up north : glasgow and edinburgh, scotland

This was my first time travelling alone since I arrived in Cardiff middle of September. After 2 weeks into settling down, I decided to visit my aunt in Glasgow along with my other family members who were there to visit her too. Killing two birds with one stone I tell ya.

Day 1 (Friday):

I wasted the day.

Slept half of the day and managed to have some home-cooked dinner made by my great-aunt. I was exhausted from the almost 8 hour journey I had by bus and the sleeper bus I booked was changed to a normal bus due to operational error :(

But! They refunded the journey so it was FREE! We Asians just love that word huh? :p

Oh and Glasgow is wayyyyyy more colder than I expected Cardiff since it is situated up north. I was freezing while I was walking and apparently they have gloomy days almost all year round. Talk about being curled up in your blanky and sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace heater reading books.

Day 2 (Saturday):

Selamat Hari Raya Haji!

One of the reasons I travelled that long was just to celebrate my first Raya Haji overseas with my family. They just mean the world to me!

Woke up to the most common food Malaysian would eat anytime of the day, the one and the only Nasi Lemak! I had these along with Rendang Ayam. Had me licking my fingers 'cause it was just too good.

My family and I then head to one of the mosques to have our Raya Haji Prayers. With some Indians/Pakistanis whose language we didn't understand -__- 

We actually had the option to go to another mosque which is hosted by Malaysians living there but my uncle wanted to attend to the one who will be praying earlier since we have a train to catch to the beautiful Edinburgh. Oh well, it is good to see new people right? *positive thoughts*

Anddddddd, we head off to Edinburgh! Walking through the sides of Glasgow's city centre feels a little bit like London except for the colder weather.

Meet my cousin, Baby KK! She was peeking and looking around but she definitely loves the cold. Apparently babies love colder weather. 

I just love how trains in the UK are so efficient. They are so organised and frequent, it's so easy to travel. It took us 50 minutes to reach Edinburgh but the view was enchanting I didn't mind it. Or probably because I fell asleep during the ride hehe :p

Everyone was super hungry when we arrive so we decided to have lunch at a quaint Mediterranean restaurant, Laila's. Despite a whole plate of Nasi Lemak earlier, I was starving so I decided to try the Angus Beef Burger. I didn't know the portion was this huge so I was struggling to finish it. This lasted me the rest of the day. 

My uncle, aunt and Baby KK

Say hello!

Edinburgh was just breathtakingly beautiful. It was sunny and slightly warmer we had the best time walking through the streets.

Edinburgh Castle

The Edinburgh Railway Station

 One of the magnificent views in Edinburgh. I wish I can have this view but we had to head back to Glasgow. 

Day 3 (Sunday):

I decided to just roam around the Glasgow city centre but when my aunt offered to bring me to her university, the University of Glasgow, I just could not resist it. I heard it was one of the places that will make you feel like you're in the castle *huge gasp*

The city was also having the annual Great Scottish Run so it was interesting to watch people running in the cold. If it was me, I'd rather be sleeping. Yes, I'm a lazy bum when it comes to sports or anything that is related to sport.

But, since the whole event took place in the entire city, the bus we were on had to go on a detour and the road was so packed we arrived at the university an hour later. I even had the chance to snooze.

As I stepped out from the bus, I was faced with an ancient looking building. More or less like a huge castle. It was built hundreds of years ago which adds a unique touch of an old castle. There was a dedicated museum in the university and we decided to have a look around.

One of the few details I noticed was they have a lot of researchers who studied cases involving diseases and medicinal values. They had artefacts and samples of how patients were treated when they were infected with Malaria and Dengue.

As the bus was not as frequent on Sundays, we decided to take the cute orange subway. Seriously, it is too cute! It looks like a very long egg-shaped train and a striking orange all over. 

Every time the driver stops at a station, he would pop his head out through the window to see if anyone else is coming in or out. Once every settles, he would pop his head back in and drive to the next stop. And they drive like super fast!

I wished I had taken a picture of the subway but we were rushing to the city before the stores closes. We managed to stop by KFC for a very late lunch. Oh and I have a funny story on why I wanted KFC so bad when I was in Glasgow but I'll put it up in a different post since this post has gotten longer than I expected. 

Ahh, the taste of having the juicy and spicy chicken. I swear at that point, KFC was the best thing I ate. Haha! 

We wondered through the city and just sipped in the moment. Alas, it was time for me to catch my bus back to Cardiff. And I did have the sleeper bus. But I was on the bottom bunk. And someone heavy was above me. And I tried to have a sleep but oh well, let's not get into that. 

Thank you to my Nek Chik and my aunt Fairuz for having me over. I'm so blessed to have you around *hugs and kisses*

Oh! And thank you for the endless rempah, kuih bahulu and food that you have provided me! You have made me feel like I'm at home :)

Until then, toddles!