Edinburgh

Last week, many of the American exchange students here at the University of Aberdeen were working out the details to their weekend trip in Edinburgh. I was not quite sure that I wanted to leave because of other events I had planned to attend here on campus. But on Thursday night, my friend John persuaded me to go after field hockey training. So that night, I booked the hostel and started to get my bag packed for a weekend of fun in the capital of Scotland.

The next morning I told myself that I would wake up early to do laundry (since I didn't have anything left to wear). I ended up waking up at 9:30 and was rushed to get my clothes washed before our bus left. Fortunately, because I am a great time manager, I got everything packed and we left for the bus station on time!

When we got there, we were able to buy our tickets and jump right onto the bus without waiting too long. It is a 3 hour trip to Edinburgh, but it is not a straight shot. We had to switch buses in Dundee before finishing the final leg to our destination. Without the switch, I would have had a good nap!

Since there were two groups leaving at separate times, the people who arrived earlier (us) decided to grab a bit to eat at a local pub. This was a momentous occasion in my life because it marked the first time that I had ever eaten true pub food. I was going to try haggis, but they were sold out, so instead, I had sausage and mash; another Scottish favorite. It was truly delightful!

That night, after the whole group (13 of us) had settled into our hostels, we met up and had a fun night on the town. The next morning, while many of my fellow travelers were in a grumpy mood because they lacked sleep, I took the opportunity to brighten their day with my charming personality......I'm not sure it worked. Just kidding; with my insensate energy, I made the day much more delightful while we toured the Edinburgh Castle (all in a day's work).

After the castle, we decided to grab a light snack at a local cafe; in fact, this was the same place where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. Although the view of the castle gave her the inspiration for Hogwarts, Harry, and the rest of the gang, my creativity was not working and I could not produce any ideas for an award winning book (darn).

The next couple of hours found a few of us walking enjoying the city before we had to meet up again for dinner. Note to everyone out there: picking a place to eat with 13 people is impossible. We finally found a place and because I am so cheap, I just had a muffin and a glass of water for dinner: that's classy if you ask me. After my fine meal, the group got ready for our "haunted" tour of the cities vaults. Being the man that I am, I didn't get scared, but the history aspect of the tour was very interesting.

The next morning, still more hostility. But, thankfully Craig and his amazing humor was there to save the group. That morning, we took a trip to Holyrood Park where a couple moors rise above the city to give incredible views. It wasn't easy, but once we made it to the top, it was all worth it. The view of the city and the highlands was extremely memorable. But, afterwards, we were too tired to do anything until the bus came. So at about five, we loaded the bus and headed back to Aberdeen. Edinburgh is an amazing city with a ton of history and attractions. I am excited to show it to my family when they arrive.

Cheers!