Well, I’ve officially left the land of bagpipes, tartan,
haggis and English speakers. I finally have the time to sit down and write a
post about what was, undoubtedly, my favorite trip this semester. I honestly
didn’t think I’d be able to choose a favorite (7 countries is a lot to visit in
4 ½ months and they are all such amazing places) but the UK really holds a
special place in my heart. First of all, this was my first time in an
English-speaking country in almost 4 months and as much as I love improving my
Spanish, it was such a wonderful mental break to not have to THINK so much all
the time! I could order something off a menu or ask someone for directions and
not have to plan how to say it beforehand. It’s the small things.
I had my first taste of the UK when my mom and I traveled to
England (and Paris as well) when I was 17. It was both of our first times in
Europe and an unforgettable experience that really started a “travel bug” for
me. I just adore British culture; the accents, the classiness, the adorable
phrases (cheerio!), the tacky “God Save the Queen” memorabilia. All of it just has me
envisioning a future lifetime where I hop on a red double decker bus in my
Wellies and Barbour jacket to visit my dear friends Kate and Pippa for tea and
crumpets whilst my plaid-clad Westie terrier plays with the Queen’s corgis. A
girl can dream. Even though it’s not the UK, I also visited Ireland about 3
years ago with my high school choir and fell in love yet again. I couldn’t take
in enough of the green landscapes and just about everything to do with the
culture. Needless to say, I was excited to return to the UK for a weekend in
Edinburgh and St. Andrews...even though I was a bit concerned about being in
such a cold place after 2 weeks of 70-80 degree weather in Spain.
So why was this weekend my favorite trip this semester? I
don’t know that I can pin down one exact reason why, but I’ll attempt to
capture the experience as best as I can. Apologies if this ends up being a long
one, but I think the best trip deserves a longer than average post, don’t you?
Paige and I met our friend Maggie at the bus station and
after a 2-hour bus ride to Malaga, a blissful cup of Starbucks coffee in the
airport, and getting patted down after setting off the security alarms yet AGAIN,
we were on our way to Scotland! Our flight landed in Edinburgh at midnight, so
we had to wait outside for a night bus that takes passengers into the city
center. Immediately we had our ears open for any sign of a Scottish accent. Two
older men behind me in line were conversing with each other when Maggie and
Paige asked each other what language they were speaking. It turned out to be
our first encounter with English there and we didn’t even recognize it! We were
also very pleasantly welcomed with some good British kindness and hospitality,
something that is seldom found in Spain. The bus driver was so nice and helped
us find our hostel. Tired from a day of travel, we crashed as soon as we got to our hostel room.
*SIDE NOTE: I am planning to write a blog post in the future
with a list of ways to travel inexpensively and tips on hostel life, Ryanair,
booking cheap flights, etc. with everything I’ve learned this semester. (I have
just barely spent half of what I budgeted on travel this semester and I’ve
traveled almost every weekend!)
Anyway, back to Scotland! The next morning we woke up and
enjoyed the free breakfast that the hostel provided before wandering up a
little bit of Princes Street, one of the main two streets in Edinburgh. As soon
as we stepped out the front door of our hostel, we could see the Edinburgh
Castle! We walked down the street for a bit, snapping tons of photos and
soaking in as much as possible. After an hour or so, we met back at the hostel
for a free walking tour they provided. The tour lasted three hours, and we
covered a lot of the city and learned some really cool things! I don’t remember
a lot of the history, but our tour guide knew some really interesting tidbits.
The city is also full of Harry Potter ‘artifacts’ as it is the place where J.K.
Rowling supposedly wrote some of the books. We visited the cemetery where she
got names for some of the characters, including Voldemort’s grave! I’m not an
HP fan, but I still though it was so cool!
Edinburgh Castle
The Elephant House Cafe, where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter
Voldemort's Grave
Another fun part of the tour was the story of Greyfriar’s
Bobby. Bobby was a little terrier dog who helped his owner chase away thieves
and when his owner passed away, Bobby faithfully sat by his gravestone for 14
years until he passed away as well. Obviously I got a picture with his statue,
the most photographed statue in Edinburgh!
After the tour, we walked through a bunch of touristy shops
on the famous Royal Mile, where I had to stop myself from buying all the Westie
and Scottie dog stuffed animals and restrain my urge to go in every store that
sold Hunter Wellies. Ryanair’s one-bag limit is a great way to prevent you from
buying unnecessary souvenirs. We also walked up to the Edinburgh Castle, though
we decided not to pay to go inside.
I think we were all a bit tired from the walking tour at
that point, so it was perfect timing that we had planned to head to the bus
station and catch a bus to St. Andrew’s University to visit my best friend
Elissa! The bus ride was about 2 hours through the countryside, and it was the
perfect way to relax while seeing some scenery. Elissa picked us up at the bus
station and we went to find a pub for some dinner. I absolutely adored walking
through the town of St. Andrews; everything was so cute and quaint and I got
really excited to spend Saturday there exploring. At the pub, we ate some great
food and I got hooked on my favorite cider, Kopparberg’s. We had a fun night
out and Elissa was kind enough to let us all spend the night in her dorm (even
though we had to snuggle up in her full-sized bed!).
My Favorite cider
In the morning, Elissa gave us a great tour of St. Andrew’s,
starting with the Old Course. St. Andrew’s is known for golf, and it could not
have been more beautiful (or more cold and windy). We stared out at the water
for a while, just enjoying the skyline dotted with turrets and cute buildings.
Our next stop was the dorm where Kate Middleton and Prince William lived when
they attended the university! We then visited St. Andrew’s Castle, which are
essentially ruins of the outer walls. Intact castles are amazing to see, but
ruins of castles just have something magical about them. Even more magical was
the glorious sun and beautiful weather we had that day!
The Old Course
a wee bit windy!
The dorm where Kate and William lived!
In the castle
We took a break to enjoy some lunch at Northpoint Café,
where Kate and William supposedly used to meet for coffee. I had an amazing
turkey, Brie and cranberry jam sandwich. I know the UK isn’t known for their
food, but I had some delicious things on this trip!
Our next stop was the Cathedral, which is also in ruins. We
wandered through the cemetery for a while, just reading headstones and enjoying
the sun. We had time for one last stop before catching our bus back to
Edinburgh, so we sat in an adorable café and I enjoyed some yummy lemon cake.
The 3-hour bus ride back to the city was even more beautiful
than the first, as we drove along the coast of the North Sea. It left me with a
lot of time to contemplate life. Before I came to Spain for the semester, I had
always thought I would spend another year or so of my life in Europe. I’m not
sure what I would do there, but I always pictured myself working for a year or
so in a foreign country in Europe where I could work and travel and soak up as
much culture as possible. I hated admitting this at first, but after spending
time living in Spain and traveling to all these amazing countries, I decided
that I definitely enjoy living in the US and that coming back to Europe was
something I wanted to do for sure, but only for vacations. 3 days in Scotland
reminded me what I love about it and restored a little bit of my faith in
Europe. I think if I ever do come back to live in Europe, it will most
definitely be the UK or Ireland.
Back in Edinburgh, we wanted to find a couple of good pubs
and a place to eat dinner. We were really surprised at how early everything
closed there! In Spain, dinner doesn’t start until 8 pm. In Scotland, dinner is
over at 9. In Spain, the bars stay open until at least 2 or 3, whereas in
Scotland, they close at midnight. Discotecas are open until 6:30 or 7, and the
latest clubs in Scotland closed at 3. We were shocked at how much Spain has
made us night owls! We hurried up and found a restaurant still serving dinner
so that I could try the food I had my mind set on sampling the whole weekend:
haggis. Haggis is a traditional Scottish food, and it’s extremely popular
throughout the country. I won’t list what’s in it-if you’re curious, I suggest
you Google it. If you are planning to try it, then maybe don’t. I’m proud to
say I ate (AND LIKED!) my first Haggis at a restaurant called Dirty Dicks. Complete
with a bottle of Strawberry Lime Kopparberg cider, the night was a great
success.
Not sure how I'm going to like haggis...
Sunday we woke up with an air of sadness, knowing we only
had a few more hours in Edinburgh until we had to leave and cut our visit
short. We all agreed we could have easily spent 5 more days there. To make the
most of our last few hours, we walked to the Holyroodhouse Palace for a tour.
Holyrood is the Queen’s official residence when she is in Scotland, and she
usually stays there during summer months. The palace gave us free audio guides,
so we were able to learn all about the different rooms including the bedroom of
Mary Queen of Scots! The gardens and view of the hills, along with the
crumbling abbey in the back, were completely breathtaking.
When the visit concluded, we had to make our way back to the
hostel to collect our things and head to the airport. I think we all left a
little bit of our hearts in Scotland. It was tough getting on that plane and
knowing we had to come back to class and “real life” (HA.) here in Granada. It
was, however, a good feeling knowing we wouldn’t have to get on another plane
until we head home to the states. I love traveling and flying, but 10 flights
in 15 weeks was a lot to handle. The rest of the week will hopefully include a
trip to the beach and possibly a visit to the Spanish city of Córdoba before we
leave for 3 days in Lagos, Portugal on Friday! Don’t worry, that one is a bus
trip-no more flying!
I have one last thing I want to include in this post, and
that is a big thank you to my parents and everyone who has helped me get here. I
fully recognize just how blessed I am to be here, and I constantly have to
pinch myself to convince myself that this IS real life. I am so, so fortunate
to be able to do a semester abroad, and I truly hope you all have the chance to
take a trip and visit new places. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the
UK (or anywhere in Europe for that matter), DO. It will change your life. I’m
serious. You have to travel until you find the place that calls to you, and I
also believe you have to travel enough to realize why you really love you home.
Each trip I’ve taken and each new country I’ve visited has taught me something
new about myself or about a new culture. Even though it takes a lot of saving
money to get here and a lot of hard work, I know for sure that I’ll be coming back
to the States a much richer person because of these experiences.
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