We were back in Bordeaux for a hot second before hopping back on a plane to the UK again, but this time a bit further north to Scotland. We landed in Edinburgh, right in the middle of the Fringe Festival, one of the world's largest art festivals. The city was teeming with people, so much so that we had to stay in a dorm room on a college campus outside of the city because every single hotel downtown was booked up.
Despite the wet and windy conditions, even in the middle of August, Edinburgh is an amazingly beautiful city. Castles and cathedrals, ruins and winding roads, hilltops and the High Street: every part of Edinburgh is remarkable.
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| Climbing King Arthur's Seat |
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| Edinburgh Castle |
On top of the physical beauty, we saw some amazingly talented performers while we were in town. Musicians, comedians, burlesque dancers, magicians, photographers, beatboxers... There was something for everyone and if we had all the time and money in the world, we would have stayed for more shows. Alas, the clock was ticking and we had many more adventures lined up for the week.
We were off to Glasgow next, mostly for its cheaper hotel rates and convenient airport connection to Dublin, which would be our third stop. I didn't know much about Glasgow except that there were castles and things in the area, but without a car, we were basically confined to the city center. Coming off the heels of our big road trip in England and a hectic day in Edinburgh, we were in pretty urgent need of some R&R so our time in Glasgow was very low-key. Highlights included our ultra-modern hotel at Citizen M, tasty BBQ at The Raven and a delicious meal at Café Gandolfi in Merchant Square. No, we did not catch any of the Commonwealth games.
We very nearly ended up at the wrong airport due to a bus mix up, but we managed to make it to Dublin nevertheless. We had a hotel near the Temple Bar and Trinity College so we were right in the heart of all the action. Dublin is as much fun as they say it is, with tons of great pubs, museums, the Guinness Storehouse, the Jameson Distillery and you can't swing a cat in that town without hitting an amazing cathedral. We got caught up in some sort of traditional Gaelic dance in the middle of a pub one night and it was a pretty good representation of our time in Ireland. Friendly folk, good drink, good times.
It was tough to leave Dublin but we had one more stop on our list: Belfast in Northern Ireland. Again, this destination was chosen more for its convenience in cheap flights back to Bordeaux but it turned out to be a great time. We were initially a bit worried when the woman at the tourist office told us Belfast was known for "good crack" only to find out later that craic really means "partying" or "good times" in Belfast-ese. (As an aside, their version of English is a hot mess and I couldn't understand a single word anyone said for two days.) This turned out to be true, and we had a great time going to pubs, listening to live music, and eating some great seafood.
Since I love boats, we took a little ride on the river to learn about the history of the Titanic (city slogan: "She was alright when she left here!") and discovered that a whole bunch of things are filmed at Titanic Studios in Belfast, most notably Game of Thrones, which I still have never watched. We checked out Belfast Castle and since the zoo was closed, we went for what was supposed to be a short walk that turned into a no-joke hike in Cavehill Park. The view from the top was well worth the climb and the sore legs the next day.
Despite the wind, occasional rain and downright winterlike temperatures, we had a wonderful time. The whiskey helped.
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