After coming to terms with the stresses and pricing of
trying to travel abroad while in London, we realized that trying to book a trip
for the following weekend would be extremely hard and pricey. After comparing a
multitude of alternatives, we begrudging decided in a last ditch effort to
invest in Edinburgh, Scotland. While this wasn’t the most desirable location
for all of us, it seemed all our parents raved about it and it was the cheapest
option. So we went for it. After a long week of classes and fun in London, a
group of 12 of us made our way to the train station on Friday night to embark
on our journey to our destination.
We did have the pleasure of getting to take the train out of
Kings Cross Station, which as the Harry Potter fans out there know, was a real
treat. As a tourist must-do, we took pictures at the customary 9 ¾ platform,
just as Harry did, although most of us passed up on the optional scarf as we
thought of the millions of people who had also donned it.
What we didn’t realize when booking the 5 hour train ride
tickets was the option of choosing a seat for a higher cost. With the cheap
tickets we got at such late notice, we were left with the other over-bookers
and without a seat for the whole first half of the train ride.
After finally getting a seat and finishing the trip, we
arrived in Scotland around 1 a.m., and we immediately made our way into the
hostel across the street. After not knowing what to expect when entering a
hostel, we were presently surprised with the girls on the trip getting a
private room with a private bathroom. The boys weren’t as happy as they had to
share a room with a couple unknown Asian men, who didn’t speak English…
After arriving, we decided to explore the city a little bit
that night, and get a feel for what we were going to be experiencing tomorrow.
And what we saw definitely got us excited for the weekend we had ahead.
After receiving a complimentary breakfast of yogurt, cereal,
and toast from the hostel. We departed early to make it to the Edinburgh Castle
and beat the crowds. What most of us didn’t realize was just how cold Scotland
would be, especially the two guys who tried to wear shorts for the first half
of the day. After touring the high castle and getting whipped by freezing
winds, most of us had bought the tourist-cliché plaid cashmere scarves that
about 1000 souvenir shops in Edinburgh carried.
After freezing our butts off, we finished our tour of the
Castle and practically sprinted to the nearest good-looking pub for a
traditional pub lunch. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I attempt to try the local
delicacies of the places I go. Well this seemed like a tough one. Haggis. The
name alone suggests its loveliness. What haggis consists of you really don’t
want to know, but I’ll tell you anyway. It’s ground up sheep’s liver, heart,
and lungs traditionally cooked in a bag made out of the sheep’s stomach. After
much convincing on my part, I ordered the dish for the table as an appetizer
and we all had a try. What we didn’t predict was that everyone liked it! I
personally would get it again in a heartbeat (get it…heart…)
While most of our group went for the traditional fish and
chips, I furthered my food venturing and got some delicious lamb cutlets. (All
of which I would definitely eat again.
Oh, I also forgot to mention that I found the love of my
life. I think my parents would approve, don’t you.
After lunch, we made our way to the Scott Monument, which is
essentially this scary looking sphere in the middle of Edinburgh. We found out
that you could climb to the very top using an extremely tiny set of winding
stairs, and we all made the climb. The views were gorgeous from the top,
something we all thought at the time unable to be topped. (until the next day…)
After this, we moved into our flat that we were staying in
for the night. I found this flat on an amazing site called AirBnB, where you
can rent places from locales at good prices. The extremely nice place we got
was a two bedroom flat right on the Royal Mile, the perfect location for us.
Even though there were 12 of us, we decided to just make it work and pay the
low price of 13 pounds a person for the night.
After making our way around the random streets of Scotland a
little more, we got dinner at this delicious burger place and then went to a
pub to watch the 2nd half of the Champions League game. As a soccer
player, you become frustrated in America at the lack of public interest in the
sport, but being in Scotland, I was blown away. The place we went to was packed
wall to wall with futbol fans all screaming and cheering, enjoying the game
that I love.
After a long night of fun, we all crashed at our tiny place.
Although only some of us made it up early, I was enthusiastic to get up and
make it to Elephant House for coffee in the morning. Another Harry Potter
hotspot, this was the café that J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter books
in on napkins at a corner table.
After fueling up with some traditional Scottish porridge
(also so good…), we decided to spend the day by hiking up to the National
Monument and then eventually embarking on the long hike up Arthur’s Seat. All
after Lauren and I completely the Edinburgh marathon! (Well our version, that
was only a few steps long)
What we didn’t realize at the time was just how high
Arthur’s Seat is (822 ft.), and the three-hour long hike up mountain trails
that could barely be considered trails. After finally making it to the top, we
realized that the whole Scotland trip had been well worth it when we saw the
view. It was absolutely breathtaking and something I don’t think any of us are
going to forget for a long time. If you have any time in Scotland, do this. It
will be totally worth it.
After making our way down the mountain, we checked out of
the hostel and made our way grudgingly to the train station. Luckily this time
we had seats and we got to enjoy the beauty of the Scottish countryside on our
way back.
Although the guys on the trip came up with many phrases to
characterize our Scottish experience by, such as “Wrestlin’ Nessie”, “Hey Brother”, and “The Cloud”, I think I can
only describe the experience in one phrase: unexpectedly amazing. Scotland did
not disappoint, and if every travel trip is like this while I am here, then I
will never be left disappointed. Until next time…
Cheers,
Elyse
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