edinburgh

Oh my gosh. Edinburgh was just amazing. After 20 minutes of walking around the town I think I declared I wanted to move there. The whole trip was such a huge blessing, I was able to stay with my pastor’s parents and after 5 weeks of mostly going it alone, it was an especial blessing to be thrown into a family. They were so kind and generous and the whole trip was perfectly timed.

I think it’s good I went when I did, this close to the end of my stay here, because I had forgotten how wonderful it is to exist in a place where you speak the same language as everyone else! The first morning I was there I went to a café (to get some of the best scones and clotted cream I’ve ever had in my life – note to America: scones can be soft and cakey, they do not have to be hard and dry! But I digress…) Anyway, as I approach the cashier I feel that sudden pang of anxiety low in my gut as I step up to order which has basically just become routine, before I realize… he speaks English! No need to frantically figure out how to pronounce what I’d like to order and work it into a non-idiotic sounding sentence. I can just ask for scones and clotted cream. The relief I felt in that moment of realization made me realize how much stress I had been feeling in Germany. After that the whole trip was incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating. I heard a sermon in English for the first time 4 weeks and took proper notes, not just doodles. So yes, I’d call it a major success!

the most delicious scones and clotted cream

I got to see the Castle which was so gorgeous. Although I’m not sure which was prettier the Castle itself or the view you had of the city when you were in it. Then I began my walk down the Royal Mile. Shortly after beginning I stopped at The Whiskey Experience for a tour showing visitors how whiskey is made and ending with a free tasting and gift glass. Then onto a few street fair shops where I picked up my Edinburgh souvenir, a (probably more Irish than Scottish) Claddagh Ring. I walked down to Holyrood but by the time I got there it was closed. I got some fantastic shots of the outside though. 

 the magnificent Castle

 from the front

 More castle on the inside

 the amazing view from the Castle

I got to see them shoot the 1 o'clock Gun

St. Margaret's Chapel

the inside

beginning the Royal Mile

my souvenir!

the largest whiskey collection in the world (?) why anyone would want to just collect whiskey and not drink it is beyond me... But it looked cool!

Holyrood

my ring!

a beautiful church I was looking at while stuck under an overhang in the pouring rain. Shortly after this photo I went to a gift shop and bought an "I-am-clearly-a-tourist" jacket.

Then it was onto my culinary adventure. My pastor has a younger brother who was so kind to show me around the city upon my arrival on Friday and then on Saturday took me to try a real Scottish dish, Haggis.  What is Haggis, you ask? Well I didn’t ask too many questions but I think it has something to do with a sheep. And it looks like, “shall I eat it or did I?” However the stuff we got from the fish and chips shop wasn’t too bad. It was fried, as I believe everything that comes out of those shops has to be, so that might have made it seem slightly less terrifying. I mean it’s fried, how bad can it be, right? But in all honestly I could see how it wouldn’t taste too bad stuffed in a chicken breast (a current culinary favorite of the region according to my hosts). We also got an order of fish and chips and split the two, so I got to have two UK culinary experiences in one!

 the view from the hill where we ate dinner

 the haggis!

And then probably the most spectacular part. After dinner we hiked to the top of Arthur’s Seat which is a small mountain in the middle of the city of Edinburgh.  Suddenly you reach the bottom of the trail and realize you can’t even see the city any longer. There are smaller hills on either side of you and the mountain in front. It was pretty spectacular. We started hiking up while the sun was setting so by the time we reached the top it was decidedly dark but so incredibly beautiful. You could see for miles. And unfortunately, the darkness made pictures a bit difficult. I did get a few but my little iPhone failed to capture the awesomeness of the view. And while that was disappointing, in a way I think it made me savor it longer. We lingered at the top and I carefully surveyed the view from every angle trying hard to imprint it in my brain. I think that might have made me appreciate it a bit more – if that’s even possible. After marveling at God’s glory in creation for what felt like an appropriate amount of time we made our way back down the mountain. This proved to be a bit more challenging than I thought it would be considering the darkness. However, despite my frequent predictions, neither of us died. :)

 beginning the climb

 some pictures of the view along the way

 getting closer

  finally the top!

 just before we left

Sunday was church and museum day for me. As I previously mentioned, it was fantastic to hear a sermon in English. I think I definitely needed that rejuvenation. Then I made my way to the National Museum of Scotland. I stayed mainly in the section devoted to Scottish history. And really even within that section I mostly indulged my fascination with church history, spending the majority of my time reading about development of the church in Scotland and glancing around at anything else that struck my fancy. Once the museum closed, I headed to the Elephant Room or also known as the birthplace of Harry Potter(!!) and ordered myself a piece of pie so that I could say I’d eaten there :)

 and my pie

Sunday evening was wonderful. I got to have Sunday Supper with the family and chat a bit more about Scotland and life. Over all it was a huge blessing to not just see a beautiful city but be welcomed into a family. I’ve made friends here in Germany but there’s nothing like staying with a mom (even if she’s not your mom) to make you feel a bit more at home.

Monday I left for Berlin with a 12 hr layover in London which resulted in probably the most chaotic sightseeing adventure I’ve had, but I think that’s for another post!