Zion's Scotland Blog Week 4:Londons, Lakes, and Musicals

   

 Hi Everyone! Sorry for the late journal, I've been very busy with travel and school (even as I write this I'm about to leave for a trip to Inverness). This week I went to The Edinburgh Botanical Gardens, a solo trip to see the bridges of Dalmeny, an overnight trip to Lake Grasmere, and then a weekend trip to London!

    The Edinburgh Botanical Gardens were so beautiful. Honestly, I much preferred them to the Glasgow Botanical Gardens as they were bigger and more organized! It was slightly rainy too which made the whole area smell super earthy!

   

During my trip to Dalmeny I crossed some bridges, walked to Inverleith, and visited the small beach town area! Walking on the bridge itself was a very cool view as you get to see the ocean and little cities around it as well as the rolling hills of Scotland. It was super windy, but I had a lot of fun! After I got off the bridge I noticed there was a pathway and walked all the way to Inverleith (tbh it was Sunday so everything was closed). As I walked back I saw lots of wild raspberries and more beautiful ocean 🌊 :) .

    Then on Wednesday we left Edinburgh to go to Lake Grasmere and visit William Wordsworth's home! It was so quiet and serene and even though I brought my bathing suit we learned the lake had an algae bloom so no one could/should swim in it at that point. I also went on a boat ride, a walk along the countryside, and got some of Sarah Nelson's Famous Grasmere GingerBread!

    Later on Saturday we left Scotland to go to London! I took an EasyJet flight and we landed in Stanstead and then took the train and bus to head over to West End. We had some time to kill so we went over to the National Portrait Gallerey. The UK has so many free museums and galleries it's crazy! The U.S needs to make their museums similiar and more accessible. I saw a sculpture made out of twn pints of blood, portraits of different UK celebrities, and a bunch of other cool portraits like Mary Queen of Scots'! Then I watched The Book Of Mormon at Westend Broadway! It was super funny and it had me dying laughing (it's very crude and offensive though so if you don't know much about it maybe do a little research before hand). The next day I visited the Tate Modern, London Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and China town! We also stumbled across an outdoor space built to watch the Olympics! It was super cool and I loved the communal vibes!

    Next week is my last week in Edinburgh :( . While I'm sad I have to leave (and honestly can even imagine myself living here) I'm ready to see my family and be in a more familiar space. See you in my last post on Sunday!

P.S Some Extra Photos