Edinburgh

Classes ended Wednesday, and I went to Edinburgh, Scotland for a 4 day trip.

On Thursday morning I set off on an eight hour bus ride to Scotland. After arriving at the University of Edinburgh's Polluck Halls, I settled down before going out to dinner. Walking through Edinburgh, I could feel myself walking through the years of the bubonic plague, William Wallace, and more. A group of friends and I ended up grabbing some fish and chips with a bottle of beer. With our tummies filled, we headed over to the local tavern for some drinks (after passing the statue of David Hume and Adam Smith). Exhausted and satisfied, we walked half an hour back to our rooms. Once back, played 3 hours of Mafia in one of our rooms.

After a filling breakfast Friday morning, we headed out to Edinburgh to explore the city. After stops by the Parliament House, Edinburgh Castle, an awesome sandwich shop near the Castle, and Rosyln Chapel (of Da Vinci Code fame), we rested and waited for the 4th of July part the teaching assistants were going to host. When it was time, we went back into town and enjoyed a buffet given by the hosts and a plethora of drinks from the bar (screw drivers, rum and coke, shots of bacardi, etc), and hit the dance floor. After an exciting evening on the dance floor, we treaded back to our rooms exhausted.

Saturday was another packed day, starting with a 2 hour bus ride to the Trossachs. Hiking through mud, trees, and rocks, we made our way up the Trossachs and through the Valley of the Goblins. It really felt like we were the fellowship of the ring with the sole purpose of reaching Mordor at the top. After hours of hiking, we reached the top to witness one of the most beautiful sights in the world (in my opinion). Of course we were in Scotland, so it started to rain once we reached the top. A couple of hours later, we reached the bus and headed back for our last night in Edinburgh. After eating in the grassmarket for some Italian food, we visited the Elephant House (where J.K. Rowling wrote some parts of Harry Potter), the Frankenstein club, a crazy Irish pub, and ended up at the Espionage club. The last club was 4 floors of constant dancing and hundreds of people trying to make way through the club. Instead of a calm night in the town, I danced the night away in my sweat-drenched sweater. Seriously, Edinburgh looked like Gotham city with the old-fashioned cars, misty buildings, and people in costumes (some locals said it was sexy theme night). I somehow made it back to the room at a reasonable hour and fell asleep.

Our last day was spent in the bus back to Cambridge, with a stop at Fountains Abbey. I forgot to take my sd card, but I will put some pictures up later from the trip (by using some of my friends' photos).

I need to wash my shoes, so ciao!