Welcome back for the next installment in Adventure Awaits: Traveling the World with Alex and Ani! This week, Rachel describes her amazing trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. She visited historic landmarks, saw gorgeous scenery, and even learned how Edinburgh was a major source of inspiration for the author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling.
_____
Despite being a bit run down from lack of sleep, we headed out to explore. Our first stop was hiking to the top of King Arthur’s Seat. King Arthur’s Seat is a famous group of tabletop hills located in Holyrood Park. The view from the top gives you an amazing 360° view of Edinburgh and beyond. The name comes from the legendary story of King Arthur. King Arthur’s Seat also once was a volcano spot.
The hike was amazing and the views were absolutely breathtaking. Scotland is unlike anything I had seen before. It looks like postcards of places you always dream of going. It’s full of greenery and nature, vast blue skies, smells of fresh air (which is rare in a city), and seems like a fairytale. It was hard to believe it was real because it was so beautiful!
Hiking King Arthur’s Seat.
At the top, we spent our time savoring the beautiful view. I couldn’t believe that we hiked over five miles while being exhausted. I had never felt so rewarded and happy. It felt as if I was on top of the world, and in a way, I was!
From the top of King Arthur’s Seat.
After the hike, we spent time at Edinburgh’s Castle. The tour was a few hours long and we learned about the royalty in Scotland. It was fascinating and I loved seeing the Crown Jewels. We finished off our tour right as the sun began to set over the city. It was even more breathtakingly beautiful as it was bathed in a golden hue.
The next day saw us on another fantastic walking tour and into several free museums. In the UK, you can get into most museums for free. I don’t think I’ve ever done three museums in one day as I was mesmerized by paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Raphael, and many others.
In our walking tour, we learned even more about the rich history of Edinburgh. I had no idea that the city was so important to JK Rowling who had drawn so much inspiration for her Harry Potter series. We went into cafes where she once sat and wrote, saw the grave of Tom Riddle in the famous Greyfriar’s Kirkyard cemetery, and even what she modeled the four houses of Hogwarts after. There was more history on the tour about the churches, people, culture, government, and writers who had passed through Edinburgh.
I loved walking through the streets, especially the Royal Mile to see bagpipers dressed in kilts as they entertained those who passed by, gazing at architecture of the old cobblestoned streets and closes, and having people call me lassie. The history of the city made the experience even better for me. I had a really hard time leaving Edinburgh even though I knew that I would be back loving life in Barcelona when I left.
I don’t think I’ve ever spent a spring break exploring as many new places or laughing as hard as I did with my friends. We have so many inside jokes ranging from trying weird drinks known as the Sailor Jerry to the nicknames of our bunk beds in Scotland (they still call me “Rabbie” to this day). I will treasure the times we shared for the rest of my life and always have the stories to tell over and over. I’m really lucky that I had the opportunity to catch up with my friends from school and get the chance to become closer with them as we met up in Europe.
Being able to travel is an opportunity that not everyone has the chance to do. When you are given this chance, I implore you to take it. Traveling will expose you to so much of the world! Your mind will be opened to new foods and places, you learn so much about yourself, and you meet so many fantastic people.
Not only did I meet awesome people, but I also got the chance to reconnect with a friend who is studying in Scotland for college. My friend, Sophie, took the bus in from where she goes to school at St. Andrews to see me on my last day in Scotland. It was fun to reconnect after many years. She showed me some of her favorite places in Edinburgh and we did some shopping as well! It’s really amazing what being abroad allows you to do. You end up reconnecting with old friends who you never thought you would run into…and in Europe of all places!
The sights and places that I visited were opportunities of a lifetime. I will forever hold a piece of each country in my heart and can only hope to return back to them one day to visit other cities. After Edinburgh, it was back to Barcelona and then off to a weekend in Portugal as my semester began to rapidly wind down.
_____
Excited to see where Rachel’s journey takes her? Be sure to check back next week for more Adventure Awaits: Traveling the World with Alex and Ani!