Fringey burny thingies

The morning seen me with a slight dullness from all the cider and beer we tossed down. Breakfast was interesting as the news was talking about US newest involvement in the Syrian conflict. Feh. It was good to hear the hostel owner (never got his name but he was a good guy) and Jess’s input as to how their countries deal with sending troops and the involvement we get in foreign affairs. They felt sorry for us as they knew the corporations had us by the balls and basically dictated our healthcare and what wars we entered. They all seemed to like us yanks, but our politics left something to be desired, though theirs were far from perfect. I think its pretty universal that regardless of where you live, you will bitch about your government. The only difference is they mostly think our current government and social setup is insane and wonder why the fuck we are putting up with it. The hostel owner asked if I thought if we would have some kind of armed revolution soon. Yah. Something needs to change.

It was sad leaving the place and saying goodbye to Jess, but that’s the way of backpacking and hostels. Sometimes you meet good people and sometimes your hostel mates are pains in the ass. The trip from London Bridge to Kings Crossing on the metro was quick and easy. I had about a ½ hour wait until my train left to Edinburgh. Minor annoyance, they said they were giving me a window seat but gave me an aisle instead. I’m traveling with an aunt and her niece and nephew. Good kids and adorable in their accents and polite manner. Their aunt was good enough to offer me the window seat, so I got a nice view regardless.

 Huh, looks like the aunt was actually their grandmother. And she has a PhD in political science. We had a long conversation about green energy technology and its effect (or lack of ) on the economy and political arena. The train ride was far more boring that I had anticipated. The land was flat and pretty bland, the only thing that stood out was an area with castle ruins and what looked like an early Roman aquaduct. It sped by too fast so I didn’t have a chance to take a picture.

I arrived in Edinburgh to a festival all over the city. The hostel itself was up a steep hill and it turns out I was not booked for the night. I must have either fucked up my booking, or something was screwy in how things were set up. Actually, I might have assumed it would take a night train to get to Edinburgh. Meh. I managed to get a bunk in a 12 bunk suite. So male dorm with a bunch of kids. Cest la vie. I can deal with it for a day. Even though the sheets are funky and there was a pair of pants in them. Yah.

Also First Tech fucked up AGAIN. They left a message and the lady gave the number so quickly that I had to listen to the message four times to get the information. Then when I called the “collect international” number, they didn’t have the case number that they gave me. So they had to look it up by my phone number, then couldn’t find it. Then my name and managed to find it. Then they said I had a travel alert that neglected to include Finland, Russia, Belarus, and Poland and was until the September 19th. They are, bar none, the most incompetent assholes I’ve ever had a credit card with. I made sure to slowly inform them in July everywhere that I would be. I even reiterated it in August. Didn’t matter.

On the plus side, the city itself is awesome. The buildings are medieval looking and the view on the hill I.m on is incredible. I won’t be taking any pictures today though. I want to wait until I’m settled into the four bunk room where it is a tad safer before leaving crap out.

Wandered around to get a bite to eat and the Fringe festival is insane. The streets are packed and there are live performances about 3-4 to a city block. I walked by a 12 year old that was singing like a 50 year old blues singer, an obnoxious bigoted comedian, a juggler with fire/apple/sword, three guitarists, two live plays, and a Scottish war reenactment. There is music, fireworks, and people with painted faces and costumes everywhere. Reminds me of Burning Man but with restaurants, cobblestone streets, and working toilets. It really is nuts with folks of all ages.