Edinburgh:

Sadyl, we only had one last morning to spend in Edinburgh (read about our first and second days in Edinburgh) before catching the train back to London, and we planned to take full advantage of it. We started the morning by having a pastry and coffee in The Elephant House. I was a bit skeptical of finding a seat because it was so crowded, but we quickly found a table and soaked up the atmosphere. There were people with laptops hoping to absorb some of the same writing vibes that captivated J. K. Rowling. Others were chatting with friends, and still others were gazing at the castle and cemetery through the windows.

Next up was the National Museum of Scotland. It was free, and we wanted to see the Dolly exhibit (cloning). I have to admit, it was a bit creepy looking at the stuffed, dirt tinged sheep, but it was still super cool. (Yes, I am a nerd). After wandering through a few rooms that had ancient Scottish relics (including chess pieces from the very first chess set), we made our way to the rooftop terrace. It had fantastic views of the city and isn’t to be missed.

It was soon getting close to our train’s departure time, so we headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags. We had one last stop to make though. If you go to a bank in Edinburgh, they sometimes have 2 euro bills. England doesn’t have the 2 euro, so you have to be sure to get it while you are in Scotland, and it makes a pretty cool souvenir.

Train to London

We took the EastCoast line back to London instead of taking a cheaper bus because I heard the views were stunning. And they were. For a large portion of the trip, the train ran right along the shore. We passed through farm lands dotted with sheep and cities full of history. Of course we packed our standard traveling meal of cheese and bread and were able to enjoy this while writing postcards to our families and taking in the views.

Our train pulled in to London’s Kings Cross, so we had to check out the 9 3/4 platform. It was rather comical to see the lines of teenage girls waiting to have their picture taken with the luggage cart part way in the wall. If there wasn’t a line, I probably would have snapped a cheesy picture myself. As it was, I opted for a picture with just the cart without either of us in it.

Since we had already had a long day and we were planning a late night for the following night, we decided to head to our hostel and turn in early.