Edinburgh: The Sights

This weekend we went to Edinburgh, Scotland.  It was beautiful!  The best thing about it (not really, but close) was that it was sunny the entire weekend.  

The bus left at 7 am from campus, so it was an early morning for everyone.  We settled down in the bus ready to sleep for the entire 4 hour ride, only to be woken up less than an hour later so the bus driver could take a break.  What?  So we sat in a gas station/coffee place for 45 minutes doing nothing.  After finally getting back on the road we slept, enjoyed the scenery, played trivia games, and chatted.  My seatmate was a guy from the Netherlands. 

We stopped at the Scottish border for a photo op and then continued the drive up to Edinburgh.  It was so beautiful.  Not only was it the first time since being here that I’ve enjoyed constant sunshine, but we were driving through the Scottish countryside right next to the sea. 

Our hair is hilarious 

Look at that blue sky

            Once in Edinburgh, we got settled into the hostel.  It was a pretty funny hostel, quite indie and hipster-ish with references to American musicians everywhere.  And generally weird, because it’s a hostel.  I shared a room with 10 other girls.  The bunk beds were the most terrifying thing.  Whenever you would get on the top bunk, the bed would sway like a foot both ways and make cracking sounds.  I was afraid I was going to fall and crush my bunkmate the entire night.  Luckily, I did not. 

Next up was a walking tour that would have been fun, had it not been FREEZING.  It was really windy and cold, so the entire tour was filled with shivering and runny noses.  Pleasant I know.  Edinburgh is a beautiful old town that has a fun energy instead of a boring touristy feel.  Not that it wasn’t touristy at all.  But the tour was interesting and we heard a bunch of unique stories, like the tale of the most active ghost in the UK, or what a wall was made out of (hint: human ashes).  Witch-hunts dictated a lot of Edinburgh’s history. 

Witches' ashes!

We also saw the café in which JK Rowling began writing Harry Potter, and the castle she modeled Hogwarts after.

Hogwarts?

After the tour, we warmed up in the hostel drinking tea and chatting with the other people staying there.  There was a group from Ireland that was hilariously drunk, so it’s good to know that Americans aren’t the only ones that perpetuate stereotypes while abroad (more on this later).  

After dinner was a pub crawl organized by the tour.  Have I said how much I love the UK?  It was so much fun!  At one of the clubs there was a live band that played a ton of cover songs, including Sweet Home Alabama.  Out of place, but every single person in the club knew all of the words.  Impressive.  I honestly had so much fun with the people on the tour.  I met a lot of new people and got to know others better.  We had a good time just enjoying our surroundings (and dancing to Queen songs).  After a night of pub hopping, it was bed time.  Getting 11 girls to settle down and shut up was a challenge, but the bed was much more comfortable than my dorm bed, which says something about the dorm. 

Hostel

The next morning we woke up early to eat breakfast before going on a hike.  Breakfast consisted of bread.  Literally nothing else.  But it’s a hostel, so that’s expected.  Our hike was up Arthur’s Seat.  GORGEOUS!

  

Me and Annik were going crazy with pictures, it was just so pretty.  And it felt fantastic to be back in nature.  Flagstaff and Albuquerque will do that to you.  The hike itself wasn’t bad at all, and the weather was fairly nice. 

We had a few more hours of free time before leaving, so we grabbed lunch and then went to the Scottish National Museum which was definitely one of the cooler museums I’ve seen.  I wish we could have spent an entire day inside.  Also, how pretty is it inside?

Edinburgh was a fantastic trip and I learned a lot about the history and culture.  We had fun as a tour and I’m glad to have met a lot of the people!  I don’t have any trips planned for the next few weeks, but we’ll see if something pops up. I’ve said it before, but I love Britain.