weather.

I know you’re dying to know what the weather has been like in Edinburgh. So, I’ll tell you. Prior to today, Edinburgh was blessed with a couple unseasonably warm days. They were fantastic. Fifteen, maybe eighteen degrees (60sF ish). At Deacons, we had the doors open and tables outside – it was a welcome change to the typical Edinburgh day.

I used the warm days – or the day I had off – to get a little well needed exercise. One of my staff meal options at work is haggis – a traditional Scottish dish. I eat it often. Before I list the ingredients, let me assure you that the completed dish actually tastes amazing. Haggis consists of sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs and is mixed with oatmeal, spices, maybe some onions. Traditional haggis is prepared in the sheep’s stomach.

Aren’t you dying to try a dish? If the description isn’t enough to make your mouth water – here is a picture …

So, although haggis probably isn’t the healthiest dish to eat two or three times a week, I can’t help but not order it at work. I mean, when will I be working and living in Scotland ever again? And it truly is delicious.

The run on my day off took me to the summit of Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is an 823ft mountainesk hill that is just outside of Edinburgh. Not an easy run – or walk for that mater – but I enjoy the challenge and if nothing else the unbeatable views of Edinburgh, its suburbs, and the Firth of Forth.

The warm days last week were apparently only a taunting taste of what Edinburgh’s summer will feel like. Today, as I was walking to work at 9am, I was fighting gusting winds, cold, and … snow showers.

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things (which are hopefully more interesting than the title)

I was talking with my dad last night, and he reminded me of something I’ve been constantly aware of lately. “You’ve kind of been neglecting your blog recently, haven’t you?” he asked.

I have been. It’s been some time since my last post. I guess my rationalization for this is my life hasn’t been all to, shall we say, exciting. At least as unexciting as it can be living miles away from Iowa in Edinburgh, Scotland. I’ve been working a lot – most of my hours are put in at the pub I work for, but I occasionally pick up shifts with the temp agency. My feelings of the two are starkly different. These feelings strongly reinforce my thoughts on ultimately making a decision with what I want to do with my life – you have to enjoy what you do.

I happily work just about forty hours a week for the pub. I find myself hoping I’m scheduled for more hours. I – as the British say – really fancy pub work. Fast paced. Constant interaction with customers. Always something to do. And really, it’s good craic. I have fun at work – something which surely is important. As my friend Lauren told me the other day, you can’t control a lot of things in life, but you can control things such as the job or employment that you pursue. Don’t stress about those things you can’t control.

So, though I’ve been neglecting my blog, I haven’t forgotten about it. Nor have I forgotten about those of you who continue to check in with my travels.

I continue to be amazed at how small the world is. Now, to be fair, by the nature of the location of the pub I work for, I’m going to meet a lot of tourists. This being said, I served this American tourist the other night. After talking for awhile, we both confirmed the fact that we were from the states. “Where are you from?” he asked me.

“Iowa.” I let him know.

“Oh really, where at in Iowa?” he asked.

“I grew up in Southwest Iowa, in Atlantic, and went to school in Iowa city,” I told him.

Turns out, your man ordering a pint of Caledonian 80 was currently living in Arizona – but he was born at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. What are the chances?

Prior to my arrival to the UK, most of my conversations with people I met ended with the same thing – so, what are you doing after Ireland? I always had the answer. ‘I have a six month visa in the UK – so, I’ll head to the UK and figure it out.’ I continue to meet people and often have the same discussion with them – literally daily. And, as in Ireland, it ends with – so, what are you doing after you’re done in Scotland? Every time I’m asked this question I’m forced to consider what the next step in my journey will be.

I’m not sure what the answer will be. When I originally left home, the plan was to travel for a couple months and head back stateside. Now, as it’s basically the first of April, I have just three months left of my UK visa. These three months will fly by. There is still so much of the world – of Europe for that matter – to see. I love the lifestyle I’m living, and while it will ultimately have to come to an end, I’m not sure when that time will be. Anyway, enough on that (which is coincidentally what I tell Brian any time he tries to talk about what our next step will be!). I can worry about that tomorrow … or come the first of April.

Monday morning, I’m catching a train from Edinburgh to Newcastle, England, and a plane from Newcastle to Cork to meet my friend Lauren from home. We’re going to spend seven days in the homeland (well, my home of four months). I hope it treats her and I as grandly as it did me for four months. I’m excited to head back. And, equally excited to see a face from home.

Happy Easter to you all. While you’re all enjoying an Easter brunch, I’ll be pouring pints at Deacon Brodies – but enjoying it. Oh, this lifestyle I’ve chosen. cheers, mk.

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thistle street bar

Hi, all. I’m sitting down to write from my Edinburgh watering hole. When Brian and I first went to view our flat, we walked past a comfortable looking pub not four or five doors down from our flat entrance. One of us surely said, “That looks like a pub that we’ll be spending a fair amount of time at.” As it turns out, this has been the case. The Thistle Street Bar …

… is perfect with its size, ambiance, wi-fi access, selection of ales on tap, and staff. The pub attracts locals who live in the New Town area of Einburgh. An ideal place to have a pint and relax. From the door of my flat to the door of the Thistle Street Bar, I walk less than thirty seconds. So, you can’t complain about its location.

I don’t sit down to write tonight with any profound thoughts. Really, I don’t have much (I don’t think). But, I’ll share with you some realizations or thoughts I’ve had in the past couple days.

I worked 9 – 5 today at the pub. I mean, with hours like that, I’m essentially your typical businessman. I arrive to the pub at nine to get things ready for the day and open the doors at ten. While Deacon’s attracts, for the most part, tourists, we do have a selection of regulars and random Scottish folk that come in for a pint. Deacon Brodies is situated directly across from the High Court of Justiciary of Scotland. Considering this, in addition to having lawyers who stop in for a pint or two over their lunch hours, we have Kiran who is – from what I can gather – a freelance photographer. He spends some of his day hanging around outside of the courthouse taking pictures and the rest of his day at the pub drinking pints of Tennents Lager (I decided today it’d be a fun experiment to try and hang around Deacon’s all day and drink pint for pint with him … I’m not certain I could do it). I digress. I think the point of this paragraph was this realization about individuals who come to the pub in the late morning:

Any time you’re greeted by the barman at your local pub with, “Good Morning,” you might have a problem.

Now, on to a word of advice. If you ever find yourself tending bar in Edinburgh the Sunday after the Scotland – England match of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, never grant a drunk, burly man wearing a kilt permission to do the splits on the bar. Kilts are amazingly commonplace in Scotland. I guess I didn’t think much about them before arriving, but I guessed them to be a traditional piece of dress from the past. Not so. Scotsmen wear kilts for most formal events. Or, in the case below, whenever they’re out hiking with a sword.

Sunday night, the rugby fans who filled Edinburgh were still continuing to party. Much like the Hawkeye fans who continue to party Saturday night after a Hawkeye football win (even though they have been up since 5am drinking), the Scottish – and English for that mater – continued to drink. One of these lifers dressed in a kilt was in Deacon Brodies Sunday night and asked me, “You think I can get on the bar and do the splits?” Not expecting him to be serious, I mistakenly answered, “Sure.” Five seconds later, the man was making his way up on the bar to do the splits. Somehow, myself and the other girl behind the bar were able to convince him to get off before he completed the act (and nearly set his kilt on fire).

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but the weather in Edinburgh is, well as they say rubbish. The wind is nearly always blowing. Most shocking is its propensity to change at the drop of a hat. I was in my flat yesterday afternoon when I thought I heard the door being unlocked. I deemed this as impossible as Brian is in Ireland visiting his parents, but seconds later, a man in a suit walked into my flat. As it turns out, he was a surveyor coming to survey? my flat as it is for sale. Really great guy. The conversation we had made my day. Older guy who after finding out my short-term life story (graduated in May, decided to delay getting a real job, traveling and working, etc), proceeded to tell me about his days traveling the US, Indonesia, and Australia. Anyway, we were talking about Edinburgh, and in addition to many other old-man wise things he told me, he said if you don’t like the weather in Edinburgh, wait five minutes, and it will change.

How true that is. This, I tell you, is not a lie. In the course of my eight hour shift at the pub today, Edinburgh had blue skies, rain, overcast skies, freezing rain, and about everything in between. Every time I looked out the window, the weather changed.

cheers.mk.

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‘heya’

Heya as the Scottish say. Not, ‘Hello’ or ‘Hi,’ but ‘Heya.’

I’m writing today from my desk at my latest assignment with the temp agency I’m working for. Yes folks, I have a desk. I’m kind of a big deal. I’m not working in a cafe, I’m not working behind a bar, and I’m not working a function as a caterer. I’m working on a switchboard at Edinburgh’s Aegon office – one of the world’s largest life insurance and pension companies.

Let me tell you, it’s a blast (all sarcasm intended)!

It may prove to be difficult to get anything significant included in this blog as every so often my computer beeps at me and I have to answer the phone. It goes a little something like this …

‘Good afternoon Aegon Scottish Equitable.’ -me

‘Yes, hello, my name is David Brandshed with Trifelt Investments. I’m calling about a pension my client has with you, reference number …’ -david (fictional name)

‘Sorry to interrupt sir, is that a personal pension?’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘All right, I can go ahead and transfer you on to our Customer Services desk, and they should be able to help you with option one on the menu. Cheers.’

And then they get the computer recording. Often, when I answer the phone, the customers exclaim, ‘Wow, a person!’ I chuckle to myself and think just wait, the computer automated voice awaits.

It’s definitely been an interesting experience. While the work with the temp agency hasn’t always been the most glamorous, it has allowed me to see situations from different perspectives. I was thinking about this as I walked to get a cup of coffee this morning. Just two mornings ago, I was working in the cafe of a different office complex here in Edinburgh – making coffees and sandwiches. I’ve worked numerous functions and seen the planning (or lack thereof) which goes on behind the scenes. Hell, I’ve even served as a kitchen porter washing dishes. All of this in the name of earning enough money to live. All of this while holding a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. All of this with the main goal of experiencing life outside of Iowa, away from friends and family, and outside of my comfort zone.

I read a quote yesterday evening that I loved, and wanted to share with you all – ‘The greatest tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.’ – W.M. Lewis

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iowa … potatoes?

“So, where are you from? Canada?” the man with the North American accent asked me.

“No, I’m from the states actually. From Iowa,” I told him.

“Ohhh, Iowa. Potatoes, right,” he declared.

“No, you’re thinking Idaho. Only corn, soybeans, pigs, and cows in Iowa” I corrected him.

“No, I’m pretty sure Iowa has potatoes,” he again declared rather affirmatively.

“Nope,” I said again. “No potatoes in Iowa.”

One of the other men at the table apparently didn’t believe me either. “Yah, you always see ‘Made in Iowa’ on bags of potatoes in Canada.”

Maybe I didn’t live in Iowa for 22 years of my life?!

This conversation – or should I say subtle argument – took place at work tonight. I’m one of Edinburgh’s newest bartenders. I started one week ago today at a pub called Deacon Brodie’s Tavern.

Deacon Brodies is situated directly on the Royal Mile – only five or ten minutes away from Edinburgh’s emblematic Edinburgh Castle which towers over most of the city. While we do have our Scottish regulars, many of Deacon Brodies’ patrons are tourists (Eg. The stubborn Canadians). I’m again lucky to have the opportunity to tend bar. While I have plenty of bar experience, the vast majority of this is on the other side of the bar. The tavern is a typical Scottish pub with a selection of Scottish beers, cask ales, and an assortment of malt whiskeys. Considering this, most of my time is spent pouring pints, mixing cocktails, and acting as though I know the ins and outs of malt whiskeys (our Whiskey Bible describes the malts as having characteristics such as ‘fruity,’ ”floral,’ ‘smoky,’ ‘soapy,’ etc. I mean, come on!).

That’s the latest news in the life of me. If I’m not working at Deacon’s, I’m working various assignments for the temp agency. If I’m not doing this, I’m being quite lame as I’m still … shall we say, broke. My goal as of now is to save money as I have a trip planned for the end of March.

On the 24th of March, I’ll be flying from Newcastle, England, to … Cork, Ireland. Yes, I’m heading back to the Emerald Isle. My good friend Lauren Lewis has always wanted to visit Ireland and decided now, with my close proximity to the island, would be the ideal time. Less than a month away … it will be here before I know it. I’m excited to go back and am trying to plan the perfect trip.

Thanks to everyone for the supportive words I received after my last post – I appreciate your encouragement and thoughts.

best, mk

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lifestyle i’ve chosen

I sit down to write not with any exciting news of travels, pictures of places seen, or people met. I’d be foolish if I expected my journey of traveling and working abroad to be nothing but partying, pleasure, and completely enjoying myself. There are – without a doubt – going to be setbacks to conquer and hills to climb. I’d also be naive to not admit that thus far I’ve had a pretty good hand dealt to me.

Ireland treated me amazingly. Immediately upon my arrival to the country, I fell in love with the place, the people, and this was surely made possible by my (relatively) carefree three weeks of traveling. When the three weeks or so came to an end, I made the decision to work for face2face. While the work was difficult and I often questioned my employment with the company, it provided many advantages. Free accommodation – I was able to earn Euros while paying nothing for a place to sleep each night. Though I worked long and difficult hours, the pay was good. I believe hindsight has shown me that the greatest benefit from working for face2face wasn’t the free accommodation, it wasn’t the wages, it maybe wasn’t even the feeling of knowing that I was making a difference in the lives of others, but that it provided a perfect venue to make irreplaceable friendships. These friendships absolutely added to my experience in Ireland – an experience that I consider invaluable – one that I will surely remember the rest of my life.

In Galway, I had stupid luck. With zero experience serving, I quite frankly probably didn’t deserve the opportunity to work for Ard Bia. But thanks to the goodwill of the staff – namely my manager, within three days of my arrival to Galway, I was working for a brilliant restaurant. Again, I was able to meet wonderful people and immediately had a steady flow of income.

Things in Edinburgh are taking longer to fall completely into place. My attempts at finding gainful, full-time employment have so far been fruitless. I’ve spent more than a couple afternoons canvassing the town, introducing myself to potential employers, and dropping off my CV with hopes of finding the perfect job. As of yet, it hasn’t come my way. And, I have to realize, the perfect job may not immediately (or ever) fall into place. Luckily, the temp agency I’m working for has provided me with the opportunity to work – albeit, none of this work has been overly glamorous or exciting. But, it’s work nonetheless.

I guess the purpose behind this post is to show that this path I’ve chosen isn’t as easy as it’s maybe seen. I’m hundreds of miles away from close friends, familiarity, and most importantly family. I’m watching my two year old nephew grow up through occasional webcam hellos. Anyone who knew me well in university would know that telephone conversations with my parents were a two or three time a day occurrence. Lately, a weekly hello and email is the extent of my relationship with my folks and my sister. All this being said, I consider myself unbelievably lucky to know that I have the support of such a loving family – regardless of how many miles or time zones separate us. Lucky, as well, to be on this journey – challenges or not.

So with the lifestyle I’ve chosen comes ups and downs. It’s all part of the experience. I’ll remember the ups and the downs will surely make me a stronger person.

stay well, everyone. thanks for reading. – mdk

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settled in edinburgh

So, I just got back to my flat from work and my face is numb from the cold. My beard typically protects my face – at least somewhat – from the bitter and biting wind that has become ubiquitous here in Scotland’s capital city.

Wait. Flat? Work? Yes, much has transpired since I last posted from Edinburgh’s NewCityHostel. I had spent much of my time in the past couple weeks scanning Gumtree for job and flat postings. I sent out my CV to many restaurants and hotels outside of Edinburgh – the upside to these jobs is that the employer would provide live-in accommodation. Unfortuantely, many of these employers were also looking for a long – term commitment. This is something I wasn’t comfortable with. I want to be able to travel. Also, my parents will be visiting again sometime soon. My thought is I will have more flexibility with a job here in Edinburgh.

Now, about finding accommodation. Not surprisingly, most landlords or current tenants want a long term or short term (at least six month) commitment on a flat. Again, I just wasn’t ready to make that sort of a commitment. I like Edinburgh – a beautiful city, full of travelers, with much to offer – arts, social scene, history, proximity to airport, etc – but, three months from now, I might want to head someplace else within the UK.

So, what did I find? In my mind, the best possible option for where I’m at right now.

My job: I’m currently working for two different hospitality staffing agencies. The work should be interesting to say the least – if nothing else, I’ll experience something different each time I work. At least for now, it’s perfect. I worked tonight, I work tomorrow night, I work Sunday night, and I have shifts scheduled all next week. The priceless advantage is the fact that I’m paid weekly. So, already next Thursday, I’ll be paid by two employers. Much needed pay after my extended holiday + deposit on flat + first months rent.

So, the flat: Again, I must say, it’s ideal for the situation I’m in. Brian and I are living in a quaint two room, top floor flat. It is quite cozy, to say the least – but, it really is nice. The location is ideal – we’re three minutes away from one of the main streets here in Edinburgh. The price is right. Most importantly, we’re not tied down to staying here. The owner is trying to sell the flat – so we just have to be here one or two times a week to show the place. Once it sells, it will be at least two months before the sale is finalized and we have to move out. If we want to leave, we just need to give the owner three weeks. It’s great to finally have a place to call ‘home.’ It has literally been five months since I’ve been able to properly unpack my pack. Plus, we have a fireplace. I mean, you can’t beat it.

My face is cold, because as I walked into work tonight at the Edinburgh Sheraton, the first thing I heard was, “You, the beard has to go.” I mentioned that it has been five months since I’ve properly unpacked my pack, I would also venture to guess it’s been five months since I’ve had a properly, clean-shaven, face.

So, for the moment, I’m settled in Edinburgh. cheers.

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‘Edinburgh by Wednesday’

‘Edinburgh by Wednesday’ – I couldn’t help but laugh as I read this in my latest post. By Wednesday, I clearly meant Saturday.

Brian and I arrived back in Edinburgh this afternoon. It was only fitting that as we landed on the runway of the Edinburgh Airport, it began to rain. Why wouldn’t it? Needless to say, as I walked through the cold, wind, and rain of Edinburgh’s streets I began to miss Madrid, Sevilla, Ayamonte, Manta Rota, and the other towns of Southern Portugal and Spain. Though, after an eight day holiday turned into a twenty day holiday, my Current Account at the Allied Irish Bank in Galway probably sighed a sigh of relief to know that I can now begin seriously searching for a employment.

We stayed longer in Madrid because A) We really enjoyed the city B) There was plenty we wanted to see and do and C) We found a cheap ticket leaving today.

So, back in Edinburgh. The plan? I’ll look for work and a place to live either here in Edinburgh or a smaller town north of here.

Check back for pictures and more on Madrid.

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hello … and goodbye from edinburgh

Greetings, all. Happy 2008 to you. It’s been some time since I’ve last sat down to write – so much has happened, I’ll do my best to fill you in on the life of me between today and the train ride to Voss when I posted last.

I’m in Edinburgh, Scotland. I’ve been here since New Years Eve. But, how did I get here? It was quite the journey – filled with both ups and downs.

Norway. Let me see. Norway was cold, dark, and expensive, albeit unbelievably beautiful. I last wrote as Brian and I were making the world’s most beautiful train ride to Voss (in the dark!). Brian and I got off the train in Voss with the intentions of heading to the hostel that Lonely Planet touted – it had a sauna, it sounded perfect. After having a dinner of a bacon-wrapped hot dog (amazing), we headed down the road in the direction the lady at the convenience store pointed us. We recognized the hostel from a distance – as Lonely Planted described, it was seated directly on the shore of the lake that Voss surrounds. I could feel the warmth of the sauna. Unfortunately, as we got closer and closer to the hostel, I could see that one thing was wrong … it was dark.

We arrived at the door of the hostel to find it was closed for a couple weeks for the holiday. If we were in a large city, this wouldn’t have been a problem – but, in western Norway, I didn’t imagine there were any other hostels open. It ended up working out okay – we were able to check into a reasonably priced hotel. It had been some time since I had slept in a proper bed – I had no complaints.

We left for the Norway in a Nutshell tour the next morning. As per the usual, I was able to make Brian and I about five minutes late. Why? Because I was trying to finish eating one of the greatest continental breakfasts of all time – bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, coffee, pickled herring, caviar (though it was in a tube, it was lovely), crackers, ham, hard-boiled eggs, and more. I wanted to get a proper breakfast in me and also pack up some leftovers for the rest of the day. Either way, we left about ten minutes later than we should have. This resulted in Brian and I running through the slush-covered morning streets of Voss. We frantically arrived at the bus station and found our bus – not 30 seconds to spare.

Looking back, the Norway in a Nutshell tour was the most organized tourist adventure we’ve embarked on. I also feel it was the only way that Brian and I could have properly experienced Norway with the resources and time we had at our disposal. I also feel that if we hadn’t gone on the tour, I would have been very unimpressed with my time in Norway. The tour itself began with a bus ride through the mountains outside of Voss. After about an hour bus trip, we arrived at the end of of the Naeroyfjord (fjord). We later departed for a two hour trip on a fjord cruise ship – it was really amazing. I couldn’t help but think how we were in the middle of nowhere – shortly after this, we stopped at a fjord side village to drop off a family who had been into Voss to get groceries. I can’t imagine living in such a remote, yet remarkably beautiful area.

The tour ended with a trip on the Flam Railway – one of the steepest railways in world. We began at the town of Flam (which is right on the fjord, and therefore at sealevel) and ended in Myrdal (865 meters above sea level) some 20 kms later.

We caught a train from Myrdal back to Oslo. We decided when booking the ticket the night before we would spend the extra €8 to be upgraded to Comfort Class. This allowed us to have a more spacious seat – but, more importantly, complementary tea and coffee. I reckoned we could make up the price of the ticket by drinking heaps of free coffee and tea. We did. We arrived in Oslo five or six hours later with no accommodation booked. To save money, we decided we would … sleep at the train station. So, where did Brian and Matt spend the evening of December 29th, 2007? Curled up, hugging their packs in the cold, well-lit, but very reasonably priced Oslo Central Train station. It was an interesting experience that I hope doesn’t happen again soon. I probably got about 4 or 5 hours of sleep. Since the start of my travels, I’ve learned that if I’m tired enough, I can sleep anywhere.

The next day was spent busing, flying, and in the end taxiing to a moderately priced bed and breakfast in Prestwick, Scotland. After a shower, a couple of our first pints in the UK, and take-out Cantonese, I was more than ready to sleep in my own bed. Needless to say, it was infinitely more comfortable than the bench I claimed in Oslo.

After sleeping in a cold train station, I have much more respect and sympathy for those who are homeless and sleep rough in Norway, Ireland, or any other country in the world for that matter. Homelessness is a horrible thing. We can’t speak for how someone gets to the point where they have nothing else to resort to other than begging for change, but the fact of the matter is they are there. Human beings sleeping on the streets – it’s just wrong. I was leaving Ard Bia one afternoon in December, and it was cold, windy, and blowing sheets of rain. I watched a man staggering up Shop Street – soaking wet with a can of cider in his hand. I would venture to say he didn’t ask to reach this point in his life.

As I was watching this man walk up the street, I also watched all kinds of people hurrying up the street with two, three, five shopping bags in their arms. I didn’t send Christmas presents home this year, instead, I opted to make a once-off donation to the Simon Community of Galway – the Simon Community provides services to the homeless: emergency shelter, soup kitchens, housing projects, resettlement work, and other accommodation options for people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. There is so much wrong in this world, but together think of the difference people can make. Enough of that.

Brian and I ultimately ended up in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the night of New Years. We didn’t have accommodation booked but planned on staying with a guy we met through couchsurfing. Edinburgh is home to one of the world’s largest street parties – over 750,000 people come to Edinburgh for their New Year’s Hogmanay Celebration. We realized as we were busing in from Glasgow that it didn’t appear we were going to be able to get in contact with our couchsurfing host. His phone seemed to be dead. Well, stay at a hostel you say? Sadly, hostels in Edinburgh had been booked for at least the last three months. We didn’t want to let our lack of accommodation plans taint our New Years, so we camped out at a pub which had a stunning view of the Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh is an unbelievable city to walk through – the city is nearly entirely made up of awe-inspiring buildings. Everywhere you look, you see massive buildings that scream Georgian architecture. Fascinating, really.

Sometime after 2008 rolled in, we decided we would don our packs and roam the streets of Edinburgh. Some hours later, after meeting all sorts of interesting people (most drunk), we realized we needed a place to sleep. Ultimately, we ended up making our way to a hostel on the west end of town. We sat down in the entryway, leaned back against our packs, and fell asleep. Shortly after this, someone arrived back to the hostel and let us inside so we could sleep in the warmth of the hostel reception area. Perfect! But, it gets better. Shortly after falling asleep again, a girl came from one of the dorm rooms and let us know two people had just left for a early flight – we were welcome to have their beds, she let us know. No complaints by us.

A New Years Eve that I don’t believe I’ll ever forget.

Since 2008 has rolled around, Brian and I have been bumming around Edinburgh getting little things taken care of – Bunac orientation, setting up a bank account, scouting out job opportunities, getting new service for our cell phones, etc. We’ve been staying with a wonderful girl we met through couchsurfing. Debbi is a student at university here in Edinburgh and has been terrific. The couchsurfing project continues to amaze me – Brian and I have stayed with her three nights and it’s as though we’re long-time old friends. Couchsurfing presents a brilliant way to travel, meet new people, and get a real feel for the cities you come across. Debbi, thanks for everything.

So, I’m basically caught up until today. As a whole, I so far have enjoyed Scotland. I miss the comfort of Ireland – my friends, my own place (though shared with a massage parlor), my job, and the dimly lit Irish pubs with good Guinness. That being said, I’m excited to see what each day brings. Today, when Brian and I woke up, our plan was to head to Newcastle, England (we’re scheduled to fly out of Nottingham, England on the 9th for Barcelona).

We headed to the train station with the not-so-unfamiliar weight of our packs on our back. We arrived to find the cheapest ticket to Newcastle was just about 50 quid. We didn’t want to pay this much, so proceeded to head to the bus station. Realization: the world wide web was correct last night in telling us the last bus for Newcastle left at 11:00. We didn’t believe it to be true – in Ireland, you could get to any small village ten or twelve times a day. Realization, this isn’t Ireland and no more buses were headed to Newcastle – or any place south for that matter. Frustrated, we decided to head to a coffee shop, get online, and see what our options were.

End result?

At 7:30 tomorrow morning, we’re flying from the Edinburgh Airport to Faro, Portugal.

now … some pictures …

Again, happy new year to you all. The last year of my life has been full of firsts and of lasts – of hellos and goodbyes. I’ve been blessed to experience what I have in the last four months – today marks four months since I first left the US. It has been amazing to say the least – I can’t imagine what the next six months will bring. I wish you all the very best in 2008. cheers.

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