Tenpin

Last night, we went to this nearby complex called Fountainpark, packed with restaurants, a movie theater, bingo, a casino, and best of all...BOWLING!

We got there at 8pm, and then learned it was practically the same price to do unlimited bowling after 10pm for students, so we booked lanes for 10 instead. In the mean time, we had a drink at the bar and played pool and arcade games.


There were a group of guys there from Wales for a bachelor party, who challenged Kat to a game of Guitar Hero.

Cotton candy..my weakness.


Then the bowling began...needless to say, I was horrible.


It was a lot of fun! I love how there are great student deals on everything here! £6.50 for unlimited, versus £4 for one normal game!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

3:27pm, and I am finally back home in my flat in Edinburgh. The past 15 hours were an absolute nightmare. Let me explain:

It all started with Maria, Bri and I excitedly buying great priced Megabus tickets to London. A 9 hour overnight bus, no problem! We would fall asleep and wake up in London, how perfect. Well...not so perfect. We arrived at the bus station around 10:10pm, for a 10:30 departure. The bus was already packed, so we all had to split up and sit with strangers. Still, we made the best of it. That is, until about 40 minutes into the drive, the bus breaks down. On the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, we sat and waited and waited and waited. 1..2..3 hours passed and still nothing. On top of this, the man sitting to my left was fidgeting and rubbing up against me, all the while snoring into my ear. The man to my right was chugging nips of alcoholic concoctions. The people behind me were coughing up a lung nonstop. The lights were off, the bus smelled like a mix of every possible type of ethnic food, and the smokers kept getting off for a smoke, bringing back with them the smell of cigarettes.

Finally, around 3am, 2 small busses arrived to take us to Newcastle, where we would be greeted by yet another bus to continue the 6/7 hours to London. We arrived in Newcastle at 5am exhausted, distraught, and cranky. Maria decided to bear the remaining 7 hour bus ride to meet her friends in London, but Bri and I just couldn't handle it. We decided to find a nearby hotel, catch up on sleep, and explore Newcastle and head home in the morning. The thought of getting back on that bus for another 7 hours made me literally want to cry. I don't think I have ever felt as anxious as this trip made me feel.

We first approached a hotel near the station, where we were greeted at the door through a tiny little opening and basically looked at like we were homeless. Needless to say, we didn't stay there. We kept walking through the dark streets at 5am in the rain, and finally came across a Holiday Inn Express. They were extra friendly, and we checked into our room and went right to sleep until our 12pm checkout.


After that, we walked around Newcastle for a short while, grabbing something to eat, and heading back to take the train home to Edinburgh.




It was also a beautiful train ride home!




I definitely learned my lesson. No matter what you hear, DO NOT TAKE MEGABUS! I hope to reschedule London for another weekend...and this time, FLY!

TGIF

Just got back from seeing, Just Go With It, with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. It was SO FUNNY! I highly recommend going to see it.

Now off to make some dinner, then catch the overnight bus tonight with Maria and Bri to go LONDON for the weekend!

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile

Last night, Kat, Leah, Lindsay, Zach, Alex and I went to go see Annie at the Edinburgh Playhouse.



We had purchased the cheapest tickets possible, on the back balcony for £11.50, and the group was separated. When we got there, however, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that the balcony would be closed that evening. In fact, we were getting upgraded...to the 5th row, and sitting together, no less!

It was a great show, really cute, and full of young kids. Unfortunately, the lady next to me wouldn't get off her blackberry the entire time, and her daughter was slurping on an empty juice box, but other than that it was a great show! It was fun to see again, as I had forgotten parts and haven't seen it in so many years.

Today, I had my normal 12-5 full day of classes, and afterwards went down to the bus place with Leah to renew our student bus passes. Officially onto the 2nd month in Edinburgh!

Leith and a Lime Green Toilet

Today was a fun filled and busy day.
I started off the morning going to LuLu's beauty spa to get my eyebrows done. It was the cutest place, very modern and chic with hot pink and black wallpaper, and great sparkling chandeliers! They also offer an amazing 50% student discount.

After that, Kat and I hopped on bus 35 and took it somewhere we had never been before - all the way to the end of the line, in Leith, Edinburgh. I had heard stories of it being a rather dodgie area, but had seen pictures that it was on the water and wanted to check it out anyway. Well, the stories I had heard were right. The bus dropped us off at Ocean Terminal, which is also a large shopping mall (biggest one i've seen here!) so Kat and I had no choice but to pop in to a few stores.

After that, we decided to walk out and hop on a bus we had never taken before, just to see where we would end up. We ended up right near the Edinburgh Playhouse, and as we were just talking about seeing Annie which was coming to town this week, we hopped off the bus to purchase our tickets for tomorrow evening. So exciting!!! The area was great, filled with restaurants, and a club and bar right next door. I am excited to go back tomorrow night! We stopped and had lunch at one of the nearby restaurants called Frankie & Benny's, a New York Italian restaurant. It was very Americanized, but very delicious!


After lunch, Kat and I then went to Brass Monkey for our usual Tuesday 3 o'clock movie. This time, it was only us and three older women, so we picked something girly and watched Breakfast at Tiffany's. After the movie, we went to Frankensteins for the Tuesday free dinner (I had chicken curry & rice..yum!)

THEN THE NIGHT BEGAN! The original plan was to go to Electric Circus for Tuesday night trivia & musical bingo, but unfortunately it was closed for the night for a private party. Instead, we headed to Three Sisters for trivia, and that was a GREAT decision!
We started off the night by knowing the answer to a Facebook pre-posted question, and being the first to give the DJ the answer. Kat won a microphone and star earring/necklace combination set.

We then played the trivia game, with different categories ranging from True or False to"Name That Talkshow Host" and "Name That Tune". At the "half-time" portion, there was free chicken curry and rice - which was so yummy!

There was also a bonus points portion with a short game of freeze dance. Zach was our representative.

In the end...our team came in last. However, the DJ didn't let it end at just that. In fact, we were awarded with a lime-green plastic children's potty training toilet. But wait - it didn't end there! We also got a round of applause as we exited the pub. Hey, at least we got a prize...

Asda

Here in Edinburgh, there is this big, huge store called Asda, where we do most of our grocery shopping.

It is owned by Walmart, so they offer great prices. However, unlike US Walmart, it is 90% groceries and 10% other stuff, while at home Walmart is probably 75% other stuff. The produce and food are fresh, with an expansive selection that small markets closer to my flat do not offer.

Tonight, after a good 2 hour adventure through Asda to stock up (it's about a 30-minute bus ride), with very, very heavy bags, I learned to never again take driving to and from a grocery store for granted. My arms are still a bit shaky.

Fun fact: the city is very green, and they frown on you for using grocery bags. To ensure you never will again, the bags are very, very thin, and will most likely tear open on your way home (it has happened...twice). Instead, you buy reusable bags, which Asda sells for just 38 pence.

The bright side, however, is that after stocking up on groceries, Kat and I came home and made a DELICIOUS dinner of potato leek soup (from scratch), with some garlic & herb bread on the side,enjoyed over candle light. Yumm!

Glasgow

Yesterday, Leah, Kat, Lindsay, Alex, Zach and I all went to Glasgow for the day. We took a bus, which was just about an hour and 15 minutes long. It was rainy when we first got there, so we decided to just have a fun shopping day and save sightseeing for a nicer day. Here are some photos of the city:




We went to this store called Primark, which is basically like forever21 except way cuter, and did some shopping! Afterwards, we stopped for lunch at a little mexican place that was delicious.


We also went to the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art, or "GoMa". It was free, and really pretty inside. There were a variety of pieces...everything from stacked chairs to homemade videos.


We saw this very cool Scottish band playing in the street.

And passed a big candy store, where obviously we had to stop in.



My favorite part, however, was the big square near all the shopping. It is filled with restaurants, with the museum in the middle. The entire square was covered in twinkle lights which turn on at sundown. The sky was filled with the twinkling lights and it was so beautiful!