Bright Green Wings: Photo Essay Part Two: The Back of Maggie's Head Goes to Edinburgh

Before I present to you the further adventures of The Back (and Lovely Front) of Maggie's Head, I feel like I should make some comments on the ins and outs of traveling as a poor college student. Staying in Dublin was my first hostel experience. All I knew about hostels was what I had seen in the trailer for the movie made in 2005. Not what I would call encouraging. But the hostel was really nice! Hardly any bloodstains (I kid). I never went to summer camp, but it was how I imagine living in the all girls cabin would be: ten bunk beds, girly things EVERYWHERE, lots of high-pitched gab (some of it in German), and some super embarrassing snoring coming from the bunk under me. Whenever we came into the common space downstairs, there was always something to see: the kids from California getting drunk on Coca-Cola and wine (noted), the dude with "that" hat awkwardly playing bad chords on a guitar, the couple who only whispered in Spanish, and all of the nice people at the front desk that we made sure to be friends with. The free breakfast was the perfect time for conflict to arise (two toasters for about 39397 people), but from what I gather, people aren't as horrible as they seem.

By the time we got to Zuzu's in Edinburgh, however, I was glad to be in a normal bed (sans the snoring). Maggie and I went into Official Vacation Mode. We ate, we read magazines, we watched Titanic. It was glorious.

P.S. Zuzu goes to the University of Edinburgh and is a fierce historian/my oldest friend. And by oldest, I mean she knew me when I had to wear a kilt and too-big sweater vest on a regular basis, not that she is 46.

Zuzu lives right next door to a giant history museum. Inside, we found signs encouraging us to dress up like Romans did in ancient times. Then Maggie saw this tag: "For 12 years and Up" .. Too late!

As you can see, Zuzu is really intense when it comes to historical things like lifesize Egyptian robots.

She taught us her ways, and Maggie caught on fast.

I didn't.

The Museum of Art on our first, rainy, freezing day.

The Back of Maggie's Head checks out the monument thing (which was a great landmark to find H&M).

See? This is right outside H&M. I am the best tourguide ever.

The view from the North Bridge on a rainy evening. The roof below is a giant under ground mall, if memory serves.

Me 'n' my travel buddy on le bridge.

Action shot of a giant group of Spanish guys that kept taking pictures of themselves with store fronts. One of them is wearing a giant, pink sparkly bow - must've lost a bet.

Maggie and Zuzu standing with a famous statue of Bobby, a dog who was homeless after his grave-digging master died. Or something. They sell full biographies of his life in many of the touristy shops and, of course, Barnes & Noble. He's a pretty big deal for doing absolutely nothing but being a Scottish dog.

The Elephant House, which is where J.K. Rowling is famed for writing her first two books, looked particularly normal until we check out the bathrooms.

This is incredible.

It says, "Repairo!"

Right above the toilet. Classic.

Fans have written all kinds of things on the walls and ceiling.

Dedication.

"I'm studying to be a teacher and I want to ROCK as hard as Dumbledore." Good luck with that beard-growing, young grasshopper.

I couldn't agree more!

"Not my daughter you bitch!" Oh Molly, you scoundrel.

The sign-ups for The Order of the Pheonix. And yes, our names are now on it.

The list for Dumbledore's Army doubles over itself, and again, yes our names are now on it!

"Dobby R.I.P." "Moldy Voldy," and "I peed here!" .. All relevant.

The Elephant House (the restaurant, not the bathrooms) remains a tribute to elephants and their majestic beauty and all that. They put up people's drawings of elephants, so I did my own spin on things ..


Elephant + House = Elephant House?

My beloveds on the Royal Mile, which is the street that connects The Palace and The Castle, neither of which are dance clubs.

The Back of Maggie's Head checks out some of the foilage at The Castle.

Surprise! Princess Anne was leaving The Castle right as we were arriving! Guess we'll have to have a tea to discuss the latest episode of Glee later.

Gorgeous view from The Castle.

My darling Zuzu being an excellent tour guide and showing us why the city is called "The City of Spires."

We are getting so good at posing together.

Legend has it that if students currently enrolled at the University of Edinburgh cross into the grounds of The Castle, they will fail out of school. We didn't want to take any risks, but Zuzu was still pretty upset about it.

A statue of David Hume overlooking the street across from St. Giles Cathedral.

The Back of Maggie's Head checks out Parliament: the ugliest building of all time.

Homey?

Maggie decides to drop out of school and follow her real dream of becoming a British guard.

Since The Palace had royal visitors, we weren't allowed to take a tour. But they did give us free shortbread crowns, which I think was a pretty decent trade-off.