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another view
Exterior of Dirty Dick's, Edinburgh (Aug. 2008)
Marinarena in Edinburgh
Arriving into Kirkcaldy
hey all,
ill be spending a month in edinburgh next fall and im wondering about some logistical/cost-of-living stuff. first of all, is flatshare the cheapest way to go? if so, can anyone recommend a good flatshare-finding website or suggest another way to find a room to rent? how much is a legitimate price for a modest place? what is a good cheap neighborhood? secondly, transportation: would it be advisable to buy a one month metro pass? how much might one spend on food over a month?(buying groceries, plus going out occasionally?) is it an expensive city for going out? I apologize for this barrage of questions. finally, a stranger question: does anyone know anything about explorable subterranean spaces in the area? i'll be in the city to write about the vaults running beneath the center of the city, but i'm wondering if there are other underground spaces (tunnels, crypts, vaults, bunkers, grottoes) that natives know about.
look forward to any replies. thanks!
kc
Hi,
Check out http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/ for the underground experience.
Doug
Answering your other questions:
50GBP per week minimum would allow you to eat (assuming you cook for yourself) and go out a little bit (couple of pints on a couple of nights maybe). Transport and entrance fees will eat up your funds.
There is no Metro in Edinburgh, but you might find a pack of tickets/Ridacard economical if you want to use buses a lot. Details here: http://www.lothianbuses.co.uk/
Short let info here:
http://www.factotum.co.uk/letting-shortterm.php
http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/short-term-property-rentals_580_4.html
More if you google. You might be lucky and get a room for 70GBP per week,but you should be thinking of at least 100GBP per week to give you any sort of reasonable choice.
The natives are often unaware of what is happening under their city. But there are societies intent on exploring these spaces.
Do a search for 'urban explorers' and you will find a few websites recording their explorations.
http://www.darkplaces.co.uk
mary king's close was really cool. it's right off the high street in edinburgh. as for other underground spaces, there are a lot of cairns (hill burial mounds) that are kind of partially underground. i went in a few in orkney mainland.
although it's a bit of a tourist magnet, visit the Castle, not only for the castle itself, but for the views of the city from the battlements. Sitting on top of Arthur's Seat at the start of a perfect clear blue sky day and watching the sun rise.
Watching the end of the festival fireworks in Princes Street Gardens - set to classical music and with the castle as a spectacular backdrop.
Don't you just love the view ?
The Scott Monument on the right.
The Waverly station with Princes Mall and the Tourist Information at Ground level.
Behind the North Bridge Hollyrood Park can be glimpsed.
And a glimpse of Calton Hill above left. The Wondeful Scenery !
This won't apply to most of you, but just make sure you can get money. I rely a lot on my cashcard and even though I don't live far from Scotland, most cash machines didn't accept my card! I found out though that Clydesdale Bank is the same company as the Northern Bank in N.Ireland and they had cash machines in most parts of Edinburgh so I managed, thank goodness!
Boughton is another nice small town about 20 miles outside Edinburgh city. It is set at the bottom of a valley and has a microbrewary (Boughton ales) selling its own beer cheaply just off the main road. We stopped and had a look around as we thought this was quite unique in the UK - it was set up like vine yards in France sell wine. I have since discovered this brewary's ales in some high-street shops like Marks and Spencers and was quite surprised considering the size of thier operations consisted of a large shed and small office.
The main thing people think about when you mention food in Scotland is either deep fried mars bars (a dish I've never tried) or haggis.
MacSweens have been renowned for their haggis since they opened for business in the 1950s.
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