Edinburgh Bound

In 2008, I was moving from Dublin, ROI, to Edinburgh, Scotland, as one working visa was expiring and I was taking advantage of a second in the UK. Baggage fees are ludicris when you are attempting to go between the two countries so my best friend and I decided to go the next best way - by bus.
We knew it was going to be a long day, but it would be similar to moving from the west coast of Canada to Ireland, in regards to time, and phenominally cheaper (it was only about 50 quid each from Dublin to Edinburgh, including the ferry). It seemed rather straight forward, and we didn't expect any mishaps.
That was a silly mistake.
Firstly, our first bus was set to leave Dublin city centre at 3am. We sat on the pavement with all our belongings, waiting as drunkards filed by, trying to find home after closing. The bus then drove right by us - didn't slow down at all, but went right by us. It took me until 4am to flag down another bus and explain our situation, and he dropped us at the airport, where the next bus to Belfast would arrive arounf 6am. We had to beg out way on the bus, then beg our way on the ferry (we'd missed the first of the day and had to take the second, which was a big deal considering there are only three each day; when you have lived on Vancouver Island as long as I have, that seems like madness), then beg the last two seats on the bus to Edinburgh after we got off the ferry. Along the way I called the hostel in Edinburgh to make sure they didn't give away our seats. My best friend lost her glasses and her Nintendo DS. We arrived after 17 hours, having travelled only a small distance on the map, but I will never forget falling in love with Edinburgh at first sight.
It remains, to this day, my favourite place in the entire world. I miss waking up, looking out my window and seeing a castle on an extinct volcano. I miss leading tour groups around Old Town, and into New Town on ghost tours. Every time I return to Europe, I have to stop in Edinburgh, and show it to people about whom I care.