Hello from Scotland (Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness,
Glasgow), back In London
Date: 9/23/99 5:54:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time
1. Scotland. Is really poetic. The brochure for Edinburgh
states "Welcome to one of the most beautiful cities in
Europe," Take their word for it; it is one of the most
beautiful cities I have seen on this trip, as also Scotland
in general. The castle in Edinburgh is historically the
most important Celtic castle of the old Edinburgh (formerly
Dunedin), pronounced as Edinboro by the locals, though
arguably not the most beautiful. it is the center piece of
Edinburgh around which the other jewels of the old city are
built. In fact, some of the hotels and apartments (for
example on Princess Street) are themselves like small
castles, ornate massive buildings separated by streets and
squares and tiny winding walkways leading to more small
squares and ornate buildings not visible until then ...
One of the things that also adds so much charm to European
cities in that every telephone pole, light pole, window
sill, balcony has a profuse flower basket hanging from it.
Then the city lights are arranged so that all important
buildings are not just lit but highlighted as if you a
passing thru a museum of old cities, streets. There is
considerable effort in Europe to renovate all sections of
the old town, individual buildings. I already thanked my
Mother for directing me Narvik, Norway; I did so again (in
a post card) for urging me to visit Edinburgh.
By the way, while England below is relatively flat until
the very south, Scotland-starting 54 miles to the south of
Edinburgh is mountainous and wry scenic, at places sheer
rocks dropping to the sea. The latter reminded me of that
beautiful stretch of highway about halfway between San
Diego and Los Angeles, just to the south of the State
Patrol check point. (It is what the California is all about
at its best.) I walked all around the castle from about 8
at night to 2 in the morning, slept a bit, then took the
noon bus north to Aberdeen, then more north (arid west) to
Inverness, and returned west to Glasgow, to return to
London. Today, I allocated almost entirely to the British
Museum, one of the top museums in the world, including the
many stolen pieces from Egypt and elsewhere. 1 *11 return
(walking) via Soho and the Piccadilly to cover also the
night life and ladles of the night. (I just flirt with them
lightly.) At 8 tomorrow night, I am off to my excursion of
Ireland.
2. London. What can one say NEW about London that has not
been already said. I took the all-day hop-on/off city bus
and did that from 9 am to 9 pm 2 days. My feet feel as if
I haw been walking on hot coals and I have to untangle my
toes at night, which feel as if they are glued together
from all the walking I have been doing for 6 weeks. Except
for the 2nd week of my trip, the weather has been just
gorgeous, though there were light drizzles occasionally.
People in Narvik and Bergen told me that I was lucky
walking around in a T-shirt at 19 degrees (C) when usually
it is 4 to 5 C there at this time.
3. Anatomy of Hostels. Since the hostel is the hub of one's
activity during his/her stay at a place, the quality of the
stay often depends on the quality and location of the
hostel. To that end, some hostels are very nicely furnished
but sometimes 1/2 hour away from the center of the city, as
the Boathouse in Prague, the YHA hostel in Kobenhavn, etc.
To me this is a severe turnoff, as, of course, I did not
come to Kobenhavn to admire the fields around the city. And
a distant hostel steels away valuable time, AND even more
important, if the ride to the next destination is at an
early hour, getting to the station on time becomes a major
concern, especially if the next scheduled bus is a few days
later. (This is less of a am with trains.) Many of these
types of 'Want" hostels are established primarily to cater
to high school (or lower) students who come there on field
trips. Travelers are second thought additions.
The second type is a dump that calls itself a hostel. The
worst ones I encountered on this trip is the Yellow
Submarine hostel in Budapest, the 4You in Munich (which is
an authorized YHA), and the Aston Hostel I am staying at in
London, which at 15 pounds is also the most expensive dump
I know. (I should not complain. In Budapest all hostels
were booked; the Yellow Sub made room for me and this is
where I met some very nice people.) Some hostel, usually
the ones at city center, have added obstacles, like having
the reception on the 4th floor. The worst was in Warsaw,
but Yellow Submarine was also high. Others are located so
that one must walk another kilometer from the bus station
to find them at puzzle-like places. Imagine arriving at a
place at night, after 20 plus hours on the bus or train,
and then having to search for the right local
bus/trarn/metro stop, getting there and then having to walk
another km or 4 stories of steps WHILE carrying 33 kilos on
your back. (With all the travel documents, post cards, and
4 books (2 already read), my pack now weighs about 70
pounds. On the positive side, I am back to my high school
weight, with 30 inch waist, 44 inch shoulders.)
As for the London hostel, although I have the names of
several nicer places, I insisted on the Aston House,
because it is on Ebury St-where Mozart is said to have
written his first symphony at age 8am elite street and
right around the comer from the Victoria Station. So
practicality dictated my choice, AND I have met some very
nice Bohemian people here, young foreigners in search of a
new life in London, like the young Swedish assistant
manager of the hostel (whose name I just added to the
list), some continuing on their journey a few months later.
There are also an international selection of foreign
students who want to do their studies in English. Getting
back to the hostel, in Australia all the best hostels are
right at the center of everything; in Europe normally not,
but a few like the High St. and Castle Rock hostels in
Edinburgh, are just right.
Next message will be from/after Ireland. Diana and Heldi,
received your messages. Nice. Thanks.