Hogmanay - 31st December/1st/2nd January

How is Edinburgh real?

As much as I might have a case of the blues, there's no denying that it is incredibly beautiful here. The landscape is rugged, and definitely reminds me of parts of New Zealand, but the buildings are nothing like I've ever seen before.

The first 'made-me-gape-out-the-window' sight was, strangely enough, Durham. I didn't manage to grab any pictures as I was crammed into the aisle seat, but I'll definitely say that it's worth a google image search. After Durham we passed Berwick-upon-Tweed, and that was also a sight to behold. But Edinburgh. Edinburgh is something else.

I wasn't ever expecting clear weather in Edinburgh in the middle of winter, but I was amazed that it was 10℃ when I got here (as opposed to 1℃ in Osmotherley, the last place I'd been before getting on the train). And in all honestly, the overcast sky when I got to Edinburgh made the skyline all the more impressive.

Yesterday was definitely the most obnoxious I've been as a tourist since I've been here, but in my defense, have you ever seen Christmas markets as pretty as these?

(If you have I don’t want to hear about it. No one likes a braggart).

I spent the afternoon wandering through the gardens and up and down the Royal Mile. That was followed by a vain attempt at napping in my dorm room, but when you’re surrounded by rowdy Australians (and boy, were they everywhere), attempting sleep is futile. So instead I went in search of wifi, and spent a tearful hour messaging home while yet another group of Australians played Kings Cup next to me (it’s amazing how major holidays and events can make you feel the distance that much more).

Thankfully, nearing eight o’clock I had actual plans to distract myself with. Having long since abandoned my plan of going to the street party (I might have paid twenty quid for a ticket but I was not prepared to wait three hours in line just to collect it), I’d also been invited to ‘Helen’s Hogmanay Hoolie, a private party hosted by my friend Jim’s aunt, and held at The Hub, an old converted church that serves as Edinburgh’s festival hub on the Royal Mile.

The end of the line to collect street party tickets...

...which continued all the way up and around that church tower in the distance

Being piped into a church was enough to make me giddy (and no I don’t mean physically squeezed in, I mean there was a guy in full regalia at the door who played his bagpipes while guests entered), and by the time we got inside and received our glass of champagne, I was practically shaking with excitement. The band was good, the company fantastic, and by the time the buffet opened, I was even game to try some haggis! (What’s even weirder is – I actually enjoyed it!)

The rest of the night was a whirl of ceilidh dances, fireworks and Drambuie, the latter two going together beautifully as we stood under Edinburgh castle to take them in. Following the celebrations it was home to bed for me, as jet lag was working its magic, and I was fearful of falling asleep on the street. Unfortunately, an easy sleep was not in the cards for me, as the first thing I saw upon opening the door to my room, was a penis, glaringly obvious in the light from the open doorway. “Well” I hear you saying, “some people enjoy sleeping naked.” And I concur. Some people do. But usually, in an all girl dorm, a penis is not what you’d expect to see if that was the case.

It became quickly apparent, while I searched desperately for my earplugs, that my suspicions were correct, and someone had brought company back to the room. And whether it was because they were absolutely trashed, or because they were Australian, they didn’t seem worried about being quiet (oh bite me all you Aussies, you know you’re bloody loud). Happy New Year to me.

The interruptions continued well through the night, with people trickling in until 5am (Obviously this meant that I was justified in sleeping until 2pm the next day). Even when I did venture out, the weather was not on my side, and all my walkabout achieved was landing me in a pub where I paid more money than I want to think about for a delicious burger and beer combo (pricey but worth it).

Then, once again, it was home to bed, or at least home to wifi, to plan out my next few days in Edinburgh, and my next few weeks beyond. I still managed to be tucked up in my bunk by 9pm though, and had probably the most continuous, restful sleep I’ve had since arriving (thank god for earplugs).

So now I’m contemplating breakfast and planning out the days activities, before another surely early bedtime this evening. I am planning on a haunted underground tour though, so who knows if I’ll even make it back at all…