I'm in Edinburgh! It's stunning to step off a train and out of a station and see buildings that are simultaneously older and more elegant than you ever imagined and yet exactly as you thought they would be. There was a moment of knowing right where I was and realizing that this atmosphere and aesthetic are what everyone tries to replicate when they open a pub. I'm surrounded by the original.

I'm visiting Whitney, who has been living here since January. It's remarkable that she has made this place her home. She's living in a hostel where she works and while it's not a perfect situation -the kitchen and privacy are lacking - it is full of people who have become her family. She's working the overnight shift tonight and is currently in bed gearing up for it. I took a walk to buy some milk (take that, Alyssa. That was before I read your comment) and continued up the street about 20 minutes when it started drizzling. I ran back to the hostel to grab my camera - the combination of clouds and this architecture were too tempting, but when I got back outside, it was completely pouring, so I was forced to retreat and dry off the camera. Now, I'm watching Independence Day with the hostel pals.

During the walk, I saw a Hotel Ibis, which brought back a lot of memories. My parents, brother and I took a Christmas trip to London when I was ten. It was my first time in London and I loved the noise and lights and the feeling that everything was happening all at once everywhere. Also, my parents had both been to London before and directed us through the Tube, which I found fascinating, delicious steak (at the height of Mad Cow), awesome Chinese food (my father's demand), and a tour of the big sights. However, on New Year's Eve, we stayed at a Hotel Ibis. All I remember about it is that we could only get two twin beds, which we pushed together. I fell asleep before midnight and woke up in the morning in the crack and unable to move. I vaguely remember that the air conditioning was incapacitated and we were generally grouchy when we went to breakfast but we also had a really good laugh about it. The Hotel Ibis is my reminder that sometimes, travel sucks, but there's always a story (usually a funny one), a sense of survival that you earn, and a good point of reference from which to appreciate all the other great things that happen.