Edinburgh Adventures

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Yesterday was all about exploring Edinburgh, the beautiful capital of Scotland. Our group actually started exploring Wednesday night, arriving in the city to explore some Scottish city nightlife and stay in a hostel. My first hostel experience was actually not that bad, with most of the group getting to stay together and the beds actually being more comfortable than the ones in our school dorms. We arrived by train, and the instant we stepped out onto the streets we were greeted with the centuries old architecture that looked absolutely breathtaking in the setting sun. Our day of exploring began by taking a trip to Edinburgh castle and walking the grounds there. We then grabbed some lunch and went on a Harry Potter walking tour, on which we saw the café that JK Rowling first drew her inspiration for the Harry Potter novels, along with other sites that may have influenced the story. These included the Edinburgh school in which the students are separated into 4 "houses," a graveyard that contained the names of important characters such as Tom Riddle and McGonagall, and the possible inspiration for Diagon Alley. We then went on our own to explore more of the city, including the National Museum of Scotland, the Rosslyn Chapel, and the Scott Monument, which was my favorite stop. The monument is half a mile high, and includes 287 daunting spiral steps. However, the view from the top was well worth it. After the monument, we explored some shops around town and then headed back to Stirling. Edinburgh is an awesome city that I can't wait to go back to!

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