To begin this throwback series, let's talk about Scotland in May! A mere week after returning from our Croatian adventure, I set off again to visit my friends Zach in Edinburgh and Domina in St. Andrews for a little under a week. Scotland has been on my bucket list since I first heard bagpipes. Or maybe since I ugly cried over P.S. I Love You. Wait, actually it was when I found out that the National Gallery had Titian's entire Diana series and free admission, and Kate and Will met at St. Andrews, and I saw Robin Williams do his bit on the invention of golf.
The point being I really wanted to go to Scotland.
So the first Friday of May, I hopped on the earlybird Bologna-Amsterdam-Edinburgh flight and was in the uncharacteristically sunny city to meet Zach by mid-morning.
We went on a mini-tour of Edinburgh, around the Prince Street Gardens, over The Mound, along the Royal Mile, through Grassmarket and up to the castle. Then we went to a fantastic cafe called Black Medicine- I'd probably move to the city just for the National Gallery and Black Medicine's boat-sized cappuccinos. I got to meet some of Zach's friends over coffee, everyone having just returned from some incredible study-period trips and brimming with stories.
After a quick stop at the grocery store for some Scottish cookies, chocolates, and beer (we're responsible adults) we headed back to Zach's flat, where I got to meet his charming accented flatmates and order Indian food online- so dangerous. Two things I learned my first night there: Scottish Indian food is a religious experience so delicious that it makes you laugh/cry with your mouth full (not attractive but involuntary) and when you feel nauseous about a country's conversion rate from the euro, you know it's bad.
Wild berry and Mango-Raspberry hard cider. Basically the Scottish equivalent of a girl ordering a Tequila Sunrise, an Apple Martini, or anything with a pineapple chunk and an umbrella. Not that I care, they were delicious.
Sunday I did some solo exploring of the city, spending a few hours at the National Gallery, then walking through the gardens in a light drizzle and back up through the Old Town's dark buildings, popping into bookshops and trinket stores along the way. I met Zach back at Black Medicine for another boat of coffee and my first bagel in a year. The poor guy was studying all weekend for two exams, one on Particle Physics and the other on planet sizes or something. Lord knows I was impressed.
To give Zach a little more study time, I took a lovely after dinner walk through The Meadows. They were all lit up with flowering pink trees and tiny street lamps. I brought my journal and spent a few hours just sitting on a bench writing down everything that had happened in the hectic last month and sipping on a hot tea I'd grabbed on the way.
The next morning, Alec was back from his extra stint in Iceland and the three of us went on a cafe tour of the city looking for the perfect study spot. I got to see the Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, and we wound up at their sister cafe Elephant & Bagels. I love the cafe culture in Edinburgh and the UK in general- lots of quality, unique places that don't really mind if you camp out for a few hours.
At noon I left to catch my wifi-enables (what?!) coach bus up to St. Andrews and the lovely Domina.
St. Andrews is the most charming three-street town you'll ever see. I immediately fell in love with the quaint houses, the golf course, the signs of the university all around, and, of course, the sea. After a relaxing evening of stir fry and catching up with one of my favorite human beings on this earth, we woke up on Tuesday morning and headed into the sunny town center. Domina had a paper to finish so I left her to it and stopped by a coffee shop on my way to the shore. I wanted to go because I'd heard that's where Kate met Will, but it turns out that's where she dumped him. In any case their lattes were good.
I sat on a bench sipping my coffee, wearing the new scarf I had purchased in my family's clan tartan, and snapping pictures of seagulls. After a bit I decided to climb down to the rocky part of the beach to explore the crystal-clear tide pools. The breeze was salty and the sky was blue and I was in heaven.
For lunch I met up with Domina to grab some sandwiches and we took them back to 'my' bench to eat. We both got her favorite from a place called Cherries- fried chicken, spring greens, avocado, brie, and cranberry sauce. Are you joking? Maybe the best sandwich I've ever had.
After lunch we walked along the coast to the massive ruins of the cathedral. Built in 1158 it was an absolutely massive Roman Catholic monument until it was destroyed during the 16th century reformation. Now you can see one wall and a tower still standing along with the floorplan. The rest has been turned into a graveyard.
We walked down from the cathedral to the beach, passing fishing boats and walking out along the pier. There were bagpiped playing on the beach and we took off our shoes to run into the North Sea.
We walked back into town, window shopping as we headed back to her flat, and got the most incredible donuts. Topped with some kind of butterscotch fudge and filled with rich custard... my mouth's water just remembering them.
Apparently Kate and Wills drank a lot of coffee.
After a quick nap, we came back to town for dinner at the best fish and chips place in town from The Tailend. Again we brought them back to the same bench and sat there watching the fun set and dipping flaky bits of fish into malt vinegar and fresh tartar sauce. The night ended with a trip to the movies and a summery walk home.
The next morning I left Domina and stopped by Gorgeous to grab a scone right out of the oven. Mine was warm and buttery, filled with raspberries, blueberries and chunks of white chocolate. Oh and on top of that the man felt bad I'd had to wait a few minutes for the scones to finish and so he slathered on some raspberry jam and clotted cream and also gave me a free coffee! I love St. Andrews!
I had a quick layover in Edinburgh before my bus to the airport, so I met up with Zach and Alec for a lunch of haggis and pulled pork sandwiches in Grassmarket.
It was an absolutely lovely trip, one of the surprising highlights being the food and the unsurprising treat being these friends. Get yourself to Scotland! Just don't get held for questioning in the Amsterdam airport because your visa is expired... But that's another story!
My friends and I got held in the Amsterdam airport, too, and our passports were perfectly fine!
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