Haggis, The Red Hot Chili Pipers, and JK Rowling: My Weekend in Scotland

Scotland was one hell of a weekend, in the best way.

It all began with the great train disaster on Friday. We got to King’s Cross station, but severe flooding in the English countryside made the railways impassible.

So our train was cancelled.

By the time we got to another train after running to another train station, we realized we had left some people behind, so most of our group got off before it left the station.

But some kids were still on the train.

We caught another train and wired the first, and we all ended up getting on the same train. Our train was, however, delayed because of rain.

We should be counting our blessings, though, because mudslides actually damaged one of the later trains from London to Scotland that day.

After getting to the first train station at 9:30, we finally arrived in Scotland around 4:30 pm. Four hours later than intended.

We then went on a walking tour of Edinburgh (basically pronounced “Edin-burough”). It’s split into two sections: old town and new town. We stayed in nice one-bedroom rooms at the university in old town. It was weird not having a roommate.

Hamish, the highland cow!

We went on a walking tour of Edinburgh and had dinner at a pub. We saw the Greyfriar’s Bobby, the Elephant House (where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), and other sites.

After a terrible day and miles of walking the town, I ate like it was my last meal. We also had a British staple: Pimm’s (a sort of gin- it’s sold in the states!), with British lemonade (it’s clear and carbonated here) and some fresh fruit.

Then we went to a local pub, called the Drouthy Neebors. We had some great beer and Iron-Bru, a Scottish energy drink. It wasn’t too great. We ended up befriending the bartenders there and went back every night since!

The highlands of Scotland
were so surreal

One guy explained to me a main symbol in town: a lion (powerful Scotland) and a unicorn (beautiful Edinburgh). The unicorn’s neck is chained, signifying the crown jewels of England. This year, Scotland is going to (again) vote for independence from Britain. If that happens, the chain will have to be broken from all of the unicorns in Edinburgh!

It sounds like an exciting time, until you realize that the Scots and Brits hate each other and the Scots have been trying to gain independence for literally hundreds of years.

Saturday, we went on a bus tour through the highlands of Scotland. Our bus driver, Jamie, told all about lochs, clans, glens, Scottish history, and a bagpipe band called the Red Hot Chili Pipers.

HAGGIS!

We also learned that there are about 5.5million people in Scotland, outnumbered by about 10 million sheep. We visited Hamish the highland cow (who has his own Facebook page!) his wife, Heather, and their daughter, Honey! We also passed Doune castle, where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was shot.

For lunch, I had a haggis (yep, you betcha!) and brie Panini. It was delicious! We also drove through Fort William, where the train they used as the Hogwarts Express is.

It was so inspiring as we drove through the highlands, learning about each clan in the area where they lived.  The bagpipe music was awesome, as well.

Drinking scotch on Loch
Ness

Finally, we got to Loch Ness. Growing up, I always read about the Loch Ness monster thinking it would be nice to go there, even though I probably never would be able to.

Lo and behold, I stood on the shore, skipped rocks, and even put my hands in the loch itself!

I also was taken by how…normal the loch was. It really was not a huge tourist attraction. It wasn’t even creepy; it was just like any other loch.

When we thought we couldn’t do anymore, we arrived back in Edinburgh in time for the pub.

Sara cannot handle being
in Elephant House!

Sunday, we went to Rosslyn Chapel. For those who don’t know, it’s where Dan Brown (author of the Da Vinci Code) and many others say the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the Knights Templar treasure, and pretty much every other secret of the world is hidden.

News Alert: I’m writing this on the train back to London and I just noticed we’re running along the coast of the North Sea. That’s kinda cool.

Anyways, the still-functioning Episcopalian church known as Rosslyn Chapel was beautiful yet mysterious. The artwork is all carved and weathered. The sculptures are seemingly random and asymmetric. The crypt is, well, a crypt. But I find a quirky sort of appreciation for this building: after almost a thousand years, it’s still managed to keep all of its secrets.

Note from a friend

We spent the rest of the day shopping and just milling around. We had tea and cake (yeah, I do that now?) at the Elephant House. It didn’t hit me until halfway through the meal that we were sitting in the birthplace the biggest literary character of our generation.

The table we were sitting at had drawers, which we found to be stuffed to the brim with notes. To JK Rowling, to Harry Potter, to the readers of the notes. It was a magical experience. I wrote a note of my own to Jo and put it in the drawer. The bathroom was adorned with messages, as well. Some inspiring, some funny, but all centered around this woman who shared her imagination with the world.

In case you didn’t know, I’m a major Harry Potter fan.

The hills are alive!

Later, some of the group went on a ghost tour. Edinburgh is the 4^th most haunted city in Europe, after all, and they visited the vaults, the most haunted building in Great Britain. It’s been featured on ghost hunting shows.

I, however, went to the pub with the other part of the group to watch the Euro Cup finals against Spain and Italy. Football’s (Soccer) kind of a big deal over here.

Afterwards, one of the bartenders took us to a local nightclub, called the Hive. It was pretty much the greatest club ever. One section played Top 40 radio music, while the other side played anything from alternative to oldies. I absolutely loved the latter. It was such a blast!

The view from Edinburgh Castle

This morning, we climbed Arthur’s Seat at 8 am. Arthur’s Seat is a huge mountain overlooking Edinburgh. The endorphins gave me such a rush!

We then toured the Scottish parliament, aka the artsy-est, most annoyingly abstract building I’ve ever seen. Every squiggle or awkward ceiling panel had “deep symbolic meaning” to the people of Scotland.

We had lunch in a pub (I had bangers and mash: sausages and mashed potatoes!) and then toured Edinburgh castle.

I guess the relationship between England and Scotland is pretty terrible. One guy told me he got thrown out of a restaurant in London because of his accent. It’s scary that stuff like that still exists.

Now, we’re on our way back to the bustling metropolis of London. I really am sad to be leaving such a rugged and exciting country. I felt at home here. I kind of want to come back here to live someday. No kidding. Maybe be a sheep farmer and have all the warm wool I could ever desire?

Let’s just hope my first full week at Verge is worth leaving the rugged highlands of bonnie Scotland.