June 12th
I’ve recovered from the “encounter” with Trump. I’m feeling somewhat balanced, and life is going quite well.
In the morning, I woke up to the sound of sparrows shouting. Yes, shouting!!! There were a few of them in the bushes beside the tent, engaging in some sort of furious shouting match with each other! Had they been watching election debates from Finland? I tried to close my eyes for a little while longer, only to wake up again, realizing that I had to be at a nearby hotel by ten o’clock to get a good internet connection so we could attend a webinar about EU funding for educational development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.
After the usual morning routines, we got Tellu (our van) moving and reached Ayr in good time, where we found a fairly modern-looking hotel. The friendly staff there showed us to our seats and gave us access to the Wi-Fi. We spent over an hour there only to realize that the mentioned funding instruments did not align with the operations of our organization. So, we are left hoping for positive feedback on our application from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs soon…
From Ayr, we drove towards Edinburgh. Along the way, we refueled both the van and ourselves. The van’s thirst had decreased to the point where we achieved a consumption rate of less than 8.5 liters per 100 kilometers. We satisfied our own hunger with noodles and oriental-style chicken pieces. In the food queue, someone started chatting to us in Finnish… or actually, it was more of a Savonian dialect! It was a delightful encounter, our first with a fellow Finnish traveler not known to us on this trip.
We stopped at a campsite on the outskirts of Edinburgh. We ordered a taxi and traveled straight to the railway station, where Jette bought a ticket to York. We bid farewell to our travel companion and then joined the throng of tourists exploring the city’s abundant history. We couldn’t get into the castle, though; it was sold out! They don’t allow more than a certain number of visitors per day.
After wandering around the city center for a while, we searched for a map of Scotland in every possible store but couldn’t find one. Instead, we bought some orange juice and salami as substitutes. Before heading back to the campsite, we decided to treat ourselves to a cup of latte and some Italian gelato. It was definitely worth it. Both were delicious!
With our stomachs cooled down, we set out to find bus number 11. It turned out to be a bit of a challenge until we saw one driving across a side street. We picked up our pace and ended up in a light jog because another bus came soon after the previous one. We managed to catch it just in time and went upstairs, where the front seats were available for us. It was an excellent spot, offering great views from the large windows above. It was the first time I had ever sat in such a place on a bus, riding through the city!
The early morning seems to be taking its toll, so it’s time to get ready for bed. Before that, we’ll pull up some maps from the internet and plan tomorrow’s driving route… or at least decide which route we’ll take north! The song by Junnu, “On the Way to the North,” came to mind. Humming it, we’ll start studying the map. Good night!