Wanderlust In Edinburgh

Hello mates! It has been a wonderful whirlwind settling into Scottish lifestyle. Days have been filled with a lot of orientation meetings, learning how to use the bus system, and how to have proper etiquette at a pub.

Yesterday we went to Edinburgh, which is the capital of Scotland. I stepped off the double deck bus in marvel of what I saw around me. I stopped, closed my eyes, and listened to the hustle and bustle and the accents. Everything was drawing my attention - the beautiful cobble stone roads, the vibrant Scottish folk, and the historic buildings that stand so tall. At this point, I just wanted to be set loose to explore on our own, but we continued as a small group to the Edinburgh Castle.

The Edinburgh Castle is not as pretty as you'd imagine, but it is a military castle. It's known as a historic war museum. The Castle seemed to sit at the highest point in the city with views that were breath taking.

We climbed to an overlook area where we saw the surrounding cities and the North Sea. We explored the castle entering many buildings that had magnificent detail. We eventually stumbled across the Royal Crown Jewels that were once in fact stored safely in the Dalkeith Palace. Pretty neat!

Riley, Morgan, and myself then proceeded to warm up with a spot of tea and get out of the rubbish weather. It was bloody windy and cold! We went into a restaurant/lounge called Amber. This is also a prime place to try over 330 different single malts, blends and liqueurs. We will try the Scotch Whiskey Tour at some point on our adventures to Edinburgh. I had a blossom tea, while the other ladies had hot coco and a mocha. They all tasted quite well.

A wee bit of tea.

We then walked along the Royal Mile until we decided to find our way to a bus stop and navigate ourselves home. Once we reached Dalkeith (30 minute bus ride), we went out to dinner at Black Smith Forge. I had a ham and cheese panini with chips (french fries). It was excellent! I found it quite odd coming from a restaurant background that when we arrived at the restaurant we seat ourselves, find our own table, then wander up to the bar to order our meal. Then a waiter serves us our meal. I also found out that it's only customary to tip about 10 % and we don't tip at the pubs.

Speaking of pubs - we ventured out to Maysons. I was there with about fifteen other students. It's a quaint pub - super chill. I had a Magners cider which are very popular here in Scotland. They brew strawberry, pear, lime and so many other types of ciders! Right up my alley! Also, alcohol here in general is much stronger than in the United States. Maysons represents Wisconsinites well!

I have only been here for four days, but I can already say I love it. There is no city in the United States that is even close to being similar to Edinburgh. The culture, rich history and architecture are simply fascinating. It doesn't seem real yet. I hope this experience gives me a glance at other career opportunities that may be abroad. Our Resident Director said her study abroad program was a pivotal experience for her, and I am hoping to walk away from this experience being able to say the same thing.