some zen time and some edinburgh time

life has been one big adventure this july!

on the day before heading out to scotland i decided to go out with my friend jo and check out her buddhist prayer group. well i tell you...it was interesting. the format would be similar to other prayer groups i have witnessed from time to time. there is some chanting, there is a topic they want to discuss, there is a round table of discussion (although we were all sitting on the floor) and there was some tea. :)

that night i luckily met imogen, who has a lovely room to let and is willing to let little ol'me rent it for my last few months in london.

yes you heard that right. i'm coming home. more on that later.

so on friday, aleksandra and i hopped on the east coast train to edinburgh where we passed some lovely countryside. there was york, and durham (thought of you shae-la), and newcastle, and then we rode along the coast on our way to the very old city of edinburgh.

it was so cool to be met at platform 2 by gina, rick, gaby and alejandra. there was running there was laughing and there was hugging and kissing. it was grand. we made our way to the radisson blue hotel on the high street (aka, royal mile) and it was a treat to stay there. my other visits to the city in the past had involved driving down from aberdeen for the day and we'd always go to the radisson to use the loos...they are clean and use molton brown. how posh!

our first night was easy since our canadian friends had just arrived that day and jet lag was bound to be a killer, and because on our 4.5 hour journey to edinburgh, ola and i had no air conditioning on our train car and it was over stuffed with passengers. so we went to the Mitre across the high street from the hotel, and then made our way down george iv bridge to the outsider restaurant where we feasted! there was lots of lamb, mackerel and pheasant consumed followed by what ola considered the best tasting dessert she has ever had - a rhubarb and blackberry fool with a honey shortbread cookie on the side. the cookie was unnecessary. man alive the fool was amazing.

so we talked a bit about our next day which included the mary king's close tour and we totally freaked ourselves out. me especially. you know me and ghosts...we have a way of meeting each other from time to time, and i heard the ones down there were not happy ones (and after hearing the stories, i don't blame them). but before that, we made our way to edinburgh castle...where i think most people go when they go to this city. the stands were set up for the military tatoos and they were getting ready for the fringe that started the following week. we made our way and saw mons meg, the 6 ton muzzle loaded canon that can fire gunstones that weigh 150kg nearly 2 miles. We saw the dog cemetery, the chapels, i took the bestest shot ever with my camera, and then we saw the honours of scotland. i find the stewart's history just as fascinating as the tudors namely because they were so intertwined and of course, the stewart family inevitably took over when elizabeth the first died.

we spent some time shopping in grassmarket (where we saw hog roasts...amazing) we then made our way to the 'other' palace in edinburgh, holyrood. and we passed the very modern (and personally i thought it an eyesore) parliament building.

then we went to the real mary king's close.

this is one tour you have to do in edinburgh, aside from the castle and always book before you get there or you'll never get in. they way they put it...Hidden beneath the Royal Mile lies Edinburgh’s deepest secret: a warren of hidden ‘closes’ where real people lived, worked and died.  For centuries they have lain forgotten and abandoned…until now.


its amazing how edinburgh is quite literally built on top of the original city. and underneath are some areas that are perfectly preserved, and they've done a great job recreating what life was like during the days of the black death and the plague. it was very interesting but also so very sad. what a terrible time it must have been. but more interesting are the stories of the 'other' inhabitants of the area...who thankfully didn't make their presence known. i don't think i could have handled it but i must say, ola and i held hands, i hung on to gina and did my best to make sure rick wasn't behind me as he would try to scare me on purpose.

so we finally made it back to the surface after the one hour tour and made our way to howie's on victoria street for rick's birthday dinner. that was why we were all there in the first place! again, the food was spectacular. gina and i shared the haggis spring rolls (mmmm) and the aubergine and roasted red pepper pate, and then i tucked into this amazing mushroom, rocket, and goat cheese filo parcel. dear lord it was amazing. and while our birthday boy had banoffee pie, i opted for affogato. it was the perfect way to end the meal.

the next day we head into the new part of town to shop til we dropped. i found some great eyeglass frames so now i need to get lenses...oh my. after some shopping and a bit of lunch, ola and i hopped back on the (air conditioned) train to london where i collapsed into bed i was so exhausted.

the rest of the week was spent looking for a new flat for my remaining months in london. man, i saw some pretty dodgy parts...parts where i wished i was packing heat! but in the end, i think i've settled for the big room in imogen's flat. i like clapham, the room is huge and i can have guests. what more do i need? the neighbourhood is lovely too and as with every flat i have had, i'm uber close to a huge park. lucky me!

so onto the good stuff....i've got a new job in calgary (yay) and am currently waiting to hear when i will return to calgary. at minimum, it could be october and at maximum it could be december but either way, i'll be there for xmas'10. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. when i know more and can say more, i will. but i'm excited to return home.

but until then, i have the trows coming to visit this weekend and i have to pack both the flat and for my trip to canada. looks like august is going to be as crazy as july. at least september will be quieter. kind of. except for the trip to rome and nice.

i truly love my life.

xoxo