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it was. And you better believe I wasn’t going
to let her down. I told her that I booked the
tickets, and quickly after she told me that
she was coming to Edinburgh too. We were
finally going to meet!
A step out of the comfort zone
There are a few things you should know
about me before I tell you the rest. Before
Edinburgh, I had
never travelled
alone, let alone been
in an airport alone.
I had never had
dinner alone at a
restaurant, and my
navigational skills
were nowhere to
be found. I almost
failed orienteering
in high school, so
this trip would
really test me. But
surprisingly, it
went as smooth as I
could have possibly
imagined. I got through the airport in Oslo
with the help of my mom, and I got on the
plane. Inhale, exhale. For the first time in a
while, I was completely alone. I was ready
to take on the challenges of a solo trip.
I had planned to stay 5 nights in the city,
so I arrived there on the 31st of October,
on a sunny Tuesday (which is not normal
for Edinburgh at this time of the year, I’ve
learned). The transportation possibilities
were really easy to get to, and I quickly
managed to find my way out of the airport
and into a tram (which is similar to what a
trikk would be in Norway). Within the first
ten minutes of the tram ride, I had already
fallen a little bit in love with the city. Every
building we drove by was gorgeous! I
kept staring out the window, and after
about 40 minutes, I had arrived in Leith,
a little district about 10 minutes outside of
Edinburgh. After a short walk I had arrived
to this really cute Airbnb where I was
going to stay with the young couple that
owned the place. They were really great
and welcoming, and I had a nice chat with
them; and their cute cat while I unloaded
my baggage in my room. They gave me a
lot of recommendations for activities in the
city, and I was ready to explore around on
my first day in Edinburgh.
The goals for the first day were simple.
Explore around town, visit the St. Giles
Cathedral, maybe the Central Library, and
find a place to eat (preferably a ramen
place since I was really craving it). And
during the 6 hours or so that I had stayed
out, I managed to visit the Scott Monument
and the New College, walked through, and
explored Victoria Street, peeked into the
Central Library, and found a place to eat.
Edinburgh is a really great city to walk
through because every main attraction was
within walking distance from each other. I
got to see a lot just on the first day.
And now came the big challenge – to dine
alone at a restaurant. I actually found this
really cute ramen place called Maki &
Ramen, and it was a tiny little restaurant but
still packed with people. My anxiety started
to get to me when I walked in that door, but
I was quickly seated at a table for one by
the very sweet staff. I had brought with me
an emotional support book with me in case
I wanted to look a bit busy, but surprisingly,
I didn’t feel as bad once I had sat down. I
placed my order and waited a few minutes.
It was interesting to look around at the
people in this restaurant. I wasn’t the only
one there alone, and in some way, it felt
really comforting. I got my huge bowl of
ramen, and it was absolutely magnificent.
The warm soup and noodles also added
to this comfort. I tried to stay away from
looking at my phone for the whole dinner
to really stay in the moment, and it was
actually quite nice. I felt in control again.
I had my dinner in the bustling restaurant,
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