This past weekend, I went on the best trip I've been on since I've been here.
Edinburgh, Scotland.
I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks as it marked the end of finals and the beginning of the week in between periods. This meant I had no homework or assignments due.
Additionally, it was Halloweekend, and we couldn't wait to go to the Halloween-themed cocktail bars that made you assemble them like potions.
My top 3 most favorite things from this trip were the food, the hostel, and the ghost tour.
I love the Netherlands, but they're not known for any particular style of food. In Scotland, like Ireland and England, I consider their food to be comfort food. The kind of food that my mom would make at home: beef stew, mashed potatoes, brisket with vegetables, etc. Hearty foods that lead you to severe food comas. Additionally, the Netherlands, I've noticed, lacks protein in their dishes. I'm used to balanced, meat-centric meals. A meat as the center of the meal, with vegetables and carbs. The only meat that is available most times in restaurants are burgers. So, I welcomed the steak and ale pies and bangers and mash. I made sure to get my fair share of these Scottish meat dishes before I left. Plus, who doesn't love some creamy mashed potatoes and rich gravy.
steak & ale pie
"grovies": Scottish beef, root vegetables, in a rich gravy, served with bread
As a tea drinker, the best tea to drink comes from the UK - in my opinion. So while we in Scotland, I just had to order tea every breakfast, complemented by the best homemade scones, and served with jam in the cutest little jar.
the jar the jam came in (almost stole the jar)
I got the same breakfast two time in a row
Even though I loved the quaint breakfast, I wanted to get the full package that was the Scottish breakfast. Well, I got a full English breakfast because the full Scottish breakfast included haggis. Haggis is a mix of sheep heart, liver, and lungs. I don't like haggis. But the English breakfast was so good!
eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, black pudding, tomatoes, potato pita, and toast
The hostel that we stayed at was Castle Rock Hostel, right below Edinburgh Castle. It was an amazing hostel, very clean, and they even hosted their own events, like the Halloween pub crawl. There were people of dozens of different nationalities and ethnicities. It was a really cool experience. Everyone was so nice, and people would hang out in the lounge area at night. We met a guy that lives in Liverpool, a couple doors down from where the Beatles' recording studio is located. If you are going to stay at a hostel in Edinburgh, stay at Castle Rock Hostel.
the lounge area of the hostel
they provided breakfast every morning for guests
the view of Edinburgh Castle from the front of the hostel
The last thing out of my top 3 favorite things about Scotland is the rich history of the city. Well, the history I learned about was of the more paranormal history on a ghost tour we went on. It was Halloweekend and we wanted to do something spooky. The past few days, we had been walking through Greyfriars Cemetery to find Tom Riddle's grave, but also to use it as a shortcut. What we didn't know, and what we came to find out on the tour, was that it is one of the most haunted cemetery in the UK. My friends and I did feel presences while walking around it at night, but we didn't think much about it. The tour guide was awesome, and she took us underground to show us some tunnels where some really scary, almost demonic, events took place. Overall, the tour was the best money I had ever paid for, and this Halloween will be one of my favorite Halloweens yet. (also I have no pictures from the tour as I am superstitious and didn't want bad energy on my phone)
Here are pictures of the cemetery the night of our ghost tour:
the view of Edinburgh Castle from the cemetery
me in "costume" in the cemetery
Here is the cemetery during the day - it's a picture perfect fall/halloween photo
Comments
Post a Comment