Edinburgh was Awesome!

I have made it back to Liverpool! Edinburgh was an amazing experience that I wouldn't change at all.  I made a ton of new friends from all over the world.  We had laughs out the wazoo and stayed up till the wee hours of the night.  I honestly can say that the views from all over the city were spectacular.  However, a little tid bit of information from my walking tour made looking at the old buildings a little awkward.  I think I may have mentioned this before that the filth from the old days would fly around in the wind and stick to the monuments.  It just kept reoccurring to me every time I went out sightseeing.  My thought process went something along the lines of  "Oh that's pretty! ...And kinda black. oh wait hahahaha gross."

The castle is really cool but I would not go on a really cold day.  It's mostly outside.  Also, don't bother with an audio kit.  Not worth your money.  I would actually say that the castle has much more meaning if you're actually interested in the Scottish military history.  For me the most interesting part was the Stone of Destiny (most epic name ever) and the crown jewels.  This however may be because I have been to so many museums lately that I'm on history and art overload.  Many really cool random facts about Edinburgh and just a really fun city to visit in general.  If you're of Scottish decent, then figure out your history before going.  Pretty cool to see my clan stuff!

It's a short blog but an update none the less.  There isn't much happening right now, just hanging out with people around Liverpool a lot.  Going to see the last remaining sights that need seeing.  Love you all and thanks for reading!

Love and pixels,
Kaylen

My first day in Edinburgh!

Scotland Thus Far.

Yesterday I arrived in Scotland and it has been so much fun! On the drive up, the gradual change in landscape was so beautiful to watch. I went on three different coaches to get to Edinburgh, but all were pretty smooth rides. Now when I say that, I mean uneventful. Smooth would not be accurate especially for that last coach. My butt was sufficiently numb by the end of the day. When I arrived, I had no idea where to go. Never assume that a coach station has wifi. Most do, but some don't and it's a pain to figure out where you're supposed to go. Now this trip was something I wanted to do but was planned and executed sort of on a whim. I forgot to figure out what road my hostel was on... whoops. But I had their phone number, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. Getting only mildly lost twice and asking for directions about three times, I finally arrived. The gal at the reception desk looked up and immediately asked me “Are you the lost girl?” I guess after two calls they caught on that I had no idea where they were located, let alone myself. Oh well, it really wasn't stressful or scary. I checked in and picked out my bed. Once a bit more organized, I went downstairs to get dinner. That's right, my hostel has a full blown cafe/ bar in it!

Once full of delicious chicken Tikka Masala, I wandered around and met a few people. Turns out that every night there is a free pub crawl. Even though I was exhausted I figured that I should go on it for a bit of fun and to meet more people. That decision paid off in full! I met my new Aussie friend Mona, who was also looking around for a friend. Neither of us knew anyone at the hostel. We clicked and stuck by each other the whole night. Our fearless leaders Jimmy and Jeff were very fun and kept the mood up. Not too hard to do since they're both really easy to look at. Now at the first pub, I ran into two guys that apparently are in the police. They were just out for a good time and were entertaining to talk to. Now I say this night paid off I full because not only did I meet some new friends, but the two police/ military guys (Ollie and Max) offered to get me and Mona into Edinburgh Castle for free and show us around. I got both of their numbers to coordinate later. The castle tour is normally about 16 quid (slang for pounds) so of course I'm going to see if they'll follow through on their offer.

This morning I went on a free walking tour of Edinburgh with some other hostel people and Jimmy leading us around. It was very informative and fun. I saw a bunch of Harry Potter stuff and loved every bit of it! There's also a really cute story about a loyal dog who was made a citizen of Edinburgh by the city council. He was extremely loyal to his owner and for 14 years every morning and night, the dog stayed by the grave. This is a statue to commemorate him. The picture after is is grave inside the graveyard where his owner is buried. People put sticks on his grave for him to play with.

Throughout the graveyard there were a lot of Harry Potter related things. Many of the gravestones have names of the characters on it. The castle looking building is actually a school. It was very hard to get into so the children used to say that they rode brooms and learned witchcraft. This building inspired Hogwarts. I thought it was so cool! Following is the pub where J.K. Rowling wrote the first two books. She had no heating in her apartment so the owners let her sit there all day and write while she drank tea.

This is my new friend Mona and me at Edinburgh Castle.

Another part of today's beautiful Scotland is this gorgeous park. It is extremely green and used to be a loch in the days of the castle. The loch served as the main water source for Edinburgh for a long time. However, it started to grow increasingly disgusting. So in the 19^th century it was drained out. About 300 bodies were found at the bottom, most of them were bound women. The results of being tried as a witch. They were thrown off the cliff from the castle. It's amazing to see how something so beautiful can come from something so horrible.

The Scots have a long history of wanting to do impressive things and not quite doing it or being defeated by the English. It's kinda sad but funny. I'm sure it isn't funny to the Scots, but our tour leader Jimmy is Australian and none of the tourists are Scots. So for us, it was a feeling of wanting to pat the Scottish on the head and say “Awwww! It's alright, you tried. We still love you.” Obviously I won't actually say that to anyone in Scotland. If you're reading this and you're Scottish, sorry! The photos below are of a wall that was built to defend against an English invasion. At the time that an actual invasion came, no one was guarding the gates. So the English just walked in and took Edinburgh. Way to be soldiers, way to be. Next is commonly know as “Scotland's Shame”. It's a bunch of steps and columns. Originally the plan was to build a huge building for all the important people to be buried in. I'm sure there were other important meanings to the idea of this building, but I don't remember learning any others. Anyways, the funding ran out and nothing has happened since. But there is some beautiful scenery around it with other monuments! Those are the other pictures below. Enjoy!

Tonight I went out again with some fellow hostel people.  We went on the free pub crawl again but mainly went for the socializing.  Drinking two nights in a row didn't sound appealing.  I had an absolute blast and met a lot more people.  Some of which were Americans!  They're the first ones I've met while abroad that I didn't already know.  That's all I've done in Edinburgh so far. More to come!

Love and pixels,

Kaylen

Drink a stein!

The Bierkeller is a magical place. It is a hidden jewel in Liverpool that all my friends have just discovered and shared with me. We first went there to celebrate our friend Danny's 21^st birthday. We had a total blast with live music playing and everyone singing along. Whenever the band took a break, they put on music and the audience singing continued. The Bierkeller is inspired by the German bierkellers. According to Kim, who has been to Germany, it is pretty close. According to all of us, it is awesome.

Now we had an awesome time on Thursday night at Danny's birthday, but we decided to go out again on Friday night. Laura was in London so the group consisted of Kim, Jonny (Kim's boyfriend), Leah, Nick, Danny and me. The decision to go out on Friday was made on Thursday when we saw a poster advertising an Oompah band. For those of you who don't know, this is traditional German countryside music.

When we got there on Friday night the place was packed possibly double what it was on Thursday. We got drinks, which took about 20 min, and attempted to find a place to sit down. After another 20 min we finally spotted a place to sit down and snagged it. Everyone in the place is very drunk or on their way there. This is due to the fact that the drink size choice of the night was a stein. That's about two pints in a glass. Those things are heavy and very hard to finish!

The band was absolutely on fire! We all had such a grand time and were dancing as per their instructions the whole time. One of the things you have to know about the Bierkeller is, you dance on the benches. So everyone is up off the floor stomping away and enjoying themselves immensely! I brought along my camera to document the event and see some real liederhosen! They certainly delivered. When I went up to the stage they posed for me. =]

Originally we went just to hear the band and have a few drinks. This was at 9pm. We left at 1:30. All of our feet and voices were sore from dancing and singing the night away. See, after the band finished their gig, the DJ put on a great mix of music that ranges decades and everyone knew. I know this is a really short blog, but we really did just sing and dance the night away. Probably one of the best nights out I've had a in a really long time!

The closest I've come to weeping angels in Liverpool...

As I told you in a previous blog, one of my taxi drivers recommended places in Liverpool for me to visit. One of which was the Anglican Cathedral. His condition for the Anglican was that I needed to go on a clear day to that I could go up to the tower at the top and look all around the city. Apparently you can see Wales on a good day. Taking his advice, I watched out for a clear day. When one finally came around with blue skies and everything, I headed out on my adventure. As per usual, the girls were at uni so this was another solo adventure. Not that that's a bad thing, I quite like my solo adventures. I get to go at my own pace and don't feel like I'm holding anyone back by stopping to take pictures. Kim and I were talking about the Anglican and she aptly described it as “the big scary Gothic thing”. Now before I headed out, I got directions from Leah. A Liverpool native. My original plan was to go down the street I know really well (yes there's only one, sad I know). She pointed out that another way might be faster and easier. Feeling up for the challenge, I decided to go her new route.

This new route really shouldn't have been that difficult. I've headed in this direction with the girls many times so I figured I'd be fine. Well when you're looking for a specific street I a different country, it helps to know where the street signs are. That was the fault in my plan. I kept looking up to see what street it was since that's where the signs are in America. I could not for the life of me figure out where they were. Turns out that they are sometimes little signs on walls closer down to the actual street. Or just signs in the grass sticking up like our election posters do. Obviously they are more permanent than those though. Now these should be easy enough to spot, and they are when there actually is a sign. Not every street corner has a sign. Or if they do, someone needs to teach me the ways of finding them.

So, I'm walking along and enjoying the scenery.

But this is taking way longer than I anticipated to find the street I need. Eventually I decide to stop moving and get a hold of Leah. She ends up having no idea where I am. That makes two of us. But she does tell me that if I can find Croxteth road then I should take that down to the cathedral and I'll be fine. Leah tells me that I should be closer to that than the original street I was looking for. This comes as a relief to me because I don't particularly want to walk through that part of town I just went through again. It made me feel a bit uneasy, which I'm sure was mostly just that fact that I had no idea where I was. Having a new goal in mind, I ask a lady on the street how to get to the Anglican and where Croxteth is. Turns out I was standing on the corner of it. Thank goodness I stopped!! So I turn down the road and mentally keep my fingers crossed that I will reach my destination soon.

Along Croxteth I ran into some sketchy looking people, an old lady that looked me dead in the eye and murmured something that sounded like a mix of “angel” and “hello”, and some very beautiful houses. One of which is below.

There was also this random guy who looked much older than me who made eye contact then broke it a lot as we got closer to passing each other on the street. Finally right before we passed each other he just looked at me and said “You are lovely.” I said thanks and kept on walking. It was nice to hear but I didn't want to stop since I was already kinda lost. Then out of nowhere, I looked up and saw a sign sent from the heavens.

As I turned the corner I realized just how correct Kim was in her description. It's beautiful, but it's also big. It's scary. It's dark and surrounded by and old quarry that has been turned into a graveyard. Which is then surrounded by a tall, rusty, old cast iron gate. That's intimidating enough. Then the closer you get, the more you can hear the high winds blowing through it making sounds of horror. You know all those movies and Halloween decorations that have “scary” wind sounds? Yeah those are real. And they were recorded in the heart of this cathedral. I don't know how to describe it other than maybe: wolves howling in despair through a megaphone while standing on a burnt hill next to a dead tree with the full moon. I know you all probably think I'm over reacting but I don't care and you weren't there. Plus watching as much Doctor Who as I do doesn't help. All I could think about was the weeping angels.

Now of course I still went in. I mean I had walked around an hour and a half and been lost just to find this place. No way I'm giving up that easily. But I did almost run inside because naturally as you get closer to big scary buildings, they get creepier. Ever get that feeling of how incredibly tiny you are when put right next to something huge like a big building or a ship while kayaking? I hate that feeling and try to get away from it.

Once inside I felt much better. It is absolutely gorgeous inside and much more peaceful. There are people willing to help you out and give you tours. I just walked around aimlessly and admired how incredibly huge everything was.

There was a very nice elderly man who was doing pastel work of the Lady Chapel. Which was the first bit of the cathedral to be completed. We chatted for a bit and he gave me one of his greeting cards free of charge. It's got a nice picture that he took on the front and he wrote me a message on the back. He also let me take a photo of him at work. Here you go!

Now I'm sure you're all wondering about the tower tour. If not then you can skip this part if you really want. I bought my ticket to go up and was instructed that I go up two lifts (elevators) then 108 stairs. Not a problem at all. Or so I thought. Since the only thing I've ever gone up like this was the Eiffel Tower, I had no idea what to expect. I got in the elevator which had a capacity of 6 people. I was alone and this lift fit the building well. Rickety, old, and made me unsure of how safe I really was. Then I got off the first lift and walked out into the middle of the wind I described earlier. Needless to say I was surprised and felt like I was going to wet my pants. The stairway to the next lift was enclosed with what looked like chicken wire. You could see the middle of the creepy building on the outside and it gives you the chills. I made it to the second life sufficiently freaked out with my heart pounding away. Then as that continued to rise, so did my anxiety levels. I got to the 10^th floor which was the top and the beginning of the 108 stairs. Right before the lift reached the top floor, I realized that my mind was chanting “NO. NO. NO. NO. NO!” I seriously could not bring myself to go up those stairs. Getting back in the lift, I went down and like a child watching a scary movie, I had my hands covering my ears. I was extremely freaked out. All but running down the stairs to the first lift, I was now actually saying “Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope!” Part of the tower ticket includes a special embroidery exhibit on the third floor. I figured it would be a good place for me to calm down. Sitting down in a chair in a luckily empty exhibit, I attempted to calm myself down. I literally just had the sounds of the wind running through my mind and images of the weeping angels. Mind you I could still actually hear the winds as well. Forcing myself to calm down, I started walking around the small embroidery exhibit and took pictures of the items. I didn't actually find a lot of it interesting but it was something to ease my mind. I may have been more interested in a different state of mind. Mom, I took some of these photos for you because I thought you would be interested in the details.

 At the end of the exhibit I made the not so wise decision to see how far up I was. I freaked out a little more, which is strange since I'm not afraid of heights. Enjoy the one picture I managed.

Once back down to safety on the first floor, I ended up getting a live camera tour of the tower from the ticket guy. He was very nice. Then I calmed myself more by talking to the attendants of the Anglican. Soon, I was on my way home which wasn't actually that hard to find. I went the longer way that involved the road I know very well. There was no need for more nerves that day. But who knows, if I go again with a friend then I'll probably be able to actually go up the tower all the way. That's my story of the Anglican Cathedral and how freaked out I was.