Europe (Part II): Edinburgh

18 July 2014

Day eight begins extremely early in the morning. After boarding the coach to King's Cross Station at 6:30, we took a train up to Edinburgh, Scotland for the weekend; I was in seat D37. It was a four-hour ride, so I was able to take my time with some schoolwork. After spending quite some time typing, I turned my music to the Lord of the Ringssoundtrack and watched the landscape stretch into the distance just outside the window. I came to understand why Tolkien used this landscape for his vision of Middle Earth: the fields are spotted with trees, sheep, and lochs. The hills dot the horizon and the ocean is sometimes peering out beyond the hills and licking the ends of the earth. Is there any greater place to write than in the English countryside?

When the train pulled into the Edinburgh train yard at 1222, we exited and boarded another coach. This one took us around town and all the way to our dorms at Pollack Halls. After unloading our bags, a group of us left campus and headed down towards the heart of town. Although Edinburgh is not the size of London, it does offer quite a lot to look at: old buildings from the 1500s, winding cobblestone roads, and hints of the wizarding world. J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book in Edinburgh, so names, places, and backdrops of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Godric's Hollow can been seen as you walk down Victoria Street or the Royal Mile.

As the group headed towards the Royal Mile, we swung into a Scottish pub. Although we had planned to have a quick eat, an elderly Scot came over and ordered us all a round of pints. His name was Jocky (pronounced "Joke-E") and he was a WWII veteran and a very loud man. He continually called the girl in our group a hen and repeatedly swore and made innappropraite innuendos to the guys. We all had mixed feelings about the encounter; yes, a lonely old man was kind enough to laugh with us, but he seemed to cross a few lines with our American and English social behaviours. I would never take back the experience, but it was definitely not the most comfortable moment for our trip. After finishing my haggis and the pint from Jocky, we stayed around for another 45 minutes before heading out of the pub and hitting the road. After leaving, we concluded that Jocky was just conveying the typical behaviour of some Scots; nothing wrong with vulgarity in the land of William Wallace!

When we found the Royal Mile, the weather was perfect: a cool 18 C and sunny. We walked in some shoppes and heard bagpipes in the distance and saw kilts at every corner. We probably walked about 4 km down and up High Street (the Royal Mile) before heading back to campus for supper. There was a large variety of food and coffee at the refectory! I had four lattes and two plates of food (including more haggis). In case you are unaware, haggis is savory meat that contains sheep's heart, liver, and lungs ground up into a paste; it is not for everyone. Dinner was soon followed by a summiting of Arthur's Seat. This dormant volcano shoots out of the earth and looms over Edinburgh. The entirety of the surrounding area of Arthur's Seat has remained unindustrialized, and the hills are rolling and expansive. You can see the earth cut through as though God reached down and pulled a section out of the crust and left it suspended in air. Honestly, climbing Arthur's Seat might come to be the apex to the entirety of this European adventure. You could see miles upon miles, for it is the tallest peak in all of its range. At the very peak, there is a pillar that shoots into the sky from the rock and, when standing upon it, you become the tallest point in all of Edinburgh. There are no rails, no safety hazards, no warnings. If you fall, you will die. Loving the dangerous side of life, I enjoyed suspending my legs over the side of a cliff that was hundreds of meters high. Another element of Arthur's Seat is the chapel that sits at the base of the Seat. It is just ruins now, but neither guards nor tour guides cheapen the landscape. The ruins are free to access and do not have any souvenir shoppe. Although the volcano peers over its top, the chapel still sits upon a large hill, overlooking the northern end of Edinburgh. We stayed in this gargantuan natural area for a couple of hours before returning to civilization. We did it: we climbed Arthur’s Seat, a monstrous volcano, and held the world on a string, all under our domain.

After getting lost and going about two miles in the wrong direction (fool of an iPhone gps system!), we made it to The Montague, a restaurant near campus, for some supper (post-dinner). A few of us just sat down for a bit, relaxed our legs, and talked about Christianity in a post-Christian world and other existential and phenomenological crises. The night closed on a good, reassuring note and I'm glad I am spending my time with these people. They are genuine and full of good sport. I am content.

19 July 2014

Scottish breakfast. The greatest form of breakfast one can have in the morning. Rather than compare it to other breakfasts, consider having dinner: sausages, haggis, toast, bacon, eggs, croissants, lattés, fruit... That's just a start. We had copious amounts of food. After filling up we hit the streets. The group from last night stayed together and we chose to accompany our climb yesterday with time spent in civilization: the heart of Edinburgh. Our first stop was an antique shoppe, where one of us bought a camera and I almost bought a mink scarf and old church keys. We were heading in the direction of the elephant house. This café is the birthplace of Harry Potter, where J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of her series with inspiration bounding in from around Edinburgh and spilling over the pages of a struggling single mother with a dream. The lot of us had a moment of excitement while we embraced the fact that we were in the same space where our childhoods were shaped.

After finishing our tea and coffee (I had an affogato), we hit the road and visited the shoppes of ole Edinburgh. Tweed jackets, ancient books, and kilts were in ample supply. I found a 1914 edition of Dickens' David Copperfield and a vintage tweed and silk scarf. With some more searching, I found a wool scarf that still smelled of sheep. Totally had to get that. The shopping was fun, but does not compare to what we did next. We walked in the Greyfriars graveyard and found the grave of Tom Riddle, Professor Mcgonagall, and Mad-Eye Moody. To be able to stand in the presence of Lord Voldemort was rather frightening, especially with the wall between fiction and reality growing hazy. Hugging the graveyard was the campus of the George Hariot School: the inspiration for the quartered-house structure of Hogwarts, with the house cup at stake with professors presenting and taking away points from the houses based on performance. The entire experience was rather exciting. We finished our Harry Potter tour with a walk through Diagon Alley. Victoria Street below Edinburgh Castle was the inspiration for the hustle and bustle of the shoppes behind the Leaky Cauldron. There even was a joke shoppe like that of Fred and George's.

Wandering up to Edinburgh Castle to get a good look at the city and a fantastic bite to eat at Pizza Express left us tired and ready to nap. So we headed back to campus for a few hours to relax and regain our energy for the night to come.

At 1900, we began our walk back into the city. We found Maggie Dickson’s Pub, which was an old hotel used by Robert Burns after his long journeys coming from London. The pub had great food and even greater history. From the early 16th century, the pub stood in the old city's centre, directly behind the execution platform, where many men and women were hung for the most petty of crimes. We spent a good amount of time at Maggie Dickson’s before heading out to The Montague again. The Montague is closer to campus and has bargain deals for college students. We played card games and had a fantastic time laughing and drinking. At about one in the morning we decided to head back to campus to crash. What another fantastic day in Edinburgh. I'll be sad that tomorrow is our last day here.

20 July 2014

Well, this day begins with yet another amazingly filling breakfast in the traditional Scottish style. Soon after breakfast, we all hit the road on a coach and toured around the Scottish countryside. We were generally headed towards Melrose, a border town that hugs the border of England along the Tweed River. Here, we had the opportunity to explore Sir Walter Scott's humble abode. Known as Abbotsford, this three-section castle has more than enough rooms and decorations. As an eccentric writer, Scott filled his home with everything and anything. From knight armour to a bust of Shakespeare, from long swords and Scottish emblems to bull horns and millions of books, Abbotsford had the neatest collectables. Complimenting the extremely interesting decorations and literary significance of the inside of Abbotsford, the grounds around the property were remarkably beautiful. With the River Tweed in the distance, the many spires of the castle overhead, and the vast array of shrubs and flowers scattered around the garden, Sir Walter Scott had quite the view. I could not imagine living on such glorious grounds. I am even quite jealous of the groundskeeper!

After visiting Abbotsford, we drove into the town of Melrose for lunch. There, I had lunch with Ragan at a small bakery/tearoom. Significantly cheaper than London, we filled up and didn't hurt our purses. I spent no more than £2 on tea and pastries. Walking around the tranquil streets Melrose was movie-esque: small town in Scotland; happy people at every corner shoppe; fields lining every side of the two-road civilization. There was a cute ice cream shoppe on the corner of one of the two main streets in town. With no more than a few hundred residents, the town itself was quaint. Unfortunately, we had only an hour to walk around and eat lunch (although this was more than enough time to see all of Melrose). The shire around Melrose reminded me much of the Shire in Middle Earth; rolling hills with crops and sheep and trees and rivers; bluer skies and whiter clouds and greener grass; dancing leaves and shivering streams; elysium. I have never found more serenity and contentedness from nature. The countryside of Scotland may be the most beautiful place in the entire world. At least, I can guarantee you that I have never personally seen more beautiful a place.

On that note, we sadly had to leave the land of the gods and drive back to Edinburgh to catch our train to London. Our tour guide for this trip was actually from Milwaukee. She met her Scot during school in Wisconsin and moved 27 years ago. She essentially spoke with Scottish colloquial in a Midwestern accent.

The train ride home was much like the one north: The Lord of the Rings music with a background of rolling hills out the carriage window. I sat in seat F23. We arrived at around 1930 and three of us got dinner at Chicken Cottage, a local chain in London that serves chicken-similar meats that are probably just as old as I am. After we finished eating our rubber patties and plastic chips, we headed home. Finally, the long day ended with some quiet relaxation with friends and sweet dreams about the countryside of Scotland.