15 September, 2021

The perks of not having a Schengen visa: (I am not an American) -

 

A trip to United Kingdom!



  A 7 AM flight in the morning on a Sunday for which I had to leave home by 3.00 AM. I get to the airport and I am all excited for my trip. I bought a muffin and some coffee from Starbucks and I just had a look into my wallet realizing that I carried my friend’s debit card with me. First reactions: oh boy! I just sacrificed four hours of sleep and a fair amount of money just to visit the Gatwick airport. I went back home and booked another flight for afternoon. My friend was helpful and paid half the price for my new ticket. Well, he had his card now and he wouldn’t curse me for his entire life at least.

 I boarded my flight to Edinburgh, Scotland and landed there in an hour. The first immediate thing that I did was to get to the Princes Street, because I heard a lot about it as it runs right between the Old medieval town and the Edinburgh new town. I just explored some shops on the street and got some dinner. I then headed to my Airbnb home. I was pretty excited for this experience as well, since this was the first time I was actually living in an Airbnb. I got there, I relaxed for a while and started making plans for the next day. Where do I go? What do I do? Where do I eat? I planned everything till I got back home that night.

First stop: The Scotch Whiskey experience. This tour was just amazing. Especially for whiskey lovers it’s a must. The barrel ride on this tour was the highlight. You also get a free glass and some whiskey in it, Isn’t that amazing? Next stop: The most talked about Edinburgh castle. The best thing I liked about my visit to the castle was the view of Edinburgh New Town, also the castle exhibited splendid work which introduce us to Scottish cultures and traditions. I then walked to Calton hill. Another place from where I got a very good view of the city. It was a good hike up there and it had some good monuments too. I just sat there for some time and filled up my eyes with the beautiful city of Edinburgh. I was tired and hungry, I went downtown picked up some quick bites, a sandwich and then headed onto another hike to the Arthur’s seat. This place was again beautiful with some good scenic and I just sat right there on the top of the city and face timed my parents. They were happy to see me have a good time.



I then came back down to the city and visited the National gallery. They had some amazing paintings. I then went to the national museum which was huge and had so much to see and explore. I was kind of unhappy with myself when I was here because I only gave it 40 minutes in my plan but it required a lot more. Even If I wanted to, I couldn’t spend more time here because it would close in a while. They had an amazing fashion and transport museum. I came out of the museum and headed to the Prince street gardens. I just sat there for a while in the evening. It was calm, pleasant and relaxing. I then headed to the Old town and walked around in the streets, explored some shops and appreciated the architecture. Alright, the plan I made last night was done now. I went to a pub got some good food and some quality Scottish whiskey. I had a good dinner and headed back home. The second I was home I started thinking about Belfast, Northern Ireland. This was my next leg. But, my heart was with Edinburgh until I got to Belfast. Edinburgh is also a great place to visit for a weekend and just relax. All the things that I did in a day and a half can be done in a better way in 3 days. The travel services are pretty cheap as well. Alright, next morning I woke up early and it was time to catch my flight to Belfast. See you, Edinburgh!

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