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Good morrow from across the pond. I am currently in Edinburgh, Scotland. The "we" that is to be mentioned in the subsequent blog posts is comprised of me, my mom and dad, my lovely girlfriend Abigail, and my brother David, who lives here in Edinburgh.
I just finished my first year of medical school on Friday, after which I drove home (arriving at 12:30 am Saturday morning), and we flew out from O'Hare at 3:50 pm. It's all been a whirlwind. Aside from the minimal jetlag, the travel went smoothly and David met us at the Edinburgh aiport. (If you recall from my previous visit to Edinburgh a year and a half ago, my Edinburgh airport experience was not very pleasant - it consisted of me walking from the airport toward the city at 2:00 AM on Christmas morning.)
David lives in a flat with four other roommates not terribly far from the city center. Though crowded with four additional people, it provides free lodging, which is a big plus. Sunday, in an effort to combat the effects of jetlag, we dropped our luggage in David's flat and went walking around the city. There was a large festival going on in
the Meadows - a big grassy park-like area just minutes from David's front steps. We arrived at a Sunday market filled with artisans hawking their wares just as it was closing. This meant we got free dark hot chocolate and reduced-price scones (because the vendors wanted to get rid of their perishable goods). We strolled along the scenic Leith river (more of a stream), among the small stone cottages with overflowing flower boxes, and admired the leafy trees - many of which are somewhat foreign to us North Americans.
Dinner was consumed at the Ye Olde Golf Tavern (est. 1456) right next to the meadows. Golf was invented in Scotland centuries ago and they continue to be very proud of this. Last night's dinner was consumed at Auld 100 - a downtown pub. If you like hearty comfort food, then you will like Scottish victuals. I've had ribs, pork belly, steak pie, and fish & chips - all of which have been wonderful.
David is a working man from 9-5, which lets us remaining four to explore by ourselves. Abigail and I toured the National Gallery of Scotland, Calton Hill (a hill filled with Greek-inspired monuments, because Edinburgh is known
as "The Athens of the North"), and various old cemeteries. We met up with my parents and David to climb Arthur's Seat, a large hill on the edge of the city that provide a commanding view of the city, the sea, and the Firth of Forth (the bay into which the River Forth flows). The impressive Edinburgh Castle as well as the Queen's Palace at Holyrood are visible from this vantage point. Today we went to the expansive Royal Botanic Gardens and spent a couple of hours admiring the flora. This was followed by a visit to Craigmillar Castle, located about three miles from Edinburgh. This castle is one of my favorites of those I have visited in that it is well-preserved and gives good historical notes, yet there are few other tourists and you are free to roam around nearly every part of the castle.
The weather over the past few days has been unusually fantastic - in the low to mid 60s and sunny. It's typically rainy and in the 50s-60s this time of year.
Tomorrow we rent a car and drive to the Scottish Highlands, including Loch Ness!
More updates to follow. Thanks for reading!
A
few notes: The city is pronounced "EH-din-burr-uh", not "ED-in-burg" as it's spelling would suggest.
Since Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, the currency is the pound and the current exchange rate is about 1 pound = 1.54 US dollars.
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helmker
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MISS YOU ALL!
Dear Ginns and company (Abigail, dearest), We enjoyed reading your blog! Keep the pictures and comments coming. Rosco is well:) love dad and mom