TERESA SEALE
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Trip to Scotland - part 2/2

11/30/2014

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If you haven't read my previous post on my excursion to Scotland, you can read it here.  This is part 2 of a wonderful trip.

As if we hadn't gotten enough fresh air already, in the afternoon, Rob and I took a small tourist cruise.  We first took a rather expensive bus trip 20 minutes to Queensferry and then arrived on our boat.  Rob and I were one of the first to step on board, and as we did, I asked one of the employees a quick question.  He had been in the middle of counting all of the passengers and he joked that I had interrupted him.  Five minutes after I was seated, the employee came up to me and had me walk passed all the passenger, using his counter to double check the number of passengers!  I definitely appreciated his laid-back nature!

The cruise itself was wonderful. 
The River Forth has so much history and a lasting heritage.  We passed by an old Augustine monastery on an island, which if we had taken the earlier cruise, we could have explored.  We learned of WWII battles that took place there.  We passed under the famous Forth Bridge and saw the UK's new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth.  We even saw a grey seal sitting on a buoy right next to the boat!  As a 'Seale', I was ecstatic.  The commentary on the cruise was excellent, although hard to hear since we were sitting outside with the wind.

The next day was our final full day in Edinburgh and we didn't actually spend it in the city!  I was torn between two things: visit Edinburgh Castle, which would have been a great historical trip or visit the University of St. Andrew's in nearby Fife.  When I was in high school, I was accepted to the university for my bachelors but opted not to attend because they didn't have the program I was looking for.  I had long wanted to visit and here I was, so close to it. 

Rob and I took a train to St. Andrew's and explored the town. It was a nice break from city-life.  We had brunch at a great cafe, which, to be honest, felt supremely American.  In fact, sitting in a nearby table was a group of American girls who I assumed must have been university students.  Americans were everywhere.

Afterwards, we walked through the town and came to the ruined Cathedral of St. Andrew's.  I have been to many old churches, but to walk through one in complete ruins, to stand before what was once the main altar, to pass by the old graves was a truly humbling experience.

As we walked through the town, we stumbled upon the main building for English studies for the University of St. Andrews.  This is where I would have spent most of my time!  We entered, I explored, and I knew this was an experience I could have had, but as I looked up an down the list of the classes, my mouth only watered a little bit.  Ultimately, I was very happy I didn't attend; I was able to have different experiences instead.

Since we missed out on exploring Edinburgh Castle, we spent about half an hour exploring St. Andrew's Castle instead.  While much, much smaller and missing a lot of walls and a roof, it was very neat to explore.  The castle was a real battleground during the Reformation: in an attempt to take the castle, the Protestants began to dig a tunnel, but the Catholics found out and dug a counter-tunnel, meeting the Protestants underground and battling it out.  This was the coolest part of the castle: we got to crouch into the tunnel and walk through!  Very cool.

Before we had to catch our bus, Rob and I stopped by the golf courses to see where the sport began.  This was literally walking there and walking back, just so we could say we'd seen it!  We also grabbed some hot chocolate from the cafe where Prince William and Kate Middleton often went on dates, North Point cafe.  Unfortunately, the service was slow, but otherwise I loved this place because it felt so down-to-earth and because they have the most delicious salmon bagel I've ever had!  If you go, be sure to get the bagel with salmon, mango chutney, bacon, and cream cheese! Delicious.

After much needed relaxation in St. Andrews, Rob and I returned to Edinburgh and our trip was at an end.  We enjoyed scotch, shopping, a hike, a cruise, and all that St. Andrew's has to offer.  It was a jam-packed adventure.  Next time, and I do think there will be a next time, I'll explore Edinburgh Castle and St. Giles Cathedral.  Edinburgh just has too much to offer for such a short trip.
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Excursion to Scotland - part 1/2

11/10/2014

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About three weeks ago, I moved back to Austin, TX after living in London for two years.  It's a difficult transition back in part because I had grown so accustomed to frequent excursions to unknown towns and cities.  I went to Oxford, Canterbury, Bristol, Dublin - just to name a few. I have as yet not written about any of those travels, which is unfortunate because those trips carry the potential for travel-blogging GOLD.  But, it's not too late; I'll begin here:

Just before I came back to the US, I went on a short trip to Edinburgh, a trip which meant I had finally set foot on all of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom.  I had only about three days and I jam-packed it with activities.  The trip began with a five hour train ride from London to Edinburgh, which, if you've ever taken the train through the UK countryside you will know is absolutely part of trip.  The beauty of rolling hills, the seaside, the farmland, the sheep, the small cottages, and distant ancient-looking churches!  Knowing the the journey back would be by plane, I enjoyed this train ride as much as I could, but I was also anxious to set an itinerary for the time in Edinburgh.

My boyfriend, Rob, the loyal companion that he is, was happy to acquiesce to my insanity as I pulled out my phone and began researching the best things to do in Edinburgh.  I knew we couldn't do everything but I was determined to be informed so I would know what I was missing out on.  After reading through a list of a the top 25 activities in Edinburgh and researching the most Scottish of whisky bars, I wrote down all the ones that struck our fancy and slot them into the itinerary where I could find an opening.  By the time we got off the train, our schedule was arranged to the T, with multiple options for things to do depending on what we felt up to at the moment. Although we didn't do everything on the list, what we did accomplish was an amazing feat! 

After we arrived and while we waited to meet a friend, we walked up and down the Royal Mile, a historic section of Edinburgh with a host of tourist shops, jewelry booths, and the beautiful St. Giles Cathedral.  Nearby was Victoria Street, a curved road on a hill with a host of quaint shops - books, candles, clothes, antiques, etc.  Sadly, most of the stores were closed when we arrived, but it was nice to do some window shopping and one store, which was unexpectedly open late, sold some wonderful natural soaps (I bought one that smells exactly like honeysuckle - no regrets here).  Both the Royal Mile and Victoria Street were perfect for some meandering; it was a very chill (and chilly) evening.

Later in the evening after we met up with our friend, the three of us stopped into the Whiski Rooms, a classy whisky bar with large oxblood leather booths, wood wall paneling, and a comfortable yellow lighting.  If it had a few cigar chairs and some bookshelves filled with leather-bound classics, I could've imagined myself in the headquarters of a gentleman's cigar lounge.  As it was, however, the Whiski Rooms felt like the perfect combination between modern and classic, between young and old.  I highly recommend this classy bar, located just off of Market Street and near Prince's Street Gardens.  My friend and I both enjoyed a Godfather, my favorite drink - a shot of amaretto and blended Scotch on the rocks.  Although I enjoy Scotch on its own, to my rather naive tastebuds, the sweetness of amaretto with the pepperyness of the Scotch is wonderful.

For the following morning, I managed to convince Rob to climb Arthur's Seat, the highest of several hills.  We woke up at 6:30am, took a cab to the base of the hill, and hiked in the semi-dark.  The hike wasn't too difficult, and the path is pretty clear.  It took us 45 minutes to get to the top; as planned, we arrived just in time for the sunrise.  We saw several people come and go, but we just watched.  We watched the sun rise, creating soft blue and pink in the clouds.  We watched as the sun seemed to strengthen, waking up the world with fiery orange.  A hike up Arthur's seat is absolutely recommended.  And if you can do it at sunrise, so much the better.

This, more or less, marked the halfway point of our trip.  It was so full of adventures, I can hardly fit it all in one post!  So please bear with me and I will continue my tale shortly.

Update: You can find Part 2 here

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    I am a filmmaker, actress, writer, and travel-lover from Austin, TX.  I'll use this blog to post updates about my work and reviews about films, my travels, and related topics.

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