Zion's Scotland Blog Week 1: Happy To Finally Be Here!!!!!

 From the title you may be able to tell that I am so happy to finally be here!!! After experiencing massive flight delays and cancellations I did arrive to Edinburgh 3 days later than I originally wanted, but at this point I'm just so happy to be here! When first landing in Edinburgh I was surprised at how small the airport felt. It may be that we just landed in a specific area or their airports are organized differently, but I'll update you on that later after my two day trip to London July 27th-28th. 

    As my taxi took me to my accommodations I was already so excited to see how green the city was. Even as my flight was landing it was clear that Edinburgh is a very green place with lots of parks and nature breaking up the city. I was also surprised at how calm it is here right now. I've been told that once the Jazz festival starts that will all change but as of right now its very nice here and even busier areas like St. James Street aren't to hard to navigate as long as you keep your head on your shoulders.

    In the three days I've been here I've already had tons of fun. On Wednesday when I arrived we went on a walking tour of Main Street and New Town, visiting everything from secluded courtyards and quarters to cemeteries and museums. Later that night the group and I visited Edinburgh Street Food in New Town. Not the most authentic or local food, but if you're looking for a diverse selection of options its a great choice!

    The next day I hiked Arthur's Seat for the first time! The hike is so beautiful and has so many pathways up that I've gone two more times since then (thinking of making it a morning ritual). Then I met with Allegra, our student experience coordinator, at Red Kite Cafe, for orientation. While there I had a delicious Chai and tomato cheddar scone 💅🏼. Later my flatmates and I went to Sainsbury's to get ingredients to cook up some spaghetti dinner.

Then on Friday I went on another hike up Arthur's seat, went to a cafe with a friend, and then went to the Edinburgh Zoo with some other friends, using the bus for the first time. Edinburgh Zoo was beautiful! The animals felt very close and accessible compared to other zoos with their being an area where you could watch wallabies unfenced, they could just walk right up to you! Additionally, even though it was a smaller zoo compared to the San Diego we still spent five hours there as there's a lot to explore and it's very hill so you can get a good workout in lol. Later we got pizza at Matto's Pizza which was so delicious and good bang for your buck and then walked over to St James Square to get gelato and check the area out. Walking around Edinburgh is such a pleasant experience as everything is nearby, there's plenty of room on the streets (and no threat of scooters taking you out), and its stays light out until almost 11pm at night! 

Today I plan on going to Edinburgh's Farmers Market as well as xploring more of the local shops nearby and tomorrow I'm taking a train to Perth! I'll tell you all about it next week! Bye 👋!

P.S 

Below I've Included Some more photos from my Arthur's seat adventures!