time) and Iceland is gorgeous. You could see the hot springs steam coming up from the ground. It does look cold. The military police that checked our passports were really cute and friendly. We deplaned, had to go through security, get our passports stamped and then come back in. So I went to the passport control to get back in and the guy asked where I was going and I said Scotland and he’s like, “where’s your ticket?” I told him “I still need to get it”. I played the role of the stupid American. Duh, I needed to go find customer service and get my boarding pass BEFORE going to the cute cops to get back into the terminal.
They held the plane for us and a plane coming from New York. I got the first row, aisle seat and let me tell you, it sucked! There was maybe a foot b/t the seat edge and the wall (if that). They did serve us water because we were sitting for so long and the crew on both legs were quite friendly. It really does remind me of Southwest (just not as nice with regards to the interior of the planes and charging for food and beverages). I would fly them again now that I know how they work.
We landed in Edinburg close to 1. I filled out my landing card and went through passport control with no problems. I claimed my bag, which was cleared so I didn’t have to go through customs. I hopped on the bus and within 30 minutes, I was off the bus and walking 15 minutes to my friends apartment, which is just down the hill from Edinburgh Castle.
I showered and changed, and we headed out around 2:30pm. Edinburgh (at least the old medieval part where I’m staying) is extremely walkable and easy to navigate. I had Fosters beer with my fish & chips (yes, my Aussie friend bought an Australian beer for me, but he says it doesn’t taste like the Australian brewed version). We walk up the hill and buy tickets to tour Edinburgh Castle. We also are nerds and buy the headphones audio tour. So much history in these walls. I saw where American’s were kept as prisoners of war during the American Revolution years and learned that we were regarded as pirates so prison daily rations were 1 loaf of bed. I saw the royal jewels, went into Saint Margaret’s Chapel, stood by cannons and had gorgeous panoramic views of Edinburgh. They were setting up the bleachers/stadium seating for what I’m assuming is for military tattoo, but not 100% sure if that is why they are going up.
We walked down the Royal Mile and did the Whisky Experience. We rode a barrel, which took us through the whisky making process. [The ride reminded me of The Haunted House ride at Disneyland.] Then we got to learn about the various whiskies made in Scotland and had a tasting. I tried Laphroaig and McCallan. I can’t remember which one was which, but I got the one that came from Speyside and that whisky typically smells sweet, like bananas. The whisky I had didn’t smell like bananas, but did taste really good, almost like sherry. I tried my friend’s, who go the whisky from Islay. Islay whiskies tend to have a smoky aroma. The particular one for tasting was gross. It smelled smoky (like cigarette butts) and having never smoked a cigarette in my life tasted like what cig butts or an ashtray tastes like. This whisky we tried was actually the only alcohol allowed to be imported to America during prohibition. The reasoning was that it smelled so bad, there was no way people would drink it; they allowed it in under the assumption it was for medicinal reasons, despite the fact that people in the States did drink that stuff.
We continued walking around and popped into Biblio for some dinner. I’m trying to not be a typical American tourist. I’m walking on the left side of the sidewalk, I don’t tip (which is so nice). When you’re at a pub that serves food, you order and pay for the food at the bar and they take it to your table when it’s ready. If you order at a restaurant, you typically seat yourself and are waited on. When you are done, you go to the bar or station and pay for your food, no receipt is brought to your table (at least not in Biblio).
I did go out with my friend and one of his friends. We left around 9pm and it was still light as day. I didn’t realize just how far north Scotland is compared to Boston, it’s even lighter b/c I’m visiting so close to the summer solstice. I wasn’t feeling well, traveling and not sleeping since Wednesday night, finally was catching up with me. I had a vodka and orange juice b/c I didn’t want vodka and Red Bull. I was already getting a headache, but stuck it out as long as I could. I learned that Americans always answer the question “where are you from?” with stating the “city, state” they are from, whereas everyone else seems to just say the country they come from. So I made a mental note to just say America from now on. Another thing I was made fun of was saying I took a red eye over. Red eye, meaning overnight flight which these guys had never heard of. They just call them overnight flights, so they started poking fun of “red eye” by saying they’re going to start telling people they came in on the tired flight (eyes are tired when you land from an overnight flight if you don’t sleep). Oh boys! They had me laughing and it was fun being out with locals. When we left around 11pm, it was still light out, like dusk time. My friends friend was complaining about how it’s light when they go to the bars and light when they leave b/c everyone [the ladies] sees him in the light, no softening your appearance in the dark here :)
Things are really cheap here (I mean, not if you’re an American b/c the conversion rate sucks, but for someone making money and living here it’s cheap compared to America). Shots are under 3 pounds, a pint of beer usually goes for 2.50-4 pounds. The 3 bedroom apartment I am staying in, with a living room, a kitchen with a washer and dishwasher is like cheap, especially considering the location. My friend only pays 350 a month for his share. Crazy! A nice dinner for the two of us was 24 pounds total!
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| View from Edinburgh Castle looking down towards Princes Steet |
We walked down the Royal Mile and did the Whisky Experience. We rode a barrel, which took us through the whisky making process. [The ride reminded me of The Haunted House ride at Disneyland.] Then we got to learn about the various whiskies made in Scotland and had a tasting. I tried Laphroaig and McCallan. I can’t remember which one was which, but I got the one that came from Speyside and that whisky typically smells sweet, like bananas. The whisky I had didn’t smell like bananas, but did taste really good, almost like sherry. I tried my friend’s, who go the whisky from Islay. Islay whiskies tend to have a smoky aroma. The particular one for tasting was gross. It smelled smoky (like cigarette butts) and having never smoked a cigarette in my life tasted like what cig butts or an ashtray tastes like. This whisky we tried was actually the only alcohol allowed to be imported to America during prohibition. The reasoning was that it smelled so bad, there was no way people would drink it; they allowed it in under the assumption it was for medicinal reasons, despite the fact that people in the States did drink that stuff.
We continued walking around and popped into Biblio for some dinner. I’m trying to not be a typical American tourist. I’m walking on the left side of the sidewalk, I don’t tip (which is so nice). When you’re at a pub that serves food, you order and pay for the food at the bar and they take it to your table when it’s ready. If you order at a restaurant, you typically seat yourself and are waited on. When you are done, you go to the bar or station and pay for your food, no receipt is brought to your table (at least not in Biblio).
I did go out with my friend and one of his friends. We left around 9pm and it was still light as day. I didn’t realize just how far north Scotland is compared to Boston, it’s even lighter b/c I’m visiting so close to the summer solstice. I wasn’t feeling well, traveling and not sleeping since Wednesday night, finally was catching up with me. I had a vodka and orange juice b/c I didn’t want vodka and Red Bull. I was already getting a headache, but stuck it out as long as I could. I learned that Americans always answer the question “where are you from?” with stating the “city, state” they are from, whereas everyone else seems to just say the country they come from. So I made a mental note to just say America from now on. Another thing I was made fun of was saying I took a red eye over. Red eye, meaning overnight flight which these guys had never heard of. They just call them overnight flights, so they started poking fun of “red eye” by saying they’re going to start telling people they came in on the tired flight (eyes are tired when you land from an overnight flight if you don’t sleep). Oh boys! They had me laughing and it was fun being out with locals. When we left around 11pm, it was still light out, like dusk time. My friends friend was complaining about how it’s light when they go to the bars and light when they leave b/c everyone [the ladies] sees him in the light, no softening your appearance in the dark here :)
Things are really cheap here (I mean, not if you’re an American b/c the conversion rate sucks, but for someone making money and living here it’s cheap compared to America). Shots are under 3 pounds, a pint of beer usually goes for 2.50-4 pounds. The 3 bedroom apartment I am staying in, with a living room, a kitchen with a washer and dishwasher is like cheap, especially considering the location. My friend only pays 350 a month for his share. Crazy! A nice dinner for the two of us was 24 pounds total!
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