Bye-Bye Hostel, Hello Flat!

The Great Move has been accomplished! I say "Great" because given the relatively small amount of stuff I have over here the move seemed to take FOREVER. Four trips back and forth on the Edinburgh bus system takes up a lot of time. But it is all worth it.

The flat seems good so far: no major complaints or shocking revelations after I moved in, which is good so far. Having a room to my own is super. I really can't complain too much about that. It's great being able to turn a light on in the morning when I am getting ready for work (which is something I couldn't do when I lived at the hostel, as most of the other 13 girls in the room were still sleeping!).

Overall, for short-term accomodation the hostel (Castel Rock) was a good place to stay. But, since I plan on being here a bit longer I think it was a good decision to go. Plus, most of the people I was friends with are leaving for Christmas anyway. Oh, and the major reason is that I wouldn't have a bed during Hogmanay (New Year's).

While many of you have stayed in a hostel before, some of you have not, so I thought I would describe what being a longtermer in the Castle Rock Hostel is all about. To start with, I was staying in a 14 bed (7 bunks), all female, dorm. All the rooms there are themed (from a Mr. Men theme to an Underwear theme). I was in the Edinburgh Pubs room and my bed was called the Mitre. The Mitre is a real pub along the Royal Mile, but I haven't been there yet - but I hope to soon! My bed was on the top bunk, which isn't ideal, but it was a better bed than some because my bed was against the wall, as opposed to "floating" in the middle of the room. And, it was still a better bed than most top bunks, despite it not having a ladder because it turns out that the ladders attached to their bunk beds were not as helpful as you might think. We have had many a laugh at our friend Megan, as she attempted to clamber down from her laddered top bunk in the morning (picture beached whale meets monkey and you will have an idea of what it all looked like). I used a trusty chair for height and then swung myself up. It's probably not all that pretty either, but it works!

There is currently only one empty bed in my room and the rest are filled with longtermers, like me. Everyone is pretty nice though and we all seemed to be getting along well (that is, until the noisy aussies moved in), which is a blessing as this type of situation could have been a disaster! If I had to stereotype all Australians based on the ones that live at that hostel I would say they are all a bunch of alcoholics who do not enjoy working and prefer to go into huge debt while traveling and partying. I am not making an exageration, although I wish I was. One girl is already in debt up to 20,000 dollars, but refuses to get a job because she loves going out every night and drinking with her friends. Another, Australian finally got a job after harassing a temp agency to find him one for days. He was too hungover to go to his first day though, so instead he hid in bed and didn't answer the 10 calls and messages from the agency who tried to find him. He has since found another job on the continent - good luck to him! Luckily, I know that not all Australians are like this, as I have some great Aussie friends from the first time I lived over here.

The lounges at the hostel were great. There is one big, main lounge where most people hang out. There is a pool table and ping pong table and plenty of comfy couches to sit in. Plus, free coffee and tea! And, there is always someone you know hanging out in there. My favourite lounge was the Posh Lounge (yes, that is really what it is called). There are nice comfy seats and a big coal fire that is just perfect to snuggle up to with a nice book.

Overall, it was a great, long-term hostel for people who are only staying for a couple of months. The most negative experiences I have are that:

1. Someone drank my milk
2. We had some noisy roommates for a couple of days (then, I thankfully, found a flat!)
3. There was a mouse in our room. He was cute though, and he didn't really bother me that much as I was on the top bunk.

All in all, I am happy to be in a flat!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well, not really. At least not here in Edinburgh (although I did hear that Ottawa had it's first snowfall recently!). Edinburgh's version of looking like Christmas is when the German Christmas Market starts to get set up in the Princes St. Gardens and the Ferris Wheel goes up. The lighting ceremony for the Christmas lights is tomorrow night and I cannot wait! I have been getting really excited about this time of year here for a long time and it's finally here (almost). I cannot wait to eat the food at the German Christmas Market. I have terrific memories of it from the last time I lived here. And, there are all kinds of free events on too - I will have lots to do over the next month!

I found out this week that I have a flat to move into! I can't wait. It's been good staying at the hostel for the most part, but sharing a room with 13 other girls is starting to grate a little on the nerves. Particularly, when it comes to sleeping as everyone has different schedules and I appear not to be the heaviest of sleepers. Ah, but soon I will be experiencing the joy of a big comfy double bed and an entire room all to myself once again. It's a two bedroom flat in Morningside. As many of you know, I have lived in that area before. It's considered to be the "posh" area of Edinburgh with many millionares living here (Including famous the authors Ian Rankin and J.K. Rowling!). Yep, I just might run into them at the local supermarket. :)

No real big trips planned in the near future, although I am hoping to head to North Berwick tomorrow if the weather clears (it's been raining all day today, for the first time since I moved here). I have had friends visiting from Bangor, Wales, and Newcastle, England during the past few weeks. It's been great fun seeing everyone again and catching up.

Back to the Christmas theme - is it too early to start sending my Christmas cards? I am in the spirit and feeling the need to pass it on! I am almost done of my Christmas shopping and I want to wrap gifts, send cards, and decorate my flat. (Although maybe I should wait until I move in there!). Anyway, I am moving in next week, so, if you'd like the address give me a shout!

Miss you lots! XOXO

Pictures!

I've posted a collection of pictures from my first month in Edinburgh on Facebook. Here's a link to those pictures for those of you who are not hooked on Facebook!

Click here.