The travel gods did not smile upon us today. But I suppose they didn’t frown too sternly, either. It could have been much worse. Our scheduled train to Edinburgh was canceled, though we didn’t receive any notification about the cancellation until we were already at the train station looking at the board to get the correct platform. We were meant to arrive in Edinburgh by 1:30 pm with one train change in the middle, in plenty of time to grab lunch and head to Edinburgh Castle for our 4pm tour. Instead, we ended up having to pay 30 pounds extra per person to switch out tickets to “via any permitted route” – which consisted of three different trains on three different train lines, each more crowded than the last.

The last train was so crowded that Chuck and I didn’t have anywhere to put our luggage for the first hour and a half of the three hour ride and had to stand in the area between coaches with four other people, who said it has not been uncommon lately for trains to be canceled and the remaining trains to get so overcrowded. And though it was not a particularly warm day outside, I would guess the train was somewhere around 80 degrees with almost no airflow. We also were stuck next to a group of women coming back from a “hen do”, who went through at least 3 bottles of champagne and then broke out what sounded like a harp (not making this up) and serenaded the rest of the train car VERY LOUDLY with hits like “Teenage Dirtbag” and “Halo”. Seven or so women, all of them exuberant, but only one could carry a tune. Eventually, just enough people left the train that we were able to stow our luggage and take seats, but between the serenade and running out of drinking water early on in the ride, I ended up with quite a headache. When we finally made it to Edinburgh (about 4 hours behind our intended schedule and well past our scheduled castle tour) , the cool fresh air was really welcome.

We had about a ten minute walk from the train station to the hotel where we checked in and I chugged SO MUCH WATER before we headed back out to find dinner.

Today’s Highlights:

• A very helpful railroad employee who got our tickets switched and helped us figure out which trains we needed
• A vegan veggie “meat” pie at the station in Leeds with surprisingly crisp crust despite the lack of butter or lard
• Cool, fresh air upon arrival in Edinburgh and a brisk walk
• A nice glass of wine and delicious gnocchi at an Italian restaurant a couple blocks from the hotel

Tomorrow’s Proposed Adventure(s):

• Sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast
• Exploring the Royal Mile
• Hopefully getting our Edinburgh Castle tour rescheduled