Taking the High Road to Edinburgh

Yes, I know. I'm incredibly behind on posts. I told you this would happen, so I refuse to take responsibility for my tardiness. Suffice it to say, the past two weeks have been a figurative "stormageddon" (while I hear the literal one is still raging on the east coast of the States - stay safe you guys!) of trip-taking and... paying attention in classes, of course.

Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. Okay.

It was a Wednesday. The cold London winds had pushed my easyjet plane all the way to the Edinburgh airport, and as I took my bus into the heart of the city to meet with Eric and Adriane, a flood of memories came rushing back. It's funny how I never knew that I had missed Edinburgh, a place I'd traveled to about three years ago with my dearest friends Rebecca, Carol, and Bob, until that moment the bus turned onto Princes Street and I was facing my beloved city once again.

The Scott Monument. My favorite part of Edinburgh.

Eric and Adriane met up with me once I got off the bus. I got to see their living situations in Edinburgh, and afterwards they took me to a cute restuarant called the Candy Bar, where we ate dinner and shared drinks that were roughly 15% drink, 85% ice. We got fondue at the restaurant, and I tried to make a s'more by holding the marshmallow over the table candle... needless to say, that plan did not work out very well, and we realized afterwards that any Scottish people in the bar probably had no idea what we were trying to do... besides catch the whole place on fire. That night and the next day are a little bit of a blur to me because we honestly had more of a laid back time of it, romping around the city when we had the chance. Adriane and I shopped (something Edinburgh does not disappoint in, let me tell you) and I got to sit in on one of Adriane's classes before we went out on the town and visited the Elephant House, known for where J.K. Rowling penned the Harry Potter books. The other main thing we did those days (and basically every day we spent together in Edinburgh) was go to the Chocolate Soup, a cafe where they sell amazing hot chocolate.

287 steps later... the view from the top of the Scott Monument.

I was worried before getting to Edinburgh because of the fact that my last visit had been during the lovely summertime. Everyone I talked to warned me that, because it's winter and the city is much farther north than London, I would be enduring rather than enjoying Edinburgh this time of year. God couldn't have blessed us with a better weekend. Friday we hiked Arthur's Seat, which affords a great view of the city of Edinburgh once you've reached the top (see bottom picture). The skies were clear and the sun was out in the open, which is incredibly unusual. The few hours it took us to complete our journey up and down Arthur's Seat was, despite the cold climate at the peak, perfect. Couldn't have asked for a better day. We also experienced similar wonderful weather on Saturday, when Adriane, Eric, another Edinburgh student Emily, and I took a tour of the Highlands that included a boat cruise on Loch Ness. It was the best weather they'd had in Edinburgh since they had arrived, and it was a special treat for me to experience the sunshine with them for a couple days.

Looking for a migratory African or European swallow from Doune Castle.

(Shooting location for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in case the reference didn't land...)

Sunday Eric was kind enough to accompany me to Doune Castle so that we could act out scenes from one of my favorite comedies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Once again we experienced great weather and got to see the castle where timeless scenes were filmed, scenes such as "Swamp Castle," the "Knights of the Round Table," "Castle Anthrax," and the "French Guard." We had a pretty great time while we were there, and I got a copy of the script from the store before we left (they were out of hollowed-out coconuts).

One of the many breathtaking stops on our tour of the Highlands.

After getting back from Doune, Eric went back to his dorm and napped (I guess I'm a handful to babysit) while Adriane and I went out for dinner at Monster Mash, another frequent stop for university kids in Edinburgh. We had a great time vintage window shopping and going to bookstores in the Edinburgh area, finishing off the night with a traditional British meal, bangers and mash. Eating this meal made me wish Mrs. Featherbottom was serving it to me within the Bluth residence... which made me wish I brought my Arrested Development seasons to the UK with me.

Dear Arthur's Seat: Why are you so cold?

Monday morning was my last morning in the city of Edinburgh. Adriane, Eric, and I climbed up the steps to the Scott Monument (pictures are definitely out of order guys, I don't know how to make them sequential) and were able to get a great panoramic view of the city. It was a picture perfect way to spend my last few precious hours before heading back to London - right after getting lost in Blackwell's bookstore, the British equivalent to Borders. I was so happy to get to spend time with Eric and Adriane, and was a little sad to part ways with them. But our paths would cross again very, very soon...

The land of my people. Anderson = Scottish clan. Our motto is "Stand Sure."