My Accidental Date in Edinburgh
December 2024 - Edinburgh at night, the view from the Christmas Market.
Note from the author:
I often wonder how much to share on this blog. Of course, I want to find employment once my year in Durham is over. Lord knows I need it.
I don't want my Grandma, who is on the email list, to scold me. And I want to preserve the illusion that I am mostly sane. How much can I say while protecting my own privacy and the privacy of those I write about?
But...it's a bit boring to just write, “Oh, what a lovely castle,” or, “I went to a cosy cafe, again.” Anyone can write that. Hell, just chatGPT it with the prompt, “Faultless, wholesome, and professional young woman explores Europe.”
I want to write what only I can say and what stories are uniquely mine to tell. So, that means opening the door a little more. And I hope you find it somewhat interesting.
December 2024 - Edinburgh in the daytime.
Have you ever accidentally gone on a date with someone? Better yet, was it a day trip to another country? Let me tell you…
In all fairness, I could tell he fancied me a bit. He told me some very sweet things, like how I looked “particularly beautiful on a certain day,” he is “just now noticing how blue my eyes are,” and that I am “a really inspirational person,” etc.
He’s a lovely guy, and I know he will be very successful, as he’s on his second master’s degree, has published a book (!!), and has been on countless indigenous homestays at age 25. Plus, he is a nice-looking lad and the man’s got options, so I don’t feel too bad for writing this. The issue is, he gets on my nerves the same way my brother does.
But, in my defence, I thought, “We both would like to see the Edinburgh Christmas markets. We are decent acquaintances. We have no one else to go with because everyone else has gone home. So, let’s go together.” To be honest, I didn’t deep it too much, just thought it would be a nice break from our revisions (British for studying). I thought it was a day trip. He thought it was a date.
And I had set clear boundaries by saying the day prior, “I am so glad we have become friends this year!”
December 2024 - En route from Durham to Edinburgh.
After a quick two hours on the train, winding up the coast with views of coastal villages and the North Sea, we made it to Edinburgh.
While we were crossing the national border, he was trying to cross the friendship border.
Quick interlude:
The first time I went to Edinburgh, I took a midnight bus from Nottingham. Halfway there, around 4 AM in a Maccies off the motorway (British for McDonald’s off the highway) near Newcastle, the portly bus driver shouted at everyone in his very Northern accent, “Right, everyone out! Time to scran.” LOL.
*Scran is British slang for eat, used in casual settings or when you are really hungry and will eat quickly; it can be a noun or verb.
Ex noun: I am so tired from the night out; I need some scran.
Ex verb: I was starved; I scranned the whole pizza in two minutes.
December 2024 - A bagpiper in Edinburgh.
Back to the story.
So, we are in Edinburgh, and we hop off the train to get some lunch. It was almost 1:00 PM, and I hadn’t eaten yet, so I was definitely ready to scran.
At the Royal Cafe, I ordered a burger & a cider. He ordered fish and chips. To top it all off, we split an order of camembert to start. We were so full we couldn't move.
December 2024 - Our lunch at the Royal Cafe in Edinburgh.
It was over lunch that I reiterated my boundary. I said something like, “You know, I am just so glad we are friends, and know that you have no ulterior motives.”
After lunch, we puttered about, and by his request, we went to the Harry Potter store. This man spent £49 GBP on a wand (ICK). After a bit of shopping, we went to the Christmas Market, which has a very traditional European look and was incredibly charming.
Adamant on keeping the friendship boundary strong, I declined the Ferris wheel and suggested we go sit in a cafe a bit, as my one million-pound coat (weight, not price) was getting quite heavy.
We sat and killed time, and then ventured so he could go buy cigarettes because, “he is an artist” (ICK). We got a £7 GBP sushi dinner in the train station. He kept telling me (jokingly) how I was mean to him all day.
December 2024 - One of the stalls at the Christmas Market.
Me: “No, I think you are just depressed because you got friendzoned.”
Him: *Speechless, awkward laughter followed by a “f*cking ‘ell, you evil woman.”
Him: “I had to take up cigarettes because of being friendzoned, and now I need to go see a therapist.”
Me: “Well, it's not my fault that you have bad coping mechanisms with smoking. You could have just as easily gone on a jog or bought a journal.”
When we got back to Durham and waited for the taxi, he smoked another cigarette, standing far away from me (he was joking a bit).
Something about his moping was so funny, and I laughed like an evil witch, which only made him shake his head more.
Edinburgh Tips and Life Thoughts:
The Edinburgh Christmas Market is on the smaller side. So, you don’t need to dedicate too much time to it. You can accomplish everything within an hour, maybe 90 minutes if you are interested in the rides.
The UK Winter is brutal. It get darks up North at around 3:30 PM. With that said, get up early and catch the early train to Edinburgh to make the most of the sun.
This time I was not the one being friend-zoned, (thank you, Jesus)! But, I have most definitely been curved, aired/pied (British for curved), flat-out rejected, whatever you want to call it, in the past. And it is, unfortunately, a part of life (maybe not for everyone), but definitely for me LOL!
