Royal Chariot, Inverness

Trains, Coos and Pizza Blues

Another Edinburgh morning went without a hitch. Woke up at 8:40am to blaring alarms with a head full of dreams stretching all the way back to childhood (perhaps last night’s advocate’s whisky in the evening has a way of unlocking those guilty mental filing cabinets). Figure 1: Nice breakfast in the train. Booked an Uber XL to Waverley station. Our driver, Ibrahim, was kind enough to drop us near the elevators—bless him for sparing us the luggage-dragging marathon that station entrances usually demand....

April 1, 2025 · 5 min · sumeet rohatgi
Devils Advocate, Edinburgh

Aye Stirling! A Contrarian Castle & A Day of Almosts

Woke up at our usual, very respectable 10 AM, feeling fresh after completing my 4 AM blogging ritual. We stepped outside expecting the usual Scottish gloom, but lo and behold— California sunshine! It’s almost as if Professor Dumbledore himself had cast a weather charm, keeping the rain at bay. Egg McMuffins & A Train to Stirling After days of indulging in grand feasts, we decided to keep breakfast light (relative to our usual)....

March 31, 2025 · 4 min · sumeet rohatgi
Edinburgh Castle

A Bonnie Day in Edinburgh

Jet lag is a funny thing. You’d think after an exhausting first day, we’d wake up bright and early, ready to conquer the city. But no. Day 2 of our Scottish adventure started at a leisurely 10 AM, because our bodies refused to acknowledge local time. But when we finally stepped out, what a sight! The golden sun was beaming down, the sky was an uninterrupted stretch of blue—no clouds, no drizzle, no reminders that we were in Scotland....

March 31, 2025 · 6 min · sumeet rohatgi
Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Wee Little Rainbow

Long flight, crying babies, and existential questions about why I ever leave my house. That’s all I remember from our sojourn from SFO to DUB. The flight itself was, shockingly, not too bad—decent legroom, food that didn’t taste like cardboard, and wine that was just about drinkable. Usually, we play it safe and order the “special” Hindu Vegetarian meal, but this time, we threw caution to the wind and took whatever the airline gods bestowed upon us....

March 30, 2025 · 4 min · sumeet rohatgi
Surprising Sweets in Plaka, Athens, Greece

The Circle Completed

Chants of “Happy New Year!” echo everywhere, and the TV is filled with celebratory shows. But what are we really celebrating? Is it the events of the past year or just the fact that we made it through another lap around the Sun? Honestly, I had to pause and reflect to remember what made this year special for me. The beauty of New Year’s is that it’s a globally shared moment for all of humanity....

January 1, 2025 · 3 min · sumeet rohatgi