Edinburgh

During my sojourn in Ireland, Melissa and I took a nice weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. I had been wanting to see the city since I saw pictures from another friend´s travels, and Edinburgh surpassed all my expectations.

Saturday morning around 3am, Melissa and I dragged our tired bodies out into the cold to wait for the bus to the airport. I had gotten used to the colder weather in Bray, but I feared that it would be even colder in Scotland. As the plane landed, the pilot announced the local temperature as -1C and my jaw dropped as I looked at Melissa. I was not prepared for that! Luckily, seeing as it was still early morning, the weather was indeed tolerable and not too bad... still, being May, I had not anticipated needing to wear so many layers!

Our first stop was the hostel, but it was really strange because High Street/The Royal Mile was gathering people. We checked in and went to get some breakfast, as soon as we were finished, there was a parade right down High Street of the Scottish troops coming home from Afghanistan. It was really nice, it seemed like a lot of the city was there to support them.

At our hostel we found a FREE tour (they work on tips only, great idea), so that´s what we did all morning. Our tour guide Matt told us all about Edinburgh, it s history and legends for 3 hours. We learned about some really cool things like:
The Stone of Destiny, Burke and Hare Murderers, and the most loyal dog ever Greyfriars Bobby. I absolutely loved soaking in all the cool stories and the sights were just gorgeous. After a nice meal with new friends, Melissa and I went back to the hostel to take a nap. Saturday night we met up with our new friends and tried to discover some of the nightlife of Edinburgh.

Sunday morning we got a typical Scottish breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, blood sausages, beans, fried tomatoes, and haggis. I have to say it was quite delicious. From there we walked up the Royal Mile and took a seat near Edinburgh Castle. Sadly, the entry was 13 pounds, so that was not in our budget. Melissa and I spent the afternoon in Prince´s Street Gardens and then got a nice meal. Our last stop was Colton Hill where we bid farewell to Edinburgh, but not before seeing the most beautiful sights in the city!


View of Edinburgh Castle from Prince´s Street Gardens

Best views of the city! So beautiful!

Carlos, Melissa, me and Daniela in front of Edinburgh Castle

Beginning of Ireland

I jetted off to Dublin Saturday afternoon (not after one last argument with the roommate and cleaning the entire apartment with no help) to spend 10 wonderful days with Melissa in Bray.

She is an au pair in Bray for a family with 3 children. Over the weekend I did not really interact with the family because Melissa wasn't working. We went out in Bray, met a few friends, etc. Monday was also a bank holiday so Melissa and I got out to go to Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leery) to see a movie and hang out a little more. We had a great time catching up and planning some more for our stay.

Then, for the past 3 days I have been helping take care of the kids. Melissa is in charge of Daniel (3) all day. Then, she picks up Jennifer (6) and Peter (8) from school and makes dinner for them, etc. I've been getting along really well with the entire family, and Daniel is just adorable. Although I may not be out seeing Dublin quite yet, I am getting insight into the lives of a real Irish family. Plus, we have made a few little daytrips to the shore in Greystones, and yesterday we went to a nice garden/estate to walk around. I'll share pictures when I can, but Mel's computer is not a fan of putting pictures online, I already tried.

I think everything they say about Ireland is true. So far, the weather has been cold (at least compared to Nice) and it changes from sunny to rainy several times a day. It does seem very green here, and there's a flower/bush called mustard which is on all the hillsides which is also quite gorgeous. Before coming, I was also told that the Irish are very friendly. I definitely have to agree with this so far, because everyone I come in contact with is so welcoming!

I also realized right before I left that this is my first Anglophone country in 7 months. It has been a bit strange getting used to a different culture but constantly comparing it to France. I watch English/Irish TV and still expect French commercials. It's also been a bit weird when Melissa drives me around several times per day and I look to my right to talk to the driver. The first few times I got a little nervous, but I leave the driving to Mel since she knows what she's doing.

Well, that's about all I have for ya. I would like to make another Ireland post, especially if we get to go to Edinburgh as planned this weekend. Hopefully I will not get stuck in this beautiful country due to the volcano disrupting flights again. I cannot believe in 12 days I'll be back in the US!