Ok, we started out by arriving in Scotland by train from York. Going into the country, I was fighting sleep to stay awake and look at the beautiful landscape. I learned on this trip that when I'm tired and in a moving car/train/ferrry/bus/airplane it is almost impossible for me to keep my eyes open. Anyway, the landscape was stunningly beautiful--Scotland seemed to have more waterways (lakes, rivers, coasts) than all the other places we'd been to. I loved it.
So, the day we got to Edinburgh, we just wandered around and looked at the shops along the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is the stretch of road that goes from the Queen's Palace of Holyrood up to Edinburgh Castle. There are so many shops, museums, churches, and pubs along this road--it's basically the heart of Edinburgh. There was also the summer "Fringe" festival going on--so there were tons of street musicians, vendors, and shows going on. Apparently Edinburgh is also much more crowded during the festival as well. This picture gives you a small taste of what old Edinburgh looks like with the new festival (the crowds hadn't come yet):
For our first day in the city, we went to Edinburgh Castle first thing, and I'm so glad that we did! It was probably one of my very favorite things about Edinburgh. The castle is unlike every other castle we went to on this trip--it had several different war museums inside, it had prisons, the Scottish crown jewels, royal apartments, and churches inside. There is so much to do there! I especially loved seeing the war museums. We were unable to see any other war museums in Europe (the London one was closed) and so I really loved seeing these ones. The military is such a huge part of Scotland's history too--so that made it even cooler.
Note...I was so sick of taking pictures that while we were in Scotland I didn't take very many...or even try to get very good ones. Yes, I know I'm lame. Sorry in advance.
The view of the city from Edinburgh Castle
10 points for when you notice what's different about this picture
Outside of the War Monument
Edinburgh!
A plaque inside the war monument I loved.
For the rest of that day, we went shopping around Edinbugh. I went a little crazy at Primark (the Forever 21 of the UK) and we made multiple stops at H&M. This was the most successful shopping I did on the trip. I found a dress at Primark that makes me feel like Audrey Hepburn when I wear it. I wore it to church today and I'm so in love with it!
Anyway, the next day we were supposed to go to Aberdeen for a lecture on the Scottish language/ accent. This was really interesting because the man who gave our lecture had a really beautiful Scottish accent that was entertaining in and of itself. Initially, we were supposed to go up to Inverness to stay the night but it turned out that our hostel was booked for the wrong night, so we had to return to Edinburgh so we would have a place to sleep. This was kind of dramatic and disappointing for a lot of the people on our trip. I was definitely disappointed--mainly because it meant that we wouldn't get to see the countryside of Scotland other than being on the train. But in a situation like this, you really just have to make the best of it and not complain too much because that will just spoil everything. So we headed back to Edinburgh where there were still lots of things waiting to be discovered.
On the train ride back, Bonnie and I happened to sit by some slightly drunk and hilarious Englishmen. This made their accents hard to understand but they were hilarious. They told us that we weren't American because we were too skinny, we hadn't seen American Pie, and we didn't drink. One of the 50 year old men talked to me specifically for awhile and I could tell that he was pretty drunk because his speech was really slurred and hard to understand. But at one point, he turned to me and started telling me how much I looked like his daughter. He whips out his phone and starts showing me pictures of a girl that I actually think looks nothing like me, and then he looks up at me and says, "You tall, beautiful, dark, lassie, you!" Needless to say, I was laughing pretty hard at the whole situation.
The following day, started out by going on a free walking tour. The tour guide took us around all of the greatest spots in Edinburgh and showed us some really interesting spots. We saw the pub where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, the tomb stones where she got some name inspirations (namely Tom Riddle and McGonagall) and the school supposedly inspired Hogwarts. We also learned about Edinburgh's famous dog named Bobby (a dog that was unfailingly faithful to his owner--to the point that he slept on his owner's grave for 5 years after he died).
We then visited four museums: The People's Story Museum (a museum that tells the story of the people of Edinburgh through the ages), The Children's Museum (with children's toys from the last 400 years), The Museum of Edinburgh (Tells the story of the city), and the Writers Museum (tells about Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Burns). All of them were really small but completely free. I loved seeing these museums because they were all off the beaten path and so interesting.
The pub where Rowling wrote her book
Tom Riddell's grave
Bobby's statue!
Aren't I a fine Holm?
Then, we headed back to get ready for our fancy banquet dinner that was paid for by the program. I loved the restaurant! It was called the Granary and had super delicious food. I didn't order haggis, but I tried some of Bonnie's and it was actually really delicious. It mostly tasted like meatloaf. And it had mashed potatoes on top which of course I loved. I ordered mushrooms with blue cheese on garlic bread (almost made me change my mind about hating mushrooms), steak (not as good as it is in America), and cheesecake for dessert. Afterward, we had fun taking silly pictures outside of the restaurant.
Our last day in Scotland (and of our trip) was Sunday. Most people in our group were too tired physically and mentally to try to find the Edinburgh ward, which was ok. But Sarah, Bonnie, the Gardeners, and I ventured out Sunday morning to find the ward, and I am so glad that we did. It took several busses, getting lost many times, and getting directions from at least 5 people to find it, but eventually we did. The ward was surprisingly very American, but there were a few people I talked to that had thick Scottish accents. I loved visiting all of these wards in the UK because it really felt like coming home. A girl named Florina sat by me and we started talking about BYU and America and school and such. I found out that she's currently trying to get into BYUI and move to America, so we had a really fun chat. We talked for a really long time and became good friends. She and I now keep in touch and I'm so happy that I met her. She's my only remaining tie in Scotland, and I really hope that she can get into BYUI and come here! That day, we also visited the big museum in Scotland...and I can't remember the name of it. Oh well. They have the taxidermied clone sheep named Dolly there, so that was cool. Unfortunately I was pretty museum-ed out at this point so I struggled to really get into it.
That night, our group hiked Arthur's Seat. This was a major thing that I LOVED about Edinburgh. It's a massive hill with mini lochs and a trail up to the top of the mountain. When you get to the top, you can see on all sides around the mountain. There's fields and lakes on one side, and on the other the city and then the coast. It was stunningly beautiful and a wonderful way to say goodbye to Scotland. It made me thankful for all of God's beautiful creations and for the opportunity I've had to experience the other side of the world.
The Queen's Palace of Holyrood (she only spends a few days here a year)
View from Arthur's Seat
Relishing my last moments in Scotland
My last sunset in the UK. Stunning.
My flight home was mostly uneventful--I did homework, watched Notting Hill, and slept a lot. I was able to adjust to the time change with almost no trouble! I was so happy to be reunited with all of my friends and roommates! I realized that I missed:
1. Outlets in the bathroom.
2. Top sheets.
3. My own shower.
4. In-n-out cheeseburgers.
5. My own bed.
6. Texting.
7. Calling my family whenever I want.
8. Not being a tourist.
9. Cooking my own food.
10. Being able to weigh myself (European chocolate was not good for me to experience...especially without a scale to keep me in check).
11. Driving.
12. Working (Yes, a major surprise to me too).
13. Mountains.
14. The dry air.
15. Not being constantly lost and confused about my surroundings.
16. Using normal words. (No more chips, crisps, or trousers business).
That being said, I already miss the UK. I know that I will go back again someday, and that I'll bring someone that I love. I've left a piece of my heart there, and I'll always cherish my memories there. Until then, I'm pretty happy to be back in America and living my college life again. :)
PS-Thanks to anyone who read my blog these last few months. It might have been boring a few times, but thanks for sticking with me to the end.
