15 May 2015 (Day 9) - Scotland, Day 2 - Off to Edinburgh

15 May was mostly a transit day. I enjoyed a thoroughly filling breakfast at the West End Hotel--if you want to understand what a full Scottish breakfast looks like, this is the place to find one--and packed up what few things I had taken out of my luggage the night before. I had one last look at the little town as I walked to the train station, and, soon enough, I was on a train to Edinburgh. No first class carriage on this one, but the chance to spend four more hours admiring the scenery more than made up for the lack of an especially comfortable seat. I didn't take more pictures on this train ride, but I can assure you that I spent those happy hours being treated to the same kind of forests, mountains, rivers, and valleys that had captured my imagination the previous day. I also took advantage of the fact that I had a table to write out the postcards that I had picked up at the Tower of London for my friends back home, and enjoyed another Irn-Bru, for which I was already developing cravings.

We arrived in Glasgow--where I would return a couple of days later--a little after 3pm, and I changed over to a train to Edinburgh, where I did get to enjoy first class seating as I was whisked through more countryside, much flatter than the Highlands but still just as pretty. Arriving in Edinburgh, I looked at the multiple bags I was now dragging behind me--oh, those souvenirs--and decided to indulge in a taxi rather than trying to get all of my luggage onto a bus. I harbor a certain degree of animosity toward people who try to take public transit with luggage that they can barely manage, and I wasn't about to become one myself. Soon, I arrived at Masson House, which was to become my favourite hotel of the whole trip. It had started to rain, and was glad that I had decided to take a taxi, because the hotel, which I believe used to serve as student housing, is somewhat hidden among several other buildings and set back from the road, and I doubt I would have arrived in any condition other than sopping wet if I had tried to take a bus and walk to it.

I checked in and went up to get settled into my room, which I loved from the moment I stepped into it. Add a kitchen to it, and it very well could be a little apartment. I had a proper closet, a desk, and nightstands with drawers, as well as a flat screen television mounted on the wall in front of the bed, which pretty much set me up as well as I could have wanted. I also discovered that I could use a space called the "Pantry" at the end of the hall, which was basically a lounge/kitchen crossover, and which was thrilling to me, seeing as I had not been able to have a hot supper for more than a week. My Tesco suppers were all very good--there was even a Tesco in Fort William, to my delight--and I was very grateful to be able to have something to eat that was fully labelled to prove that it wasn't going to kill me, but the prospect of something other than a sandwich was tantalizing. As it was, I'd brought some food from the Tesco in Fort William just in case I wasn't able to find anything on my first night in Edinburgh, so I was set for the moment.

Given that it was a Friday and I wanted to get my postcards sent out before the weekend, the last thing I did on the 15th was find my way to the nearest post office. It might be a simple thing, but it was an experience in itself. Walking in my nondescript black coat through the light rain, my luggage left safely behind at the hotel, and doing something as everyday as sending some letters gave me a sense of what it might be like to live in a place like Edinburgh. Until I opened my mouth to talk to the lady at the counter and my accent made my Canadianness obvious, there was nothing to distinguish me from any normal person from Edinburgh going about her day, running some last errands before the post office closed. My postcards got dotted with the Scottish rain as I affixed stamps and air mail stickers, so all of my friends got some tiny part of Scotland back home!

This little errand taken care of, I went back to Masson House, noting the main street I crossed along the way, and settled in to watch some TV and have my supper. I really can't say enough good things about Masson House. It might be a little out of the way, but it's plenty close enough to everything if you're willing to walk a bit or take public transit, and the accommodations are impressive for the price. It boasted the best water pressure I'd had for the past week, although it was a little interesting to use a shower that was literally composed of a shower head and a curtain attached to a metal U in the ceiling. You don't even need your own soap and shampoo if you're not worried about using any products on your skin, because they provide ample bottles of a very nice-smelling soap/shampoo combo. The beds are comfortable, the breakfast is fantastic and features goodies like haggis and fried mushrooms in addition to the standard fare of cereal, fruit, and yogourt, the rooms are very clean, and it definitely feels safe, with multiple electronic locks on the way to your room. Exactly what I needed and worth every penny! Needless to say, I was a happy camper as I went to sleep for the night, looking out my window at the grassy hump of Arthur's Seat and thinking about what it would be like to climb it the next day.

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