April
07
Posted on 07-04-2008
Back from the land of the Scots
Filed Under (Studies, Travel, U.K.) by amy

As predicted, it did snow while we were in Edinburgh - but while we were asleep. By the time we woke up on Sunday morning it had melted away, but in the countryside between Edinburgh and Carlisle it was still thick on the ground.

As for Edinburgh itself, Rob and I have decided we much prefer it to London, and we’ll be moving there in August-September so I can start my MSc Architecture (Research) course at Edinburgh University. My future supervisor was great and it sounds like he has some amazing contacts which he’s promised he can set up meetings with to help with my thesis. Plus there’s the side issue that rent is half of what it is in London…

I have a lot of work to catch up on so here’s the weekend in dot points:

  • Friday night staying in Carlisle, we (Rob and I, and our friends Ben and Sarah), realised that it really is home of the scallies. There was an equal number of police officers and club-goers out on the streets. Also, Carlisle really needs to get some more restaurants.
  • The countryside between Carlisle and Edinburgh is beautiful, and Sarah and I had lots of squealy moments over the lambs in the fields.
  • Edinburgh is gorgeous. I want to live there. Period.
  • The Grand National, which we watched in a basement pub off the Royal Mile, seems to me to be over-hyped. Ben made a profit of £3. Sarah placed her bet by selecting the horse with the best star sign.
  • Pizza Express restaurants are elusive - just when you’re looking for one, you can’t find one; when you’re not looking they’re everywhere.
  • Whichever government department is in charge of putting up signs to interesting sights should rethink their handling of Hadrian’s Wall - rather than putting a sign up at every turn off along the road between Carlisle and Brampton, why not just put up a sign to the visitor’s centre? Also, Hadrian’s Wall - which I’ve now stood on - is really quite unimpressive.
  • What is the proper ettiquette for walking into a pub which is evidently hosting a private function just so you can use their bathroom, even though you spotted the sign on the door that says, ‘Toilet Facilities for Patrons Only’?
  • Tangfastic Haribo is the best.

Back to the real world now, and back to work.

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Comments

Ben Barden on 7 April, 2008 at 11:40 pm #

Tangfastic Haribo doesn’t half make my mouth sore…

Very interesting to hear that rent in Edinburgh is half what it is in London. Maybe if we fancy a change we might go and live there someday. Who knows!


Lulu on 8 April, 2008 at 1:30 am #

I am so glad you liked it. I fell in love with it when I was there for 10 days and and I could easily live there! Edinburgh uni is nice too!!!

ps: My friend lived in Edinburgh for five years while she was a student and working so if you want any advice I can be sure to ask her. SHe is a native scot from a place called crieff…

Actually I still have another friend that spends half his year in edinburgh actually!

By the way while you are there you HAVE to go to the isle of skye! It is AMAZING!


amy on 8 April, 2008 at 5:11 am #

Ben - That’s part of the fun of Tangfastics, the sting and then the numbness that your mouth feels after eating them… :) Basically we’ve found flats in the centre of Edinburgh for £650 a month with high ceilings, plenty of room and parking… can’t go wrong right?

Lulu - Yay!!! You could come visit me! I’m trying to figure out which parts of Edinburgh to avoid, so if you have people in the know, I’d LOVE it if you could ask them! I’ve always wanted to go to the Isle of Skye, I read a book about it when I was younger and thought it’d be really interesting.


Lilly on 8 April, 2008 at 10:13 am #

I used to live in Edinburgh for a couple of years before returning to Aus. It really is a beautiful city and easy to get round. The Architecture is amazing. Yes far easier than London in every way. Good luck!


amy on 8 April, 2008 at 8:51 pm #

Lilly - thanks so much! It’s amazing how many people have lived there for a few years at a time, it must just be one of those places that people are drawn to.


Ben Barden on 9 April, 2008 at 6:24 pm #

Amy, that’s great! :D How many bedrooms are you looking at? We were paying £1000 to rent a brand new 2nd floor flat with parking and a good amount of space, but there was no lift - so it was a nightmare with the stairs.


amy on 9 April, 2008 at 8:48 pm #

Ben - Probably 2 bedrooms, one for us and one for our guests and that we can use as a study/work room? £1000 is insane… but sadly necessary in London - we saw a one bedroom near Euston for £1400 a month! Hard to believe that anyone would pay that!