Sorry for the delay in posts, but my weekly routine is rather uneventful to say the least. Monday-Thursday is spent in class and doing homework. Because my campus is tucked away in a tiny town, I do not have an opportunity to explore during the week. Luckily, last weekend I had the opportunity to take
a trip. I left Friday morning and headed to Edinburgh for the weekend. Knowing next to nothing about the city, I headed to the capitol with an open mind. I had received a pamphlet from Harlaxton about a few things to do in Edinburgh and some maps to help get around. I figured that with these items in hand I would be set to go for the weekend. After an eventful six hour journey by coach, I finally arrived in Scotland. It took a while longer to actually make it to the hotel, however. The coach driver seemed rather amateur and we ended up at the end of a one-way street going the wrong way. In some instances it would be fine to apologize and continue on going the wrong way, but in this case we were met with cement buttresses at the bottom of a steep hill. Again this would not have been a big deal had we been in a car, but backing up a coach uphill is a bit of a challenge. Thanks to the brilliant d
river, our coach drew lots of attention. People on the sidewalks stopped to stare as if a celebrity was driving by. A police officer wearing leather pants, as only a European could, stopped traffic but not before giving the coach a dirty scowl. Needless to say, we were all a bit embarrassed and antsy to exit the coach. Once we finally arrived at
the Royal British Hotel, I was so thankful to get out. With very little information about the city, I set out with some friends to do some exploring. During the day we managed to walk the perimeter of the city and gather a sense of what the culture was like. That evening, per recommendation, my friends and I went to Viva Mexico, a delicious Mexican restaurant. I know you are all thinking, "Mexican food in Scotland?!" but trust me it was wonderful. To finally have some food with flavor, contrary to the school food, was amazing! Chicken enchiladas and a strawberry margarita never tasted so good! On Saturday I woke up ea
rly for a full day of Edinburgh activities. I began
the day with a rather adventurous hike. Not being a fan of the outdoors, I was a bit nervous to tackle the hill-mountain-like monster. Luckily, I had two serious hiker-friends with me to pull me along. The journey to the top was awesome! I could see for miles and that was quite astonishing. Once I finally reached the top, after scaling some vertical rocks, I felt like I had conquered the world. It was so windy and I feared falling over the edge, but I couldn't help but to sit on the edge of the cliff a
nd snap a few photos. After this intense morning hike, I knew that this was going to be the highlight of my trip to Scotland. The rest of the day I spent journeying through the shops on The Royal Mile and taking a bus tour of the city. While the shops were fun, I quickly grew sick of everything labeled "I Love Edinburgh". After a long day of hiking and exploring, it was time for dinner yet again! In the mood for Italian, my friend and I headed to Bella Italia, a popular UK Italian chain, for some pasta. Craving the tastes of home, I decided to order lasagna. The baked pasta was good, but it definitely did not come close to something homemade. Feel free to send me some Mom! :) I woke up early Sunday to begin the long journey back to Harlaxton. Along the way we made two stops. Our first stop was to Hadrian's Wall, which was built in 122 AD. Not being much into history, this was not on my top ten list of things to see, but I must admit seeing something that old was quite impressive. This wall was initially built to separate Scotland from the barbaric people of England. What is left today would not do much to protect the Scots, but at one time this wall was quite substantial. It was interesting to see the l
ayout of what the fort looked like and to think about the people that were there so many years ago. The second stop on the way back to school was Durham, England. This cute little town is home to an extravagant castle and cathedral. I was rather looking forward to checking out the cathedral, but much to my dismay the coach driver had a few issues again. After circling the town several times and losing thirty minutes of out two hour Durham allotment, there was only enough time to grab some lunch. After a disappointing pub lunch, I snagged some delicious ice cream and headed for the coach. The journey back to Harlaxton was another three hours, but it was a nice time to nap and reflect on the weekend. I really did enjoy the natural beauty of Scotland, but Edinburgh will not be on my list of places to visit again. While I did enjoy my time there, the city was overpopulated with tourists and tourist shops. I will try to post again soon, hopefully sooner than the last time! AM
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