A taste of Scotland

Hello all!

I have recently been reflecting on how wonderful of an experience I had while studying abroad, in particular the 10 days spent with my fellow expats in the British Isles. Since I have already made a video with the pictures I took from London, I would like to share Scotland with the world. My friends and I flew out of the London Gatwick airport heading to Edinburgh, one of the largest cities in Scotland. This region is quite fascinating because the people here have a distinct culture and would like to peacefully become their own country some day. As for now, Scotland exists as part of the United Kingdom, along with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Contrary to popular belief, Northern Ireland is not a part of the Republic of Ireland.

While in Scotland, we were exposed to bitter cold in comparison to our exposure to Mediterranean weather in Granada. It was a sharp contrast that included a day of gale-force winds! There were times that we felt that it was possible to be blown away if we jumped high enough in the air.

The city itself was, of course, smaller than London, but it had a unique charm that is quite hard to describe without actually experiencing it. The people were very kind and were helpful, and sometimes even complemented our American accents. However, I think it just was noticeable than actually charming. My line of thinking says that many Americans love imitating a British accent, but when do you ever hear it the other way around?

We were able to stay at an apartment during our stay, which was a first in our trip. We had stayed at sub-par hostels to save money, but this space ended up being more economical than any of the hostels and hotels in the area. The reason why this was available to us was that the owner was an Australian citizen whose property in Edinburgh was his vacation during the summer. Being winter, there was a need to continue paying the rent, and by offering this space to travelers for a decent price per person (the more people, the less money per night), he solves this issue. During our stay, I volunteered my abilities to cook to prepare dinners for the rest of our group. I made chicken Parmesan with pasta, chicken pesto, and baked macaroni and cheese. This ended up being very cost-effective for the entire group, especially since our other vacation spots required us to eat out for every meal. In addition, the apartment was VERY nice and clean, a nice relief from our previous stay.

A few sites I would recommend to fellow travelers: Edinburgh Castle, any economical theater production in the area, the tour of Mary King's Close, Scots Tower, the Elephant House, and any restaurant in the area that serves Scottish fare.

Here is a video with pictures I took during my stay, enjoy!