Cheap but unhygienic

If Edinburgh is so damp, I wonder why I wake up multiple times in the night really dry, when I didn't in London? Something about the bed making me snore more?

Nice easy train - off-peak anytime ticket. Standard class, picked myself a table for convenience and maybe having someone to talk to. No wi-fi or plug. Passed the very base of the castle as we pulled out, that was neat. Someone's playing their headphones too loud... Table is now full, but no inter-stranger conversation.

At Linlithgow, or Gleann Iucha.

1633 says the Iroquois called George Washington "the town burner", for ordering General Sullivan to eradicate their settlements in the Revolution.

Glasgow. Scenery wasn't that dramatic.

There's a Nelson Mandela plaza.
Underground station has angled slidewalks. Underground is the 3rd oldest subway in the world, after London and... Budapest? Hasn't been expanded past its original circle, though due to hard bedrock and old mines.
Made it to the hostel, through Kelvingrove Park... shortest linear distance but the hills are something else. I see why it's a park without roads through it. Hostel is in an isolated terrace, park is shaped like a horseshoe and we're inside the bend. Area looks like it'd be either rather expensive or rather run down. Hostel even has street signs pointing to it.
Hostel is called youth hostel, but there was a no longer middle aged woman asking questions at the desk, so it's not just me.

Some amout of tartan or plaid around, and an Indian waiter in an Indian restaurant is wearing a kilt, albeit dark gray and black. And he just brought me a tiny cup of "homemade Indian chicken soup", gratis I assume. The lunch menu is set price, you choose among starter and entree. There's a pre-theater page, which implies a theater nearby.

In my hostel room. (Wasn't ready earlier.) 8 beds. 2 bathrooms and separate shower rooms. No sockets. One switch for all the ceiling lights and no other lamps. No towel yet. They rent towels for a pound, but don't have any available 1.5 hours after check-in. There *are* two sockets, for 8 people. The room water is apparently not potable. Wi-fi is a pound an hour. Have to buy shower soap... And there's no bathroom soap or hand-drying facility.

Despite the VERY HOT WATER sign and it being a many-room building, the sink has yet to produce hot water at all... I'm told maybe later, when more people are running it. Also that the "no drinking" is because they can't guarantee the pipe water being kept at good temperatures, "should be safe for brushing your teeth but could be a small risk in large quantities", unlike the basement kitchen taps.

Umm, there shouldn't be enough stuff in the water for bacteria to grow on... Still, at least it doesn't seem part of a bottled water scam.

I've met one roommate, here from Aberdeen for a business conference. Man, his business must be cheap.

It's 70 F, which is considered really warm. Mind you, after going substantially uphill in the sun, then up to a 3rd story room, that is kind of warm.

Cleverly forgot Host's spare keys; since I know more guests come tomorrow, mailed them top speed for £7.30.

The plan for the evening: when I first took the subway - one of the smallest in the world, in all senses, cf. Wikipedia - I got an all day pass. (£3.50 vs. £1.20 one way). Might as well use it! There's about 15 stops in a circle, I figure I can get off at each one and look around.

Already I've learned that a stop can be a few blocks from quite busy areas and show no sign. Also that escalators follow London's stand on the right protocol - guess the Tube set the habits for the country. Mind you, you still take the left escalator.
Loud headphones worn by a white man in a business suit.

Subway adventure report

Buchanan: downtown, Queen St rail. Didn't see much.
Cowcaddens: looks like crap, but shops and nightlife a few blocks south on Sauchladdie.
St. Georges Cross: lots of shops... All closed by 5:30 for fear of vampires. Or maybe of the council high rise looming nearby. Great Western road seems a bit more alive. I'm surprised there's a Cromwell road - but oh, right, I'm in Scotland. Bunch of bars or pubs, and an iCafe.
Kelvinbridge: hostel. River walk, and park.
Hillhead: botanic gardens and galleries, supposedly. What I actually see is a nicy busy street.
Kelvinhall: supposedly where the really big museums are. Mixed vibes upfront, part Sunnydale part restaurants. Partick is a common name in Glasgow - station, taverns - and yes that's Partick, not Patrick. There's a pigeon, a big pile of crumbs, and 3 loaves of bread; the miracle is that there's only one pigeon.

Oh, the platforms are narrow enough to give me vertigo. I'm probably a wuss but there you go... I think I feel safe when I can fall over and not be at risk of falling in; the two-sided platforms lack that trait.

Train had an ad with 2 men checking each other out, urging the reader to get condoms and lube. http://www.makeyourpositionclear.com

London and Edinburgh have more public toilets -- out on the street -- than I'm used to in the US.

Partick: nice station, since it's shared with ScotRail. Outside is vampire country again; even the Subway has its chairs up, at 6:38. Subway has chicken tikka, btw. Bus signs seem to indicate running every 30 minutes. The subway has been pretty frequent -- 4-6 minutes --and runs past 11 - but only 6 on Sunday. There is a large open supermarket nearby though, Morrison's. The bathroom there was bathed in pure blue fluorescent light, with a UV feel to it. Lots of women passing through the station in very high heels and very short and tight dresses. Well, a group of 11 of them, plus a couple more who seemed separate. 3 slick guys to go with the big group. Whoops, add two girls and one guy. The separate group went out; the big one was apparently congregating for the train.

Trains up to 8 minutes.

Gowan: vampires, plus a pub, and an open frozen food store. "Farmfoods: the frozen food specialists". It closes at 8. I'm going to start skipping stations: every station about which the tourist map has had little to say has been depressing.
Cessnock: So much for the tourist map; vampires and Chinese takeout. And other takeout, and liquor and gambling. Lots of vehicle traffic, though. A pub, and a middle-aged woman with male companions asked if I'd had a nice day. I said yes and retreated.
12 minutes to my next Inner train. 2 Outer trains in the past 4 minutes. I am sad and confused.
Bridge street: not Sunnydale dead, but still not exciting. Next target, St. Enoch, seemed likely to be walkable. Cross the river and whee, downtown! A lively one too, with pubs and open fast food places and lots of people. Eventually gave up on looking for a great place and went for Chopstix noodle bar. Cheap (3.50 for a small) and with bathroom. Workers are white behind the register, Asian cooking and elsewhere. Anime art, plus one photo of a Chinese young girl eating noodles. And a collage of Chinese art and cultural facts.

Took St. Enoch back. Nice station. I was going to say something about private schools being in session during the summer, by the uniforms I saw, but I just realized that hey, it's September, schools are probably back in session in general. Like IU is.