Shasti Walsh

Black Pudding, Brussels-Style

Day one! Mini-posts because we’re traveling as a couple for most of this holiday so I don’t have piles of mildly-lonely time to fill. It stresses me out to not have fully-crafted posts, but I’m going to try to relax about it. Here goes! Landed in Brussels and took the train in. Have only exploredContinue reading “Black Pudding, Brussels-Style”

Fjording!!

PREFACE: This was to be one of the last posts from last summer’s vacation, but I never got around to completing it. I found the draft when I went to post something from this vacation, and thought I might as well post it as-is. It was a totally amazing day and absolutely worth the long,Continue reading “Fjording!!”

Aberdeen and Stavanger

I woke up early in my room at the inn, and spent a little while convincing myself to get out of bed and partake of the included ‘full Scottish breakfast,’ which I eventually talked myself into. I went down to the restaurant adjoining the pub, and had: Grapefruit (canned, I think) Orange juice Tea YoghurtContinue reading “Aberdeen and Stavanger”

Stonehaven

I’m home now, but I have a couple posts left to catch up on the final days of my trip. Here we go! We woke up early on Saturday and took the train north to Stonehaven. I had my heart set on a true Scottish country walk, along the coastal trail from Stonehaven to DunottarContinue reading “Stonehaven”

Fringe, Day 2

Here’s the thing about Scotland. As Kj and I walked around both St Andrews and Edinburgh, a frequent exchange was as follows: Me: “Oooh, a castle! What is it?!” Kj: “That’s a [chapel/church/bank/hotel/house/grocery store/pub].” Me: “But…. HOW DOES EVERYTHING LOOK LIKE A CASTLE?!?!” Then, finally, toward the very end of our stay in Edinburgh, KjContinue reading “Fringe, Day 2”

Fringe, Day 1

Apologies in advance if I get some of this out of order — Kj and I had a wild two days together in Edinburgh that included 4-5 pubs and 7 shows, with other attractions tucked in here and there. It was great! We got up at a sane hour and went to pick up myContinue reading “Fringe, Day 1”

St Andrews

I got up super early to catch the train to St Andrews to meet Kj. I’m still not used to the simplicity/efficiency of train travel… I had asked my host the night before how early to arrive at the station: “is one hour early enough?” — she looked at me like I was crazy. “…fiveContinue reading “St Andrews”

Edinburgh!

After a hustle through the train station in London (though I did find time to stop for trifle at Marks and Spencer), I was on the train to Edinburgh. It was a pleasant ride, lots of sheep and coastline. I arrived in Edinburgh around 5pm, and went looking for my homestay. The directions I wasContinue reading “Edinburgh!”