This weekend I went on weekend trip to Edinburgh, Scotland and to the nearby city of St. Andrews to visit my old friend who studies at the University of St. Andrews. Scotland was beautiful! It has both lovely scenery and very unique architecture. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I did not venture to try haggis, which is sheep intestines and a famous dish of Scotland. I was actually planning to try it, since I am pretty adventurous about food (the weirdest thing I’ve probably eaten is either kangaroo or crocodile, both of which I had in Australia), but I chickened out in the end. We went on a walking tour, which was rather long at 3 hours in my opinion, but it was a great way to see the city. This definitely caters to a younger crowd, and the guides actually had some really interesting facts and anecdotes that you won’t usually find the in the average brochure or bus tour—so check them out if you get a chance at SANDEMANs. For example, our tour guide told a hilarious tale about how a few young Scotsmen decided to steal the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey as a symbol (it is usually placed under the Queen or King of England’s throne). He told of all the trials and tribulations, such as the guys dropping the Stone and splitting it down the middle, the multiple attempts before they actually succeeded—none of which were stopped by the police, and the eventual return of the Stone only for Tony Blair to use it to his advantage when he was running for Prime Minister by promising to return it to Scotland if he were elected. But when I read about this on an informational plaque while viewing the actual Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle, all it said was “the Stone of Destiny went missing for a period of time before it was returned to Scotland where it is located today.” Talk about glossing over the details.
Edinburgh also is one of the places where JK Rowling lived, wrote, and got inspired to write Harry Potter. There is a café called The White Elephant that claims to be where JK Rowling first wrote the first book, which may or may not be true since there are in fact many cafes where she used to write. Also in the cemetery of Greyfriar’s Kirk (Church), you can find several gravestones which inspired some of the character names in Harry Potter, such as Riddle, McGonagall, and Moody.
St. Andrews is a beautiful beach town, where we got to explore a ruined cathedral and ruined castle. It is also where Prince William met Kate Middleton, and there is a café in town, which marks where they met when they were both students.
My friend (who I was visiting) and I at the ruined St Andrew’s Cathedral.
Tales from Study Abroad 