Sunday, March 18th 2007

After night filled with jet-lag induced broken sleep patterns and anxiety about getting to Gatwick airport in time the next morning for our Easyjet flight to Edinburgh, we were up and on our way out of the hotel. The morning was bright and crisp and London seemed much more appealing in the fresh morning air. Even so, we were eager to get to the plane and head north to Scotland.

A friendly cab driver who the hotel summoned for us offered to drive us all the way to Gatwick, what amounts to over an hour of driving for £45 ($89). In retrospect this was actually a very good offer, but being as how this was an unlicensed cab, and I’m incredibly stubborn in times like these, I asked him to go ahead and take us to the train station. The ride was short and the fare was reasonable for a London taxi ride, at £9 ($18). We headed down the stairs and immediately hopped on the crowded train bound for Gatwick. The only two seats available we could find were opposite a young couple who had to be persuaded to move their jackets and things so that we might sit with them. Once seated, I remembered how much I love trains, but hate riding in the backwards seats on them.. I was longing for the £45 taxi.

The train ended up costing us £29 for the two of us so after saving a whopping £7, and at least half an hour over the taxi, we were in Gatwick… with two hours to spare before we could check in for our flight. Still, spirits were high as it was now only a matter of hours before we arrived in Scotland. I was getting downright giddy.. or I would have been had I have been able to stay awake.

Easyjet operates a budget airline service in western Europe that can best be equated to the US carriers Southwest or Jetblue. All things considered, they do a good service. Our flights to and from Edinburgh were each under £15 ($30) per person before taxes, and on each occasion we were on time and our luggage arrived safely. You have to deal with the hassles you’d expect from a budget airline, but at a 50% money and 70% time savings over the train, we were happy.

As we approached Scotland from the south, we were informed by the pilot that we may expect a bit of snow and ice when arriving. This of course was discouraging as the plan had us hopping in a rental car and taking off for the mountains the next day. Through the broken clouds we could see sunny pastures and snow covered hillsides of the lowlands from above. Descending into Edinburgh brought views of the city and surrounding areas. It looked cold, but very pleasant. We weren’t even on the ground, but I could already begin to see the Scotland of countless books and films I’ve seen rising up to meet me as the plane dropped closer to the runway.

Our hopes for good weather were briefly dashed when the plane’s doors opened and we descended the stairway onto the tarmac before heading into the terminal. As the pilot suggested, we were met by snow and wind that chilled our climate controlled bodies immediately. By this point, we really didn’t care about the weather. We were on the ground in Scotland, and that was all we cared about. A big smile came over me as we walked into the terminal to claim our bags. For the rest of the time we were there, that feeling never really left.

From the airport we headed to pickup our rental car which was waiting for us nearby. To our delight the snow had stopped and the sun was peaking through the clouds when we were presented with the keys to a brand new Vauxhall Astra with 8 miles on the clock. Sure it’s a GM brand, but it’s designed, and built in the UK so we were fine with it. At least it wasn’t a Ford. The first few minutes of driving on the left were, as expected, a little interesting. It was initiation by fire though as our first route took us deep through the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital and second largest city.

After a few minutes of gripping the wheel pretty tightly, I grew more comfortable with the surroundings, and was able to just drive. There was a little remaining confusion on the meaning of all of the street markings, traffic signals and roundabout protocol. Fortunately, I was able to observe enough of the other drivers behavior that by the time we arrived in the central city, I didn’t have to learn anything the hard way.

Edinburgh is an absolutely beautiful city that we were amazed by at every turn. I really feel like every american city dweller should go visit an old european city from time to time so that they might remember how much more there is to the world, and it’s history. The historical significance of this town, combined with it’s picturesque streets and quaint buildings made for a very enjoyable afternoon of walking.

We visited a selection of restaurants, bars and shops. Mostly we just walked and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was very cold with a bitter wind and as usual, I was stubbornly underdressed for the weather. It didn’t matter though, we were loving every minute of it. We stayed out on the town for as long as we possibly could muster while still in a highly jet-lagged condition. I think we made it to 7 o’clock before retiring to our B&B for some rest. The city was very welcoming and we were determined to spend some more time here on the way back through. Meanwhile, I was eager to get out into the open spaces the next morning.

Photos of Edinburgh on the 18th

More photos:
http://flickr.com/photos/fall-line/sets/72157600032138777/

Tags: Edinburgh, London, Scotland, Travel

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2007 at 5:38 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.