Advertisement
Published: November 5th 2007
Edit Blog Post
This weekend was my trip to Edinburgh (the capital of Scotland) with the International Student Society. 117 of us left at noon on Friday. Unfortunately, my travel buddy, Nat, couldn't come because she is sick (get better soon!).
The trip went pretty well, but took forever! There was construction work and mixed with traffic added about an hour and a half to the journey. I met quite a few new people on the bus trip, mainly from Germany and France. We watched Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine, and Gremlins (an interesting choice I thought) and they really helped pass the time. We got to Edinburgh at about 10:30.
The hostel was decent- definitely not the best but also nowhere near being the worst (that was Rome). The best part was its central location- you could see the castle from the front door!
I got up early the next morning and started exploring the town. The first stop was the Castle of Edinburgh, which sits high up on a rocky hill overlooking the city. It wasn't open yet, but I got great pictures without tourists crawling all over it! Then I headed across the old town to Calton Hill, where
I got a great view of the city and Arthur's Seat (an extinct volcano). I then went down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse- the official residence of the Queen in Scotland. I toured it, it was set up in processional style- the rooms got more and more ornate ending with the King's Bedchamber, which the King didn't actually sleep in- he would have had a private bedroom and used the official bedchamber for meeting with his most important visitors/statespeople.
Across the street from the Palace is the Scottish Parliament building. While Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, is has been devolved and has quite a bit of sovereignty within its borders. The new Parliament building opened in 2004 and is super modern (and went way over budget!) I got to go in and see the debating chamber.
After Parliament, I went to the National Gallery of Scotland. I did a quick visit there and then made the trek up the hill to the Castle. The Castle was fantastic! Much bigger and more castle-like than the one in Norwich for sure! I went on a guided tour with an adorable little Scotsman wearing Tartan trousers (too cold for
kilts!). Inside the Castle was the National War Memorial, the War Museum, and the Crown Jewels. The Jewels weren't as spectacular as the English ones, but they have been in constant use for much longer.
I was quite hungry after visiting the castle and headed for the international market. There were a bunch of booths set up on one of the side streets selling treats and crafts from all over the world. I got some kind of French potato dish with cheese and bacon. Quite delicious! With a warm and full stomach I headed towards the Modern Art Gallery. I took the scenic river walk and felt like I was in a different world! The Gallery wasn't very big but had some nice pieces. I then crossed the street to the Dean Gallery which also housed modern art. Both were good to visit, but I'm glad the entrance was free.
Then I wandered down Princes Street (the High Street in Edinburgh- in British terms the main shopping area) and up and down the side streets just checking stuff out and seeing what I couldn't afford! I headed back to the hostel and rested for a bit, then met
Another View of the City
The Firth of Forth is in the background. up with Hala and Adanna for dinner. We went to Ryan's Cellar- half pub half restaurant. I had some delicious fish and chips! It was nice to sit down and have food served to me for once!
After dinner we went back up to the castle to see what it looked like at night. It was all lit up and really cool. We saw some people shooting off fireworks in celebration of Bonfire Night. For an explanation of Bonfire Night
click here . We then headed back to the hostel. For our evening entertainment, the president of ISS arranged for us to have free entry to Po Na Nas, a popular chain nightclub. We went out a little after 10 and I stayed until about midnight, then I headed back and went to bed!
I got up early again on Sunday morning and started out towards Holyrood Park. This is where Arthur's Seat is located. I was going to climb the volcano! It was a great walk up! There were so many great views! Again, it felt like I was in a different world- there were hills covered in heather and rocky outcrops. When I reached the top I was
able to see for miles- all the way across the Firth of Forth to the Kingdom of Fife (I think that's how it is spelled!). I took a different route down and ended up by the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel that overlooked a duck pond.
I headed back into town and up the Royal Mile towards the Castle. I went on the Scotch Whisky Experience, which detailed the history and making of the "Water of Life." It was pretty interesting, but also quite corny. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around, looking in the tourist trap shops, and settled down and read the newspaper over a big cup of coffee. For dinner Hala, Adanna, Adamna (they're twins), and I went on a quest for an Edinburgh tradition. No it wasn't Haggis. It was Deep Fried Pizza. We found it at a pizza and kebab place near our hostel. And it was delicious. The cheese and crust got all crispy and wonderful and filled my stomach with greasy goodness!
After dinner we went back to the hostel and just hung out until it was time to head home. We left around 10:00 and got back just
after 6:00 am. I slept a good bit on the bus and then got another hour and a half of sleep before going to my 9:00 lecture... I am still quite tired and will now be leaving you all to take a nap!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.163s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 9; qc: 50; dbt: 0.1301s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Emily
non-member comment
I think it is wonderful that you got to go on this trip