Fall Break Part 2: Scotland

DAY 1

The second part of fall break we went to Edinburgh, Scotland. Sadly, we were only going to be here for two days, but we planed to make the most of it. Edinburgh is completely different from London. London was more of a late-night party scene with a lot more younger adults. However, in Edinburgh, its a more quiet and calmer scene, with a lot more families and older people. When we first got there, we spent a bit of time exploring. We didn't know this at first, but our hostel was right next to Victoria Street, which is famous for the colorful houses and buildings. After wondering around and admiring the gorgeous views, we stopped for lunch and a few of us got Beef and Cabbage (which was delicious.) After we ate, we went to Princess street which is just below the Edinburgh castle, and it has all kinds of shopping and food vendors. We went into all the different shops and got to see some of the traditional clothes that the Scottish wear. While walking around Princess street, we came across a beautiful Cathedral, that was free entry. We spent a big of time in there admiring all the art and architecture. They had a section where you could light candles as well, so I made a donation and then lit a candle.

After seeing the Cathedral, we headed back to the hostel to freshen up. We then went out again to the Princess Gardens. It was so beautiful over there, and no matter where you looked, there was a good view. We enjoyed the gardens for a bit and then went to a bookstore a few blocks away (I know its surprising). I haven't read in years for pure enjoyment, so my friends wanted me to pick out a book. The bookstore was overwhelming (pretty accurate for a dyslexic), but I ended up finding a cool book called The Operator. After the bookstore we wondered upon this cute little restaurant and went inside for dinner. It had been a long day after all the traveling, so we called it a night and headed back to the hostel. We stayed up for a few hours just talking and picking on each other. Eventually, we actually went to sleep!

DAY 2

The next morning, we started our day off right. With a Full Scottish meal. We has bacon, eggs, tomato's, beans, toast, potato cakes, and mushrooms (which of course I didn't eat)! The idea of baked beans with breakfast sounded so weird to me at first, but it wasn't bad at all. The beans were nothing like the baked beans we have in the states. Instead of a sweet maple flavor, it tasted more like tomato. After breakfast we went straight to the Edinburgh Castle where we booked a self-guided audio tour. We spent about 4 hours at this castle. All the castles I've been in are usually very pristine with fancy items inside all the rooms. The Edinburgh castle was very different. This castle stands on castle rock and have been occupied since the Iron Age; however, it was primarily used as military barracks. It is not one main building, but a bunch of smaller buildings and memorials on top of one big castle rock. When you visit this castle, you feel like you are visiting a military town. There was so much history at the Edinburgh Castle and they even have a museum within it, where you can learn about the medieval defenses, letters from military personnel, chemical warfare, artefacts, military medicine and more.

One interesting thing about the castle was the One o'clock gun. The One o'Clock Gun is one of only a few surviving time signals, once a common feature of ports around the United Kingdom. Its sound was intended to replicate a visual time signal, given by a falling ‘time ball’ on the top of Nelson’s Column on Carlton Hill. The precise timing of the ball’s fall allowed ships’ captains to set their chronometers accurately. This enabled them to calculate longitude, and so to determine the shortest route at sea, saving them time and money. This time ball is still dropped at precisely one o’clock every day, continuing to give a visual signal to ships in Leith Harbor, a sign for captains to set their chronometers by. The gun fires in support and the two signals now a familiar feature of Edinburgh life.

After exploring the castle, we went back down Princess Street to a Christmas shop we had seen the previous day. It was so fun to see all the Christmas decorations and listen to the music. A few people got Scotland Ornaments to bring home to their families. Since there was a homemade fudge shops by the Christmas store, we went there after and all picked out different flavors of fudge (I obviously got marble fudge). Next we went to a different part of Edinburgh, where we went shopping and to the Edinburgh Park where the Rose Fountain is. The Rose fountain is a cast-iron structure that was installed in 1872. It is similar to the Statue of Liberty in that it used to be copper in color but over time has turned green. Because or the Rose Fountain's locations, when standing in the garden looking at it, you can see the Edinburgh Castle in the background. It makes for one of the most gorgeous views. We sat at the Rose Fountain for a while and then went to the big Edinburgh Mall. While some of my friends were shopping and looking around, my friend Emily and I sat on a beach and just talked, enjoying the views of Scotland. After that, we got dinner and went back to the hostel to hand out. At dinner I finally got to try sticky toffy pudding, and it was the best thing ever!!! The next morning we had to be up around 5am, and we were headed to Ireland!