They Speak English, But I Can't Understand Them

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe." - Anatole France

Well, I've put off this blog for weeks now. Every time I think about it, it's a dauting experience. And the next time I think about it, it's only gotten worse as I've lived between those few days and more has piled on that I need to write about. So first I will apologize for procrastinating on writing, mostly to myself, but to any who actually read this because the usual minute details of my blog probably won't be present. Just take it. 

About two and a half weeks ago I ventured out to Scotland for five days, also known as a "long weekend" in my new Spanish life. We had Monday off from classes, for what I don't even remember, so the trip was doable. Our journey there was rather bumpy as the French air traffic control decided yet again to go on strike. Boarding the plane was delayed by an hour, and once we all scrambled to our seats on the free-for-all airline RyanAir, we were informed we couldn't take off for at least two hours. Haha! But it wasn't that bad. My friends and I talked to the Scottish people behind us, bothering them with questions about what bars to go to, what kinds of foods to eat, and what places to go see. They were really friendly and even invited us to their restaurant about an hour outside of Edinburgh. Unfortunately we didn't get to make it, but just meeting them is one of my favorite parts of traveling: meeting and hearing stories from people all over the world. Even when I'm by myself in a foreign country, I don't feel so alone talking with strangers. 

Once the plane received clearance to fly over France, we took over over three hours past our scheduled time (when we should've been in our hostel in Edinburgh). Typical RyanAir, our flight was rather horrifying. You sacrifice safety for price on these flights. But that's part of traveling and being young right? Living on the edge?! Hmm...yeah...

We finally arrived to our amazing hostel in Edinburgh very late, around 1 or 2 a.m. Our hostel, Castle Rock Hostel, sits just a 10 minute walk from the Edinburgh Castle and has a view of the Castle from many of the rooms. Hogwarts, here I come! Most of our first day in Edinburgh was spent dodging the rain and wind and huddling into different souvenir shops along the Royal Mile. I will say I bought WAY too many souvenirs in Scotland, but at least most of them were for other people. I think all of us got wrapped up in the majesty of Edinburgh. I bet the shops love people like us. For lunch we went to the Monster Mash cafe, a small little diner with Cadbury shakes and shepard's pie. Yummm.

Next we hit up the one and only...cafe where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter!!!!!! I think most of you don't need an explanation of what this means to me, but for those of you that don't: aljsdlf;jsdl;fkjdl;kfjdslk;jf. Life complete. It's called the Elephant Cafe, and it's probably the coziest cafe I've ever been in. From many of the tables there's a view of Greyfriar's Bobby (inspiration for Tom Riddle's grave?) and Edinburgh Castle (HOGWARTS!). My friends and I went here everyday we were in Edinburgh. Not to mention how excited we all were to be there, but the mochas and hot chocolates were delicious. I would be completely content to go there everyday.

For dinner we splurged a little and went to an amazing restaurant called The Outsider. The atmosphere was hip and modern with a little splash of romance. It was nice to sit down and have a great meal. I'm getting used to the meals in Spain, but it's different to have a slab of steak in front of you. For the night, we went to bar on Grassmarket, which by the way we took over. Everyone there loved us. It was live music night, and everyone in the bar was singing together, cheering their drinks, and talking as if they were old friends. I love Scotland.

The next day was one of the best days of my life. The five of us piled into a small bus and toured around the Scottish Highlands for twelve hours. As you leave the city, the Highlands gradually get bigger and ragged. We were very lucky in that the weather was beautiful: mostly sunny with some clouds, and crisp, clean air. It reminded me a lot of being home in Vermont and New York. Our first stop was to see a Highland cow. The one we saw is called Hemish. I love him! I want a baby Highland cow. The Highlands are simply beautiful. We wound through the mountains as our guide, Bill, told us about how Scotland became how it is today. He told us tales of past clans and that battles that took place in the different towns we drove through. In school I never liked history, but now that I'm actually in these places, I'm so thirsty for the knowledge and stories of where these people came from. We stopped for lunch at the Onich Hotel on Loch Onich. It was absolutely beautiful. People get married there a lot, and I can understand why. I kicked up my feet next to the fireplace, sipped on my hot chocolate, and stared out at the view. Ahhh, I could do this any day. We also stopped at Loch Ness! I looked for Nessie, but she was a little shy that day.

That night we took went to another fabulous restaurant. It was just a couple minutes walk from the Royal Mile and very close to our hostel. (Did I mention our hostel was in the prime location?!) I had my first fish and chips ever, which was probably a huge mistake because now I'll never be satisfied back at home. It was so delicious. The night was very relaxing and we all just sat around reveling in the day in the Highlands and what more was to come. 

The next morning we explored the Edinburgh Castle. Without a guide I'm sure we missed a lot of the history, but it was still beautiful. The views of the city from the castle were magnificent but man, it was cold! Luckily there were some inside exhibits, and we even saw the Honours of Scotland! I can imagine trying to hold that crown on my head. Next we ventured to Glasgow, which is about an hour and half from Edinburgh by bus. We were sad to say goodbye to our new home, but excited to see a new city. Glasgow is much different than Edinburgh in that it's much more modern and looks a lot more like, well, a city. Our hostel in Glasgow wasn't as...comfortable we'll say. But we had a bed to sleep in and a "shower" that "worked." We grabbed some cheap (YES!!!) and yummy food at a recommended restaurant on one of the main strips. That night was the USA vs. Canada Hockey game, so later on we found a pub and set up next to the big screen. Of course we were the only Americans and were appalled when the Scottish thought we were Canadian! Although USA lost, it was fun to hang out and have a little slice of home on the screen.

Our only full day in Glasgow was spent exploring the city by foot. We ended up at the Botanical Gardens, a whole world different from Scotland. I felt like I was in a jungle at times! It was a beautiful day in Glasgow (lucky again) so we spent a lot of it walking around in no hurry around the gardens, and back to the city center. After lots of roaming and poking in and out of little shops, we indulged in a movie. A movie in English. It sounds to simple and maybe a little ridiculous, but it was so nice to sit in a theater, my feet kicked back with some chocolate and forget about trying to speak Spanish or understand a Scottish accent or navigate my way around a foreign country. For those two hours I was American again.

The next morning we got up early so we could spent our last hours in Edinburgh. We liked Glasgow, but clearly favored the country's capital. After last minute souvenir snatching, we went to a delicious lunch at The World's End. Fish and chips again with no regrets. It's called The World's End because back at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 King James IV and most of the Scottish nobility of the day were killed by the English. Scotland lay defenseless and the citizens of Edinburgh rapidly built a stone wall around the city to protect it, the Flodden Wall. Parts of the wall can still be seen, and its course ran along the west side of St Mary's Street underneath where the World's End is now built (the pub reuses the foundations of the wall). The main gate on this side of the city, the Netherbow Port, was on the High Street here. Its outline is marked in the street by brass coloured cobbles.

Our last moments in Scotland, especially Edinburgh, were bittersweet. Edinburgh is one of the most amazing cities I've ever been to, so much so that I would consider moving there someday. It was so comforting to not have to attempt to speak Spanish for a few days and to eat some REAL food. The time I spent in Scotland are hard for me to explain, but the best way I know how to put it is peaceful. I found myself very comforted by the city and the country, by the people and the culture. Leaving Scotland was sad, and I will go back someday, but I was also looking forward to being back home in Granada. Because Granada is that to me now. Home. Maybe not the "home" I think of back in New York with my family, or even my "home" in Vermont with my college friends. But somewhere along the way I've found a home here and I find myself excited and happy to be back in Granada, back in my apartment with my host family, back in my bed.