Scotland

December 30-January 5, 2008

So getting out of Norway proved a little more difficult than we had planned. We woke up at the train station, wondered to the bus station and bought our tickets to the airport. Matt checked in without any problems but I on the other hand wasn’t so lucky. I tried the electronic kiosks, I went to the baggage check in, and finally the main Ryan Air desk and they had no record of a ticket in my name. Matt knew he had booked two so he jumped on line to see what the deal was. This was when he discovered that he had booked 2 tickets in his name and none in mine. So now we knew the problem and getting it corrected was the next step. Change a name on the ticket the day of the flight, no problem sir that will just be 820 Kroners! Yikes, the entire first ticket cost less than 500 Kroners. We tried to explain the error Matt had made but there was no budging, I paid the fee and off we went to a two and a half hour delayed flight.
When we landed in Glasgow, a.k.a. Prestwick, Ryan Air’s airport an hour away from Glasgow a taxi was our only option as the busses and trains had stopped running. We checked our options and Patricia’s Bed and Breakfast for 25 pounds was our best option and it was only a grumpy taxi’s 5 minute ride away. We went to the Red lion down the street and enjoyed our first pints in Scotland. We wondered around in and out of pubs in Prestwick realizing that they had a quite different feel than Ireland. No barstools at the bar, people don’t say hi as often, bright lights, and worst of all the Guinness wasn’t as tasty. It will take some getting used to but I am positive that Matt and I will adjust. We ended the night with Cantonese take-away and turned in. Breakfast was scheduled at nine and Patricia was a very gracious host. She gave us all kinds of pointers and had us on the road by 10. As the B+B’s are usually homes with the extra rooms rented out they want you out as early as possible so that they can go on with their daily routine as well. We took a quick walk through Prestwick and caught the train to Glasgow. It was about 45 minutes and no one ever came through to take our money so we lucked out and got a free ride.
Upon arrival to Glasgow we walked down the shop streets and headed to the bus station to make sure we got to Edinburgh in time to drop off our packs at our hosts and head to Hogmany (A Scottish festival to bring in the New Year). Busses were leaving every 15 minutes as it was estimated that over 500,000 people head to Edinburgh for the street party. We waited in line and off we went. We got there in about 45 minutes and the bus just dumped us on a side street as the driver said there was no way he was going to wait in all the traffic to get to the bus depot. No problem for us. We grabbed our packs and found a local pub called the Rutland to enjoy a pint and get a hold of our Couch Surfing host Alex for the night. The pub was in a perfect location at the foot of the castle and we got a table in a glass patio type area that had a perfect view we were told for the fireworks at midnight. We continued to drink and talk to the patrons who were coming and going before they headed to the street party. We had planned to go as well but didn’t realize you had to buy tickets in advance. No problem we decided we’d stay at the Rutland. We had a great night, met a lot of nice British and brought in the New Year with a perfect view of the fireworks over the castle. We then grabbed our packs and headed to find a place as we never did get a hold of Alex.
Finding a place knew was going to be impossible as I had tried to book a hostel three months ago only to find them full. We walked through the streets talking to the party goers and having a blast. We checked every hostel, B&B, and hotel along the way. Everything was full. No problem we decided we would sleep in the entry way to a hostel. It was about 4 am by this point and place was a good place to sleep. As we settled in to the West End Hostels entry way some guest came and insisted we at least move to the lounge for the rest of the night. We did and about a half hour later the receptionist asked what we needed. I said two beds and she said they were full and to move along. She then promptly went to bed. We continued to sleep there until two people left for an early flight to Paris. A friendly Brazilian guy then came and got us from the room and told us to crash there as no one else in the room would care. It was nice to have a bed and we then crashed until about 3 the next day. Not bad for not having to pay. We then went and got some coffee and got in touch with Alex, as his phone had died the night before. We went to stay at his place, knowing that the next day we had to start the fun process of immigrating to another country once again!
This process was delayed a day as the Bunac office was closed. Matt and I thus decided we would go get new shoes as ours had both developed distinctive odors lately. We checked every shoes store on Princes Street in Edinburgh. Hour after hour of no luck, I apparently have enormous feet as none of the stores had shoes in my size. Finally the last store of the day we both found pairs we liked and they were on sale for 20 pounds so we weren’t out much. Next we went back to Alex’s place packed up and headed to our next surfing hosts place. Debbi lived across the meadow which was about a 20 minute walk. She had an amazing place, with one downside, her heating was broke. It was never freezing but an extra layer of clothes was in order. By our second night though the heating and thus hot water for showers had been fixed. We cooked dinner and enjoyed wine the first three nights we were there. It was nice and I felt at home there. It is amazing what a brilliant idea couch surfing is, and I just can’t get over it. After our third night we packed up and headed to catch a bus towards the east Midland’s airport. We said our good byes and headed out to the bus station.
“How much for a ticket to New castle,” I asked? “15 pounds.” “And when does it leave?” “11 o’clock, tomorrow!” That was the beginning and end of our trying to catch a bus anywhere in the UK from Edinburgh that day. We headed to find an internet connection to see what our options were. Busses anywhere all left the next morning. Trains were all too expensive. We then tried to find hostels for the next night only to find that they were a minimum of 20 pounds. This is when Matt perked up and said, “Looks like we can catch a flight to Portugal for about 35 pounds.” We debated it and realized that cost of living was a lot cheaper and that we would pry be money ahead if we went there. I was skeptical and hesitant, but in the end booked the ticket. We called Debbi and asked if we could crash one more night and possibly leave our packs at her place for the 12 days we would be gone. She was more than glad to help out. It is people as willing to help travelers like us that make the Couch Surfing project is successful. And so as I write this I am lying in an apartment that I paid 15 Euros for last night. I am enjoying the mild climate and hoping that the Portuguese sun will peek through in the next couple days! Saudi (Portuguese cheers) until next time!