King Arthur's Seat

I climbed King Arthur's Seat with Natalie and her family. It was a little bit of hike and rainy, but still really cool. It is great for exercise. we took the steeper way up the stairs. You could go up the back and it sort of winds it's way up. On the bottom peak people make rock formations of their names or other words. It looks really cool when you see it from the top peak. The city looks huge from up there.

While we were at the top a cloud rolled in and engulfed us. You could see it happening. It was really cool and you could barely see in front of you. I liked this little crack you had to climb through to get to the top. It was warm inside it on the way down.

Diggers

The best day of class was when Richard surprised us. We went on a tour through Tollcross and Fountainbridge. Then we went to a cemetery which was really creepy. Then came the surprise.. Richard walked us to a bar called the Diggers. He had a room reserved in the back and he bought us three pitchers of beer that I had never heard of or had before. It was so nice of him. The room was pretty cool too. It was really old and had old fashioned cushions lining the room. I took some coasters from there that were funny. I really liked that pub, very Scotland-esque.

The Meadows

The Meadows is a huge park that is right by the school. We often eat lunch there and just people watch. There are always people playing cricket, rugby or football. Lots of people run through it. THere is a golf course at one end. Every Thursday we would go play soccer with Buckley's kids. Karl and I got pretty competitive the last time we played. I wish we would have brought a soccer ball or frisbee or something so we could spend more time there. The grass is cut so short there as well.

The Crags

Bob took us on a field trip down Cannongate and it ended at the new parliament building and Holyrood Palace. I think the new parliament building is obnoxious. There is just too much stuff on it. If they had picked three of the cool designs on it and enhanced those element it would have been better. The architect died before it was finished and his wife insisted they followed his plan down to every last detail. Bob thinks that if he had been alive he might have edited his design a little bit. Anyways, the Crags are also right there. Adam, Michelle, Natalie and I decided to hike along it after class because we were there. There is also a path that runs along the bottom of it. It was one of the coolest views of the city. You could see everything. The grass was so soft and it was beautiful.

Portobello

I've been to Portobello twice now. It is a cool little place. There is a promenade along the beach that is fun to walk on. You can also get gelato. One time we got ice cream in little teddy cones. It was kind of weird, the texture was slightly gritty. A lot of people were rollerblading, which made me think of Miami. The sand was orange and so soft! The water was freezing and you have to wear a full body suit to go in it. When Richard took us to Portobello he told us how people used to take sea baths. There were these contraptions they put out into the sea and people changed in there and then took a bath. He also said there was a dock that went out into the sea but I think it got destroyed by a storm. I found some cool stones and shells. One of the shells I'm going to make a necklace out of.

Turkish Baths

To cure our hangovers Natalie, Michelle and I went trekked out to Portobello to try out the Turkish Baths. It was only six pounds and definitely worth it.

It is a whole process. First you have to take a cold shower. Then you go into the steam room, which is way better than a sauna. The steam room was nearly unbearable and you're supposed to stay in for 6 to 14 minutes. We could only do 6. Then you go into the plunge pool, which feels so good. The last step makes you just fall into it. Then there are three separate relaxing rooms that all continuously get hotter, the tepedarium is the first and the calederium is the last. Then you just repeat the process as much as you want. It's supposed to help cleanse your pores. It made me feel great. We all felt very European. Our turkish bath pass also allowed us to swim in their indoor pool which was nice.

The Abbey

The Abbey is definitely our go to place. We went there the first night we were here and we continue to go back. A pint of Belhavens is 2.70 and the food is amazing and all around four to five pounds. I got the Mexican burger and it is one of the top five burgers I've ever had. If you order soup they give you a huge bowl of it. Lots of people get vangers and mash and everyone says the haggis there is good. I got a wrap one time that I was a little disappointed with, but I was just super jealous of Kelly's tomato basil soup.

It is a typical pub and they have a lot of regulars. The first night one woman sang Sublime's Summer Time for us, it was funny. We started to get to know the bartenders pretty well. One of them is really cute and everyone is crushing on him. His name is Barry, but you have to say it with an accent. We all plan on having our last meal there.