Perhaps it actually makes more sense to describe recent events while everything is still fresh in my memory, so I'll write about Scotland. I kept forgetting to take notes again, so whatever managed to stick in the back of my mind is what'll spill out onto these pages. The project's code name — «Outlander», after the Russian title of the TV series «Outlander».
I arrived in Riga a day before my flight to spend some time with friends. The heat was so unbelievable that sleeping was completely impossible, and to save myself the torture, I didn't crash at my friends' place like I usually do. Instead, I booked the cheapest air-conditioned room I could find. It turned out to be some hostel converted from an apartment, named
It was run by a funny lady — a one-woman band: she ironed, cleaned, checked people in, and everything else. I got a room in the attic, and it took some time and a bit of tinkering to set the AC just right. I wanted it cool enough to sleep under a thick blanket, but without icy blasts of air keeping me awake. Either way, it was way better than the brain-melting heat back home.
Before my flight, I even managed to hit the gym, thankfully it had AC too, and cranked out one and a half times my usual workout; after all, for the next month, I'm not gonna be seeing much of that, aside from endless walking. By the way, they've started making this high-protein snack in Latvia, right up the alley of a newly minted meathead like me, but the price is a total buzzkill.
I wasn't sure I'd find anyone to meet up with, seeing as I was flying out on Thursday, a workday. Luckily, both on Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon, some buddies were free: someone was off sick, someone was adjusting their schedule, someone was their own boss. It really does seem like the world's approach to work is getting more flexible, at least in my bubble.
On Wednesday there was also a mega-concert by Muse, but I don't love them enough to cough up 70 euros. If I'd known in advance and had the chance to grab a seated ticket next to my friends, maybe I would've splurged.
My friends had all sorts of news to share. One is migrating even further, from Latvia to Sweden (the first step was Riga many years ago). Another went back to their old job, but only on conditions with better relationships with colleagues and a more interesting project: so cutting-edge there are literally gonna be scientific papers published. Someone else went a bit too hard at the gym and pulled their back, and now it's unclear when it'll heal. You'd think, of course, I should take notes and apply these life lessons to myself; but no, that's not how humans are wired, so right after landing in Edinburgh I managed to injure myself. On the other hand, changing projects at work is a hustle I’ve already pulled off myself. As for emigration, I don't really have the urge, even though people ask often. I’ve just got too many friends back home, a comfy apartment, and nature right nearby. Still, our winters are kinda bleak and freezing, so I'll try to bail for Portugal or somewhere, even though I'm completely out of vacation days for now.
I also met up with the participants of the Portugal expedition, and we were discussing exactly that. Andrey and his family are setting their sights on Canada this fall to see what life is like there, and whether it's worth packing up and shipping out. Still, the idea of moving to Portugal for the winter appeals to him. This time, though, I’m gonna push hard for the option where we don't travel around, but just live in one place so I can work in peace, especially since I have absolutely zero vacation left. I'm also hoping the stint will be not just a month, but at least a month and a half, or better yet — two.
My flight was late at night; true to form, I arrived in a rush, just an hour and a half before departure, and was mildly stressing out about it. As usual, all that worrying was totally unnecessary, because an hour and a half, as the designer Lebedev claims, really is always enough, and usually you need even less. This time I also forgot that I didn't need to check any bags, which meant with my electronic boarding pass I could march straight to security. There was no line at all, and I’ve gotten the hang of breezing through security quickly, because I know exactly what to take out and grab off the belt; usually they don't even scan me with the hand wand. As a result, you show up at the gates like an idiot so early that your gate number hasn't even been announced yet.
I'm not doing that anymore; I'll try getting to the airport an hour and twenty minutes ahead and not sweat it. It's annoying that even though they announce that passengers for such-and-such flight should already pass through security to make their flight, in reality, they don't even tell them where to go next (see above re: gates). Hypocrisy and messing with your head. Then, a bit later, they add that you need to hurry up and board, but in reality, the line is still a mile long, and you're just gonna stand there sweating and bored out of your mind for an extra fifteen minutes. I think you can easily show up 10 minutes before boarding ends. There's only one downside to this — your carry-on might not fit, and they'll check it right at the stairs. If you know there's a connecting flight next — don't risk it, stand in line, but otherwise — who cares.
While we were driving to the airport, a serious thunderstorm broke out, with lightning flashing across half the sky, and it really began to look like the flight would be seriously delayed in weather like that. Nope, they only delayed it by 10-20 minutes, we flew there without a hitch, and at half past midnight I walked out of the Edinburgh airport to catch the Airline 700 express bus to the city center. Luckily, progress doesn't stand still, and you can now pay with contactless cards on the bus, so there's no need to buy a ticket in advance or exchange cash right away. While I was standing in line, the bus took off half-empty, which slightly puzzled me; local rules, I figured. Fortunately, the next one pulled up immediately, and I realized this was just to keep the schedule tight; however many passengers managed to get on before departure, that's who gets to go. It's not a problem, because the buses come in a never-ending stream. During rush hour — every 15 minutes.
In the center, we ended up on a bridge for some reason, and I started walking in the wrong direction, which I tend to do pretty often. I caught myself in time, but wasted an extra 10 minutes. I rented a room with a shared shower at the EuroHostels Edinburgh right in the very center of the old town. In the summer it's a hostel, and the rest of the time — a student dorm. The hostel was kinda sketchy, but I only needed it for two nights before leaving early in the morning the day after next for a guided tour. Just to avoid messing around with different bookings and having to commute from god knows where, I decided to do it this way. Especially since you have to make hundreds of decisions on a trip, and you can't afford to waste time on every single one.