Scotland: Edinburgh Castle

Views from my semester abroad.

On our last day in Scotland, Hayley, Blair and I went to Edinburgh Castle. Unfortunately, it was a bit cold and rainy, but that just made the indoor exhibits all the more interesting. We saw the crown jewels and tons of history, including old prisons that actually held American colonists!

After visiting the castle we got lunch at The Cellar Door, where I had a pear and walnut salad with balsamic and blue cheese and a grilled pepper, eggplant, and goat cheese sandwich. I also got to try some of Hayley's vegetarian haggis, which was actually pretty good! After lunch we visited the National Gallery of Scotland (which was okay) and Royal Scottish Academy (which was awesome!). Late in the afternoon we got our luggage and headed to the airport, where I caught a plane to London (for my last three days abroad!), and Hayley and Blair jetted off to Ireland.

Scotland: The Highlands and Loch Ness

Views from my semester abroad.

On our second day in Scotland, Hayley, Blair, and I went on a bus tour of the Scottish Highlands! We left Edinburgh early in the morning for a full twelve hour tour. Along the way we saw sheep, mountains, lochs, and rolling hills of yellow rapeseed, and we made a few stops to see the sites and learn about Scottish history. Late in the afternoon we made it to Loch Ness, the infamous home of Nessie. I loved seeing a site I've read and heard so much about!

Scotland: Edinburgh

Views from my semester abroad.

Now that the 2012 Summer Olympics are going on I'm feeling so nostalgic for my time abroad in London. Looking at these pictures of my trip to Scotland has definitely helped!

During the first week in June Hayley, her sister, Blair, and I took a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. We left from King's Cross and traveled via train-- the ride was absolutely beautiful, and the four hour ride really flew by. For lunch we went to the Elephant House, the cafe J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books in! It was so much fun to see where "the magic happened", and my lunch (coffee and spinach & pea soup) was delicious. After lunch we walked to the Museum of Scotland (where we saw Dolly, the cloned sheep), wandered through the town, saw the Scottish Parliament building, and climbed Arthur's Seat, a huge hill that overlooks the whole city. The climb was tiring but totally worth it--the views were amazing!