Epic Escapades in Edinburgh

I. Love. Edinburgh.

It was love at first sight. The second we stepped off the bus to a view of of the magnificent city walls and old castle in front of a backdrop of majestic Scottish crags and mountains, I knew that this was it.

Wow. This is when I wish that I had some literary genius to kick in and be able to fully encapsulate how incredible this city is...words just can't do it justice! 

If there is one destination in the UK to visit, this is it :)

I felt like I was transported into a Disney movie (cue the theme song for Brave) with the towering stone buildings and the intimidating countryside in front of me.

We started our morning off with a good 'ol English breakfast before heading to our 9:30am free walking tour of the city (for anyone planning on visiting Edinburgh, SANDEMAN'S tours is HIGHLY recommended by these 13 journeyers!) Our guide, Chris, is a history buff from Australia who fell in love with Edinburgh's rich history, stories, and architecture and walked us through the most important sites of the city, telling fun and vivid stories for each landmark. We heard the story of the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written by Edinburgh native Robert Louis Stevenson. The story goes a little like this: a locksmith named Deacon Brodie, a fine upstanding man by day making his living by fashioning locks for the city kept a key of each one to break in at night when the home owners were away. Finally, the city caught on and formed a committee to catch the thief. Naturally, they needed an expert who knew locks well to investigate how this thief was so efficient at breaking in... so naturally Deacon Brodie was named chair of the committee to catch himself! It wasn't until 11 months later that Edinburgh caught on that Deacon Brodie had outsmarted the system!

I love Scotland. They tell it like it is ;)

The Royal Mile is the main street of Old Town that is one Scottish Mile long (slightly longer than our mile, because the Scots like to do things differently ;) ) and stretches between the palace and Edinburgh Castle. Hence, the name "royal" mile.

Our tour guide had us take this picture as a re-creation of 10pm every evening in Old Edinburgh when the apartments around the city would all open their windows to empty their chamber pots into the street with a shout of "Garde Loo"...only the most unfortunate passers-by were the ones who looked up, mouths open, to hear what the noise was...yuck!

We heard the story of Maggie Dickson (an elaborate story of a woman who got hung but lived--a whole bunch of hilarious mishaps connected to her), Bobbie the dog (a loyal pup who became a figure of the city as he watched over his master's grave loyally for over 15 years and still receives treats to this day on the marker dedicated to him), and Ian Hamilton who is famous for attempting to steal the stone of destiny back for Scotland.

All twisted tales, they add such a colorful element to the city's rich history and we loved going location to location hearing the significance of everything! 

Cousins in front of the Castle...isn't it incredible?!?!

My sweet best friend and most favoritest travel buddy, Emily!

The girlies :)

Following the tour, it was time for our first experience with Haggis--we learned not to ask what's in it ;)
The verdict is in: I love it!!!! It's like an amped up meatloaf on mashed potatoes and parsnips, mmm mmm good!

Emily and I are splitting buddies on pretty much every food imaginable....good thing we split this puppy! One can only eat so much Haggis haha

The EdinBurger...he he punny ;)

We had intentionally planned to visit the city during its famous festival season in August and hit up some of the venues for the fringe festival seeing an incredible quartet from Trinity College (viola, 2 violins and a cellist= out of this world!), and a comedy show. It was so fun experiencing the festival atmosphere as a college student since there's so much activity and energy in the city! I loved getting the festival feel this time around and am looking forward to coming back to get another taste of Edinburgh in its slightly calmer days too :)

Later, Erik and I met with Uncle Julian's good friends Alastair and Brian, which was a treat! 

Afterwards, per Brian's suggestion, Erik and I grabbed a Scottish famous food: deep-fried Mars Bar: aka heart-attack waiting to happen! When we arrived in Scotland, we of course asked "what foods must we try before we leave?" 
First on the list? Haggis? 
Second? Deep-fried Mars Bar.

Well, we weren't about to do the country injustice anytime soon and headed promptly for the best place to get one.

I was so surprised when I watched them make it: they literally take a Mars bar, unwrap it, drop it in a vat of batter, and fry it. Oh. My. Arteries.

But boy, was it delicious! The chocolate, caramel and nougat were warm and gooey and perfect from the frying, and the crunchiness of the outer covering of batter was just right....disgustingly good. Thank goodness they don't sell these in the U.S.! 
Who knew Scotland would be so famous for them! Haha

Word on the street is that the Scots also do a deep fried pizza: taking a slice of pizza, they stuff it with French Fries, fold it, deep fry it, and serve it next to....more french fries.
Oh dear! I think I've reached my fried-food quota for today with that Mar's Bar!

That night I had the blessing of staying with Annamieke Kaper, Kenzie's sister, and Ian, who were such gracious, incredible hosts!!! So grateful for their amazing hospitality :)

Day 2

The next morning we all arrived in the city bright and early for our day trip to Loch Ness! What an adventure! 

Amy and Em shots, for the win <3

My Bruin Belles seestahs in Scotland!

As if I couldn't love Scotland any more, the countryside absolutely blew me away! On our way to Loch Ness, we passed by dozens of beautiful lochs, the castle where they filmed Monty Python, the field that James Bond and M stand over in Skyfall, and dozens of famous lochs and battle sites of the ancient Scots.

So. Neat.

The coolest part of the journey was our travel guide, Keith, a man with a delightful Scottish accent and a great knack for telling colorful stories and tales. Those stories and the history add so much more to the experience! Our group had lots of fun re-counting our favorite stories of the day to each other later.

Arriving at Loch Ness, we hopped on a boat to tour the lake--best decision ever. Loch Ness blew us all away! I had NO idea it was so deep and so vast! 
Did you know: you can fit the whole worlds population inside and still not full it!
And it contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined!

Running joke of the day is that Stevie and I were the Loch Ness monster...combined. Haha

The men on the boat eat, sleep, and breathe Loch Ness and had a great time retelling Nessie stories :) Again and again, highlight of this trip were the stories :)

Nessie spotting ;)

Cutest little four headed monster I ever did see!

Arriving back into town later that evening, we grabbed some wood-fired pizza. I got Haggis pizza....when in Scotland, right?.

Before catching our bus home in the morning, my dear friends Victoria, Erica, Stevie and I woke up early to catch the famously gorgeous Scotland Sunrise....and it was magical :)

Did you know that Scotland declared itself the "Athens of the North?" Neither did the rest of the world! During the Scottish Enlightenment, the city set out to built a proper Parthenon on the top Of Calton Hill. They only got 12 columns in before running out of money and the unfinished structure became the city shame. Oops! 

However, let me tell you, this site makes a beautiful backdrop for a sunrise! We had a miniature breakfast picnic as we watched the sun come up behind us and begin to light up the Edinburgh Castle.....breathtaking.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

What a stellar way to end a stellar trip! This was my last weekend of adventure, as I journey home in exactly 6 days from now.

I cannot believe how fast the time has flown! I am overwhelmed by the Lord's incredible blessings. I am especially thankful for my incredible parents who have supported me, guided me, and encouraged me this entire trip.

A heart full of unbelievable memories, tummy full of some of the world's finest culinary delights, and a head full of physics (we hope....haha), I could not be more thankful for Summer 2013. I have learned so much about myself through travelling and living alone in a foreign country; have been humbled through multiple growing and learning experiences; have been overjoyed at the ways the Lord has used me this summer; and have been so blessed by the friends and sisters He has given to me for an eternity <3

"Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

his love endures forever.

Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord

or fully declare his praise?

Psalm 106: 1-2