Nonetheless, we made it into London. This was my first time there and as we crawled into town on our 1980s bus that probably shouldn't have made it into this millennium judging by its rank odor and screechy AC that didn't even properly function, I got more and more excited as I saw the popular sights of London that I recognized from Social Studies books (and V for Vendetta.) We finally made it to the Victoria Coach Station and the city was ours. We walked around a bit and then decided to get our priorities right: Food first. More importantly, the most excellent faux-Mexican cuisine ever to hit this planet food: Chipotle. Anyone who knows me knows that if I were stranded in the desert and was only allowed one thing, I would probably request a Chipotle steak burrito with salad, black beans, mild salsa, sour cream, cheese, and guac before any other life necessity, including water or a few episodes of Hoarders. Seeing as London has Europe's only Chipotle, or so I perhaps misguidedly believe, I have gone without these past five months, so needless to say I was practically sprinting to the restaurant (I will always need spell check for that word, by the way.) We got there and ordered a meal so expensive I dare someone to call it fast food. Then I devoured it.
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| This is the face of happiness |
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| Silly British driving on the wrong side and things like that |
After we had had our daily fix of sightseeing, not to mention practically no remaining shoulder strength due to carrying around heavy backpacks, we decided to head to our hotel. Here is where things get more interesting. We start walking, right. We are walking, walking, walking. We consulted a few maps to figure out where we were going and finally we knew we just needed to walk down one road until we were there. It is also important to note that I am a budget traveler. I pride myself that this whole jaunt across the continent remained under 500 dollars for the both of us and I believe that this frugality is a trait I inherited from both of my parents. That being said, as we kept walking, things just became sketchy. Houses became a little dinkier, the people a little scruffier, and then we saw a street brawl. Literally, there were two men just fighting on the side of the street. We both began to panic as we still couldn't find the hotel and I could just imagine the situation becoming like something out of Taken. However, finally we found the hotel and sought refuge inside its blissfully locked front doors. Needless to say, the hotel was no Ritz. It wasn't even a Hotel 8. However, the front desk guy was nice, the place was clean, and we only needed a good 8 hours of sleep and then we could get the heck out. Also, it was only 100 dollars! A bargain for London.
The next morning we headed out for what would be 14 hours of straight touristing. It was a blast. We were able to ride a double-decker bus, eat fish and chips, see the Queen's house, and visit many Harry Potter related sites (don't laugh, because I am not. It was an integral part of the trip!) However, sorry to say to my sister, Mackenzie, who is Harry Potter's number 1 fan, we were unable to visit King's Cross due to repairs. I was as heartbroken as she will be. We relaxed all evening before we arrived at the Coach station at 10:45pm to begin our journey to Edinburgh that I wish I could forget. We made the trip through MegaBus, a coach service that caught my eye due to cheapness, go figure. It was a ride that was to begin at 11 and get us in Scotland by 8am. That was all it advertised, and after experiencing what MegaBus has to offer, I see why. Never have I had such an uncomfortable 9 hours. I was cramped, burning hot then freezing cold, and surrounded by sneezers. Not to mention, it gets light in Scotland by about 2:30am, therefore it was really hard to try and sleep in the daylight. What a mess. However, we did get in early around 7 and I was able to use the bathroom to get changed and clean up a bit, so I was good to go after that.
We stopped in at the ever-faithful McDonalds for some coffee and then we went to the hotel to ask if they would be willing to hold our bags for us while we were tourists. Then we were free to explore Edinburgh. If anyone ever finds a genie that will only grant them one city in Europe to tour, I would definitely recommend Edinburgh to be included in that decision. It was so beautiful and huge, while still being small and quirky, and there was a lot of old things that weren't just churches, which I appreciate. Also everyone talks just so darn cute. We spent the morning at the Edinburgh Castle, which despite the rain was one of the best tourist attractions I have visited.
After the castle and a bit of lunch, we were free to take our room at the hotel. We stayed at a really lovely hotel and it was so fantastic to finally feel clean. We rested for a bit of the afternoon and then walked around the city in the evening. We ate at Tex Mex II, a restaurant that I had seen nothing but good reviews for online, and it lived up to the hype. We had tacos and margaritas and it was one of the best meals ever.
The next day, we made it a goal to walk the entire Royal Mile. The weather was miraculously non-Scottish at a balmy 75 degrees and sunny. At the end of the mile, we discovered the group of hills that surrounds the ascent known by many as Arthur's Seat. We decided to walk it and it was exactly what I wanted out of Scotland. The view was absolutely fantastic and I felt like it was like something out of Pride and Prejudice, Scotland style. The hills were amazing and green and I couldn't have asked for a more amazing two hours. Rudy has one of those really fancy cameras, so once he has his pictures up I might replace some of my half-rate ones with his so that you can appreciate what we got to see.
After we climbed down, we were very hungry so we got some burgers at a nearby pub. They weren't American, but it definitely was a treat to eat meat that didn't come off a pig for the first time in ages. That evening, we ventured into town and went on a Ghost tour. The tour was one of those hidden little gems of Edinburgh. Our tour guide was extremely quirky and the entire thing was so non-generic and no-nonsense that I would have gladly sat through the whole affair again. Rudy and I both loved it. We took one last daylight view of Edinburgh and then headed back to the hotel to go to sleep, since our flight the next morning would have us up by 4:30am.
We made it Edinburgh-Memmingen around 12 and then tragedy struck. More so, stupidity struck. I left my purse and its contents under my seat on the plane and by the time I realized it the plane, and my purse, were both on their way back to Edinburgh. I have heard no news of its whereabouts all week, but luckily I didn't lose any money or my passport so I think I will just have to accept the loss of all other contents.
Despite the loss, we headed off to Salzburg. Once we got into the city after another long train ride, we were tired and hot due to the unusually warm 85 degree temperature that plagued us the entire train ride. We struggled to find our accommodations, the von Trapp family villa (think Sound of Music), but when we did we were pleasantly surprised. The estate was absolutely beautiful, covered in bunnies, and under the watchful eye of the caretaker who greeted us clad in her unbuttoned dirndl that she had chosen not to wear a shirt under. We went to our tiny, but adorable room, and were very happy to shower and clean up. After that, we headed into Salzburg. It was Rudy's first visit to Salzburg and I was sad that it was nearing dark, because rain was in the forecast for Friday and I really didn't want him to miss out on seeing the city. However, we got to eat a great dinner and walk around the city a bit. The next morning we chatted at breakfast with a few other families who had stayed at the villa and they were very sweet. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain like I have never seen before in Germany. We walked through the English Gardens and I was able to show Rudy a bit of the city, but it was a hopeless case and in the end we just decided to go ahead and get back into Regensburg.
After four hours of Sudoku and napping, we finally made it. It felt really nice to be back in a familiar place with familiar people. We relaxed most of the weekend, but I was able to show Rudy everything I love about Regensburg all week. We visited every major site in the city, including my favorite Biergarten at the Spital Brauerei. On Monday, all of us Americans organized a giant celebration. We weren't about to let the holiday slip by quietly, so naturally we staged a giant party in the middle of the city on the river. We had hot dogs, hamburgers, macaroni, potatoes, milkshakes, cookies, and pretty much anything anyone could ever want minus fireworks. It was a lovely time and probably one of the best July 4ths in memory. This is the fifth year in a row that I have not been at home for Independence Day, but maybe someday soon that will happen again!
Last night my wonderful host family invited both Rudy and I to join them for dinner. Their son has been studying abroad in Texas while I have been here, but he has returned and I was able to meet him last night. It was great that he was there, as Rudy had someone to speak to other than me. We had a delicious German dinner and it was great to see my host family again. Rudy left early this morning and I also had my presentation this morning. It went really well and I am glad to be finished with school practically. I now only have 10 more classes for the entire semester and one more test that I am not too concerned about. I cannot believe that in three weeks I will be on my way home. I feel like time was really slow for awhile, but has now gone into overdrive. I am excited to return home, but I know that there are a lot of things about my life here that I will miss a lot. However, Taco Bell and free refills are calling my name and I am ready for another Transy semester! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July
Love Ashley
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