A Few Days in Scotland

Tonight concludes a short stay in Edinburgh, Scotland. Another amazing UK city with its castle overlooking everything around it. I arrived here after taking a bus across the entire country. There was plenty of beauty to be seen throughout the 4 hour drive. We went through mountains, small towns, forests and farms. However, the entire journey was plagued by rain.

The rain continued throughout the day and into the night. I decided no storm could stop me so equipped with my rain jacket I explored a beautiful park in the middle of the city and visited the national gallery. I got quite lost as I continued to walk around on Thursday, but that's half the fun of an adventure. I eventually gained my bearings, but at that point was fairly soaked. Once dried I ate some local Scottish beef and had a few pints at a local pub.

Friday I was educated on much of the history behind the city. I took a tour lead by a girl from Chicago. She did well and seemed to know a lot about Scottish history, and after four years of being here was developing an accent. The tour took us through most of the Old Town of Edinburgh. We saw cathedrals, graveyards, markets and best of all the Castle of Edinburgh. The castle is remarkable in its positioning in the city. It sits atop jagged rock and is visible from many points around the city because of its height.

One anecdote during the tour was of a famous dog in the city. The story goes that the dog, Greyfriar's Bobby, kept watch of the graveyard with his master. When his master died the dog found his way to his master's grave and remained there for 14 years. Now there is a headstone at the front of the graveyard along with restaurants and things nearby commemorating Greyfriar's Bobby.

After the completion of the tour I hiked over to the National Museum of Scotland, which houses some incredible relics. Six floors of Scottish and world history as well as a rooftop terrace overlooking the city. After all that I could not absorb anymore history, so I found a pub nearby. I had no choice but to eat the Mussels in Guinness with a side of Guinness. I enjoyed some cricket while eating and then went for a nap in the park while the sun set behind the castle. Saturday I am off early to Amsterdam for a spontaneous trip to the continent.