We left Barcelona in a rush. We were reluctant in leaving our cozy place with Claudia. It was safe. We were enjoying our time. There's so much to see and do in Barcelona! As travelers, you need to face the fact that you're a nomad. Nomads are continuously telling our story, building friendships, and saying hello with a goodbye in the end. That's not to say that we don't want to keep up with the people we've bonded with. Facebook or email, maybe?
We rushed to the airport. We read our tickets wrong. The hour was 19:00. We thought 9PM. Nope. That's 7 o'clock! We were two hours late for our flight! I panicked. We've never been late for a flight.
At the airport, we talked with an employee and we were able to buy our tickets to Scotland for the next day, surprisingly cheaply. But that was the next day.....This would be our first time sleeping in an airport. I wouldn't really call it sleeping. Hiding behind a pillar, because security told us to, and embracing a cold, tile floor wasn't exactly nice. The rest of the airport was steel chairs and noise!
Once in Scotland, we dashed to our next host, a couple named Roger and Jane that we contacted through Helpx.net. We were sending mass e-mails. We read one that said Roger was waiting to pick us up at the airport the night before! (He didn't check his e-mail before leaving. I did warn him.) We went through customs and tried to switch our ears from Castillian/Catalan accents to thick Scottish accents. What a change! It's interesting when the person IS speaking your language....but you don't understand them. (Which happened to us in a mall in Scotland. That was the first time WE were misunderstood.) We were corrected on how to pronounce Edinburgh and Penicuik. Ed-in-burr-uh and Penny-coook.
We dashed for, at the time, the complicated bus system. The buses were double deckers and we were so happy to ride in the front of the 2nd floor with great views. Great views, that is, past the bug guts on the windows. The ride was enjoyable and warm. Oh, the warmth. It wasn't cold but the wind left a chill when we were waiting for the bus. Snap. Snap. Tourist. Our cameras snaps gave it away. We were taking pictures left and right of the dingy grey/black buildings in Edinburgh, dimming sunset sky, and green rolling hills adorned with sheep! (There's a joke that there are more sheep than there are people.) Our ride lasted around 45 minutes.
We stepped off the bus onto the front of Penicuik's town center. Another girl did as well and she asked where are we going in such a small town? Our faces gave away our confusion. We showed our google map address and we laughed when we noticed that we were right in front of our new hosts driveway beside the center through a corridor. We walked the driveway and saw glowing lights on an opened gate, leaves skittering in the breeze. It was almost magical. Roger and Jane's home was massive and littered with many items/trinkets. The door was open, one of their policies, and we knocked, said hello, and heard an interesting neutral British accent say, "Hello? Josiah and Miguel? Come on in."
We arrived at Valleyfield House where we ate vegetarian curry in a warm kitchen.
We rushed to the airport. We read our tickets wrong. The hour was 19:00. We thought 9PM. Nope. That's 7 o'clock! We were two hours late for our flight! I panicked. We've never been late for a flight.
At the airport, we talked with an employee and we were able to buy our tickets to Scotland for the next day, surprisingly cheaply. But that was the next day.....This would be our first time sleeping in an airport. I wouldn't really call it sleeping. Hiding behind a pillar, because security told us to, and embracing a cold, tile floor wasn't exactly nice. The rest of the airport was steel chairs and noise!
Once in Scotland, we dashed to our next host, a couple named Roger and Jane that we contacted through Helpx.net. We were sending mass e-mails. We read one that said Roger was waiting to pick us up at the airport the night before! (He didn't check his e-mail before leaving. I did warn him.) We went through customs and tried to switch our ears from Castillian/Catalan accents to thick Scottish accents. What a change! It's interesting when the person IS speaking your language....but you don't understand them. (Which happened to us in a mall in Scotland. That was the first time WE were misunderstood.) We were corrected on how to pronounce Edinburgh and Penicuik. Ed-in-burr-uh and Penny-coook.
We dashed for, at the time, the complicated bus system. The buses were double deckers and we were so happy to ride in the front of the 2nd floor with great views. Great views, that is, past the bug guts on the windows. The ride was enjoyable and warm. Oh, the warmth. It wasn't cold but the wind left a chill when we were waiting for the bus. Snap. Snap. Tourist. Our cameras snaps gave it away. We were taking pictures left and right of the dingy grey/black buildings in Edinburgh, dimming sunset sky, and green rolling hills adorned with sheep! (There's a joke that there are more sheep than there are people.) Our ride lasted around 45 minutes.
We stepped off the bus onto the front of Penicuik's town center. Another girl did as well and she asked where are we going in such a small town? Our faces gave away our confusion. We showed our google map address and we laughed when we noticed that we were right in front of our new hosts driveway beside the center through a corridor. We walked the driveway and saw glowing lights on an opened gate, leaves skittering in the breeze. It was almost magical. Roger and Jane's home was massive and littered with many items/trinkets. The door was open, one of their policies, and we knocked, said hello, and heard an interesting neutral British accent say, "Hello? Josiah and Miguel? Come on in."
We arrived at Valleyfield House where we ate vegetarian curry in a warm kitchen.