It is now approaching the end of my time here in Edinburgh. The two classes have been very challenging but very informative. The professors have been great even if I have had to read a little more than I was expecting. This course work though made both the little and large adventures just that much more enjoyable. I knew that I would need to work harder during the week in order to have time on the weekend when I could leave Edinburgh and explore Scotland. The first weekend in Scotland I spent in Glasgow with friends from the program. We visited downtown, the university and some other historical sites. We also stayed in a hostel for the first time which was actually not bad.
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| University of Glasgow |
On my third weekend a group of 9 of us traveled to the Highlands in northern Scotland to go to the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness and the Highland Games in Inverness. This was an adventure that included a couple bus rides and a train ride during the 4 day trip. The Isle of Skye was a location that I wanted to travel to during my time in Scotland. The stunning views and scenery were what I was expecting and it was definitely worth spending the whole day there. I would recommend that anyone who travels to Scotland should try to visit the Isle of Skye if possible, and take in the Highlands.
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| Isle of Skye |
After our day at the Isle of Skye we went to the Highlands game in Inverness. The event was very fun to attend because of the tradition in all of the proceeding and the traditional events that made up the Games. Some Americans even traveled to participate in the event along with other Europeans and Scots. This was another highlight event of my entire experience in Scotland. The last half day of our trip was spent at Loch Ness. During our time at Loch Ness the highlight were the highland coos of Scotland. And we did not spot the Loch Ness Monster.
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| Highland Coo |
On my last weekend we traveled to St. Andrews by train to visit the city and the famous golf course. After arriving we spent the morning playing the 9-hole course, which was one thing that my dad told me to do if I had the chance. St. Andrews is sometimes considered the birthplace of golf and the beautiful course did not disappoint. We visited the castle and cathedral ruins while also getting a taste of Gelato. As we were leaving the Scottish rain made an appearance when we taking our picture on the famous bridge.
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| Old Course, St. Andrews |
I also enjoyed the class excursion in Edinburgh that gave the classes we took some reference to where we were living. On the excursions we explored both Edinburgh and Stirling castles as well as Arthur's Seat and the city as a whole. Arthur's seat offered an amazing view of the city and surrounding towns. And one day we decided that we wanted to go swimming in the North Sea which was near Edinburgh. So a group of five of us took the bus and took a dip in the freezing water. One night we hiked up the lower hill below, dubbed Arthur's foot by us, and it began to rain out of nowhere, a typical Scottish evening.
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| Arthur's Seat |
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| Portabella, North Sea |
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| Arthur's Foot, overlooking Edinburgh during dusk in the rain |
Nolan Bartnick
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