It’s been an incredibly busy few weeks, with a huge trip
down through some of the highlights of Western Europe only to return to Lund
for an exam-filled frenzy of a week. That said, while I’m still in the middle
of exams currently (my final Oral Exam in 2 days at the the time of writing this), I’ve decided it’s healthy to
take a study break in order to get down the events of our almost two-week
journey through Paris, Ireland, and Edinburgh!
We split our trip between 3.5
days in Paris, 4 days in Ireland, and 2.5 days in Edinburgh with quick and easy
flights in between.
Paris
With our train pass having expired and two of the three of
these destinations being on another island, flying was the de facto means of
transportation. The two of us jumped on our first flight down to Paris around
2 PM on May 13th, arriving in the French metropolis a mere two-hours
later. Compared to the 20+ hours this would have taken via train, this was a
welcome change.
First look at the unbelievable Eiffel Tower, taken from a bridge over the Seine
After spending an additional couple hours getting into the
heart of the city, then finding our AirBnb and dropping off our things, we
buzzed out via metro across the city to briefly catch Mackenzie’s friend Mandy,
who had been in Paris the previous few days and had a flight leaving that
evening. Meeting with Mandy was convenient, as she just so happened to be right
where we wanted to go first: the Eiffel Tower! After 30 minutes crossing the
city (which, by now, we had learned was absolutely massive), we found Mandy,
got some Paris tips from her, looked up at the beautiful and remarkably
huge Eiffel Tower, and said our goodbyes around 7 PM.
View over Paris from atop the Arc de Triomphe
With a couple good hours of sunlight left, our goal was to
see a few more Parisian highlights before it was too dark. We walked from the Eiffel
Tower a short distance (still 20 minutes, but, when looking on the map of
Paris, we barely moved) to Champs-Elysees, the long and popular shopping street
sporting the best of the best brands, from Givenchy to Gucci. We walked up the
long boulevard towards Place Charles de Gaulle, where the iconic Arc de
Triomphe was located, where, after waiting in the lengthy line, got free
admittance due to our status as European residents! This was a happy trend that
we would find across the many museums and monuments of Paris.
We climbed the hundreds of steps to the top of the Arc, which gave us a fantastic view over all of Paris as the sun began to crawl behind the horizon. We stayed at the top for a while, alongside the many other tourists, taking in the stunning views over the expansive city. It was dark by the time we were done up top and made our way down through the inside of the Arc (which, by the way, is filled with a cool mini-museum telling the story of France’s history and independence movement).
We walked to the closest metro, and began to take the long journey home. However, when changing at Franklin Roosevelt Station (fitting that the station is named after an American), we, by some incredible coincidence, ran into Dennis Looney (a high school classmate and good friend) who was doing some travelling with his mom and brother! We had no idea he was even in Paris, let alone Europe, and the odds of running into him at some random metro station in Paris must have been infinitesimal. After some gawking at our luck and catching up, we continued back to the AirBnb.
Looking straight up at the Arc de Triomphe
We climbed the hundreds of steps to the top of the Arc, which gave us a fantastic view over all of Paris as the sun began to crawl behind the horizon. We stayed at the top for a while, alongside the many other tourists, taking in the stunning views over the expansive city. It was dark by the time we were done up top and made our way down through the inside of the Arc (which, by the way, is filled with a cool mini-museum telling the story of France’s history and independence movement).
We walked to the closest metro, and began to take the long journey home. However, when changing at Franklin Roosevelt Station (fitting that the station is named after an American), we, by some incredible coincidence, ran into Dennis Looney (a high school classmate and good friend) who was doing some travelling with his mom and brother! We had no idea he was even in Paris, let alone Europe, and the odds of running into him at some random metro station in Paris must have been infinitesimal. After some gawking at our luck and catching up, we continued back to the AirBnb.
Walking up to the entrance to the Louvre; I had seen the famous glass pyramid
in countless pictures, but had no idea you entered the museum through it!
The weather forecast for Day Two in Paris was looking
dreary, and so we decided to dedicate the day to museums and other indoor attractions. Our first stop, which we arrived at after grabbing some delicious
crepes for breakfast, was the Louvre. After a short line, we were inside the megalithic
museum, and took four hours exploring it at a quick pace. It appealed to anyone
interested in anything and, defying my expectations, housed not only fantastic
art, but amazing historical and cultural finds as well. Fantastic pieces from
Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece, stunned the two of us before we even entered the
rooms filled with Renaissance art, where we saw (of course) the Mona Lisa,
Liberty Leading the People (a painting we both recognized from school), and
countless other works of da Vinci and Raphael. We even found an old globe from
the 16th century where, on the roughly drawn east coast of what is
now the US, you can make out a small area labeled “Cap Fear” -- one of only about 10 labels all the way up the coast! The museum absolutely lived up to its status
as possibly the best in the world.
The perfectly trimmed hedges of the Tuileries Garden
From the Louvre we walked through the pretty Tuileries
Garden and across the Siene River to Musee d’Orsay, Paris’ second most
prominent museum known for its impressionist works. Once again, it was
stunning, and we were blown away by some of the most popular works by van Gogh,
Monet, Degas, and Manet, all housed in a beautiful renovated train
station. By now the weather had improved
and it had turned into quite a pretty day, and so we gladly took our stroll
down alongside the Siene to our next destination: Ile de la Cite, the small
island in the Siene with Paris’ best churches.
The wonderful interior of the Musee d'Orsay -- a renovated train station!
Our first church was one that I had been looking forward to
since I first heard of it months ago: Saint-Chapelle. Known for its majestic
stained glass windows, this church did not disappoint, and the first view of
its stained glass room took our breath away. We continued from here to Notre Dame,
another fantastic church with a great history and beautiful interior. After
finishing up at the churches, I grabbed a freshly baked baguette from
a nearby bread festival (because Paris has those, I guess), and Mackenzie and I
relaxed to watch some locals impressively rollerblading on a nearby bridge,
creating a spectacle for the dozens of tourists walking by.
Inside one of the best churches in Europe: Saint-Chapelle.
We continued our busy day from here, next walking another 10
minutes to check out Paris’ massive Panthéon in the Latin Quarter before
grabbing some quick dinner and settling into the nearby Luxembourg Gardens to
enjoy it. The gardens, as has been the trend, where absolutely beautiful,
filled with expertly kept hedges, stunning fountains, and to top it all off, the magnificent Luxembourg Palace. Following
our relaxing dinner in the garden, our busy day was over, and we headed back
for some much-needed sleep.
The Panthéon -- how had I not heard about this building before arriving in Paris?!
We awoke Tuesday ready for another dazzling day in this
French capital with our eyes first set on Montmartre, a bustling neighborhood
on a large hill on the outskirts of Paris. At the very top of the hill is Sacre
Coeur, another of Paris’ many amazing churches. We took the metro to
Montmartre, then hiked up the steepest part of the hill to the top and Sacre
Coeur, in which we did our (now typical) entering of the church, walking around
for a few minutes while surverying the amazing beauty within, and then leaving.
Outside was a lively street band, who we watched perform for a while before
heading back down into the cute streets of Montmartre.
Looking up the steep hill leading to Sacre Coeur
Lined with fruit stands, cafes, friendly locals, and, most
importantly, bakery and bakery selling Paris’ signature macarons, Montmartre
was a joy to wander through. We strolled through the streets for a while,
moving roughly in the direction of Moulin Rouge, a destination that, while we
had no idea what it actually was, we definitely knew the movie and it was
marked as a tourist attraction on the map, so we thought “why not”. Along the
way, we grabbed some macarons, which absolutely lived up to the hype (but maybe not the $2+ price tag per bite-sized treat). Arriving
at Moulin Rouge, we realized it was a very old theatre, and gladly grabbed a
photo of it and rested in the adjacent small park before jumping on the nearby
metro out of Montmartre towards Place de Concorde.
Our first macarons -- no disappointment here!!
Located on the eastern end of Champs-Elysees, directly
opposite the Arc de Triomphe, Place de Concorde was the perfect stop to
experience the final must-sees of Paris. Leaving the station, we were
immediately greeted by the massive Luxor Obelisk that stands in the center of
the square, rising 23 meters up towards the sky and still well-preserved with
hundreds of Egyptian hieroglyphics covering it.
We walked from the square to the nearby Petite Palais (don’t let the name fool you, it was huge) and Grand Palais, which were both absolutely massive and incredibly ornate buildings. From here we ventured across the Siene via the magnificent Pont Alexandre II bridge. At this point, it may feel like I’ve just got a thesaurus here with “pretty” looked up and am copy-pasting the results into all my adjectives here, but seriously, everything in Paris was so incredibly beautiful. We took a quick walk through another park here before deciding to head over to the Eiffel Tower once more. On the way, we grabbed picnic supplies, and enjoyed a couple hours of peace on the lawn in front of the tower before heading to our dinner reservation.
The enormous Luxor Obelisk
We walked from the square to the nearby Petite Palais (don’t let the name fool you, it was huge) and Grand Palais, which were both absolutely massive and incredibly ornate buildings. From here we ventured across the Siene via the magnificent Pont Alexandre II bridge. At this point, it may feel like I’ve just got a thesaurus here with “pretty” looked up and am copy-pasting the results into all my adjectives here, but seriously, everything in Paris was so incredibly beautiful. We took a quick walk through another park here before deciding to head over to the Eiffel Tower once more. On the way, we grabbed picnic supplies, and enjoyed a couple hours of peace on the lawn in front of the tower before heading to our dinner reservation.
Looking up at the Eiffel Tower from our picnic location on the Champ Mars
After a brief walk, we arrived at L’Ogre, where we spoiled ourselves with a
glamorous and much-anticipated dinner of steak-entrecote, pommes frites, a salad, and some French
red wine. A delicious French dinner in a beautiful city. After a long meal,
we walked back to the Eiffel tower just as the hour turned so that we could see
it shimmer magnificently for us (which it does for 5 minutes every hour). A
great end to a fantastic evening and day! We headed back to the AirBnb excited
for our final day in France!
The Eiffel Tower sparkling for us -- totally surreal
On Wednesday we awoke for our day trip! We were headed to
Versailles, the beautiful chateau located about 45 minutes outside of Paris
where the old French kings would wine and dine their visitors in hopes of
impressing them enough (through the incredible opulence of the palace) to gain
their favor. I guess Mackenzie and I are a little bit easier to impress than
the old rulers of Europe, because I cannot imagine anyone ever being let down
by Versailles. The palace and surrounding grounds were absolutely spectacular.
In front of the main entrance to Versailles
We arrived around noon on Wednesday, which was a little
inopportune because the line was enormous. That said, we made it fun by playing
games, and the 1.5 hours or so that we waited were quickly over, and we were
inside the giant building. Touring the rooms one by one was shocking, with
every one upping its predecessor. The room to rule them all, though, was the
Hall of Mirrors, which was (as you might imagine) covered with mirrors on all
sides, which served to multiply the already beautiful combination of dozens of
chandeliers, gold and silver accented walls, and art-covered ceiling. We left
the palace after a couple hours inside, briefly checked out the gardens without
entering, and headed back to Paris to grab our things from the AirBnb.
With our bags in tow, we stopped at Five Guys for some
dinner (we couldn’t resist) and Laduree, Paris’ most famous seller of macarons,
to grab a few more of the tasty treats, which we enjoyed at a nearby park.
After some ample relaxation, we headed to the airport, where we stayed for an only
slightly uncomfortable night in anticipation of out 6:30 AM flight to Dublin
the next morning.
Ireland
Our next destination was one that holds a very special place
in my heart: Ireland. Because I am Irish (my great-great-grandfather Owen
Shalvoy left Ireland in 1850 during the height of the potato famine), going to
Ireland introduced a whole new dimension of travel that I had never experienced
before. It was so exciting for me to interact with the Irish people, to see
similarities between myself and them, and to know that I was on the island that was once home to my ancestors for hundreds of years.
One of the early stops on the city tour: the famous Temple Bar!
We landed in Dublin early morning Wednesday after a 6:30 AM
flight, and after a bus to the city center, dropped off our things, enjoyed the
complimentary breakfast at the hostel, and headed to The Spire, the meeting
point for our free walking tour. We followed our lively Irish tour guide around
the small city center, making important stops at Trinity College, the Temple
Bar area, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
We learned of the fascinating Viking history of Ireland (the city of Dublin was
originally a Viking settlement!); the 1916 Rebellion; the difference between
Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland; and so much more. As
usual, the tour was a fantastic introduction to the city, its history, and its
people. Following the tour, we relaxed in the lawn adjacent to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, people
watching both the locals playing with their young children and the fanatical
tourists taking snapshots of everything
(young children included, without the permission of their parents, which we
found… odd).
St. Patrick's Cathedral -- way too big to possibly capture the
whole thing in one shot, but I did my best!
Following the tour, we headed back to the hostel for some
much-needed napping before heading to a super funky local pub called Lanigans
for our first taste of classic pub grub. While there, I tried out the Guinness, which was fantastic. We ended our night with a sunset over the River
Liffey while we walked back to the hostel.
Judging from the Archaeology Museum's collection of ancient gold
jewelry, Mackie would have been very fashionable in ancient Egypt!
Thursday was a busy day! We started the day by
heading to the National Archaeology Museum of Dublin, known for its spooky bog
people. We were really impressed by the museum, staying for almost 2-hours,
during which we checked out not only the incredibly preserved bog people (all
of whom were thousands of years old, but had been preserved in the
many peat bogs of Ireland), but also a huge gold collection, a large Viking
exhibition, and even a little game where you could plug in your surname and it
would tell you the etymology (as long as it was one of Ireland’s 100 most
common surnames)! Both my mother’s maiden name (Lynch) and my grandmother’s
(Murphy) made the list!
St. Stephen's Green was the perfect spot to enjoy out lunch!
From the museum we continued to the largest park in Dublin,
St. Stephen’s Green. Covered in lush green grass, it was the perfect
destination to sit cross-legged on the ground and enjoy out lunch before
heading onwards. Our next destination, the Guinness Storehouse, was a tourist
mecca, but we were okay with that. On the way, we walked through Grafton
Street, Dublin’s shopping street, then along the River Liffey for a while.
The Guinness Storehouse (while, admittedly being 100%
occupied by tourists) was a blast. Not everything that only tourists
are sucked into is a tourist trap, and the Guinness Storehouse was a perfect
example of that. We spent 2 hours here, walking through the many stories of the
building, learning about how the tasty stout is brewed, how to properly drink
it, its history, the (really interesting) artisan craft of barrel-making,
Guinness’ many iconic advertising campaigns, why Guinness tastes better in
Ireland, and, of course, how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. The
“Guinness Experience” ended with a complimentary pint at the Gravity Bar, the
top story of the Guinness Storehouse, which offered fantastic views over all of
Dublin.
Mackie and I enjoying our self-expertly-poured Guinnesses in the Gravity Bar!
You can tell how high up we were by Dublin extending into the distance behind us!
After walking back into the heart of Dublin, we pit stopped
at our hostel before heading out towards dinner (at a great burger place in
Temple Bar). We had seen someone advertising a stand-up comedy prior to dinner
and, after finishing up, we decided to give it a shot. We spent the next couple
hours on the second story of a bar laughing at the sometimes dark,
sometimes explicit, but always funny Irish sense of humor. Despite being
in the Temple Bar area, a hub for tourism, we found ourselves happily planted
in a room of many locals, listening to a lineup of 9 local comedians do their
best to make us laugh. It was a great time!
Looking back at Howth from the harbor prior to setting out for our hike
Our third day in Dublin was more laid-back. Having already
seen the highlights of the downtown area, we instead decided to take a day-trip
to nearby Howth, a small fishing village located on a bulbous peninsula about 45
minutes by train from Dublin’s center. After a lazy morning, we arrived in
Howth around noon and quickly set off to hike around the peninsula, on the way
grabbing fantastic views of the craggy cliffs jutting into the water on our
left and the vast green pastures to our right (we even saw a llama sauntering
around in one of these pastures at one point!).
After taking about 2 hours to walk through the first portion of the trails, we came to a fork that allowed us to either head back across the peninsula towards Howth town for a shorter hike, or continue alone the perimeter to see the entire peninsula. We opted for the latter, and spent another two hours trekking along the water, with every corner rewarding us with another fantastic view. At one point, when cutting through the middle of the peninsula towards the end of the hike, the trail took us directly through the middle of an active golf course, where signs warned us to “Be aware of incoming golf balls” and “Not stray from the path”. We arrived back at the village around 4:30, just in time to grab some fish n’ chips (Howth’s specialty) before boarding the local train back into Dublin.
Howth was so beautiful!! It was views like this all day!
After taking about 2 hours to walk through the first portion of the trails, we came to a fork that allowed us to either head back across the peninsula towards Howth town for a shorter hike, or continue alone the perimeter to see the entire peninsula. We opted for the latter, and spent another two hours trekking along the water, with every corner rewarding us with another fantastic view. At one point, when cutting through the middle of the peninsula towards the end of the hike, the trail took us directly through the middle of an active golf course, where signs warned us to “Be aware of incoming golf balls” and “Not stray from the path”. We arrived back at the village around 4:30, just in time to grab some fish n’ chips (Howth’s specialty) before boarding the local train back into Dublin.
Our entertainment for the evening -- so fun!
After a quick break in the hostel, we headed to a bar to meet up with
our tour group for a Beer and Whiskey Tour. The tour was
great, and took us to one bar to sample local craft beers, a second to learn
(more) about Guinness, a third to try some Irish whiskey (where we also had
dinner), and then a fourth to listen to some locals play traditional Irish
music! The first three destinations were lots of fun, but the highlight of the
tour was absolutely the last bar. Called McNeills (which I’m glad I’m
documenting because I will definitely be recommending it to anyone going to
Dublin), the bar was the epitome of a “local’s bar”. Filled with friendly
Dubliners who were excited to see and talk to “far-ten-ers!” (foreigners), it
had an incredibly fun atmosphere, and the live music was amazing. Five 60-something year old Dubliners with guitars, banjos, and accordions, singing and playing one song after another (many of which
the locals in the room knew and sang along to). Being in the middle of it all was
absolutely one of the coolest experiences of our time in Dublin and will
definitely rank alongside the best of the entire semester.
The iconic Ha'penny Bridge, named such because when it was first constructed,
there was a half penny toll for crossing over it.
Our final day in Ireland was not spent in Dublin, but on a
tour to the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher on the opposite side of the
country! We woke up bright and early to jump on a large 55-passenger bus with
53 other tourists for a day filled with amazing scenery and castles as we flew
through the middle of the country, all leading up to the fantastic cliffs.
We were a bit daring and crept right up to the edge for this photo
with the breathtaking cliffs -- sorry Mom!
The drive to the cliffs was about 4 hours, and on the way we
made stops at Dungaire Castle (near Kinavara – a quaint fishing town), the Baby
Cliffs of Moher, and Doolin, another small town very near to the cliffs. By
1:30 we had made it to our destination, and spent 1.5 hours there, walking around
and admiring the cliffs from every angle. Despite rising almost 400 feet out of the
ocean, the cliffs were relatively unguarded, and it was incredibly easy to get
right up to the side of them and gaze down into the crashing waters below. We
strolled alongside the cliffs the entire hour and a half, completely awestruck the
entire time. Additionally, the weather was absolutely perfect the whole time
we were at the cliffs, something quite uncommon to Ireland. It was a fantastic
trip. On the way back, we made one more stop at Bunratty Castle before arriving
back to Dublin at 8 PM.
More of the cliffs. If you look really closely maybe you can see tiny people
on top of them to give you an idea of their size!
From the bus, we grabbed our
things, walked to the nearest bus stop with transfers going to the airport, and
hopped on the first bus, getting to the airport at around 9:30 with plenty of
time to find the best sleeping spots available before our early flight
to Edinburgh in Scotland the next morning.
We arrived in
Edinburgh a short hour after taking off from Dublin, and, in similar fashion to
our arrival in Dublin, our first experience in the new city was an early 10 AM free city tour.
This tour was possibly the best of the entire semester, party because our tour
guide was fantastic and full of knowledge, and partly because Edinburgh has
such a rich and diverse history that I knew almost nothing of.
We walked the grey streets of Edinburgh with our guide
for three hours, learning a ridiculous number of both significant historical
events as well as a proper sprinkling of interesting fun facts. Some of the favorite stories were of:
- Deacon Brodie, a well-to-do resident of Edinburgh who maintained a strong social presence as a merchant. However, what people didn’t know about Deacon Brodie until the end of his life was his “second life” as a burglar and murderer. He later became the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s (who was born in Edinburgh) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The entrance to Deacon Brodie's Tavern, showing his two alternate lifes
- Greyfriars Graveyard, which houses gravestones that boast names such as “William McGonagall”, “Elizabeth Moodie”, and “Thomas Riddell”. If these sound familiar, it might help to know that The Elephant House, the café where JK Rowling wrote the majority of her Harry Potter novels, is situated on a hill directly overlooking the graveyard! Not only that, but just past the graveyard is George Heriot’s School, a prestigious private school with four towers and four houses which students are sorted into.
One of the tombstones (plaques?) in Greyfriars Graveyard that served as
inspiration for the main characters in Harry Potter
- The Stone of Destiny, a large rock that, legend has it, was the ground underneath which the first King of Scotland was crowned. However, after a war in 1216, the stone was taken from Scotland by the English King Edward I, where it was placed under the throne in Westminster Abbey, and upon which every monarch of England was crowned for over 700 years. In 1950, a group of four Scottish students went to Westminster Abbey, stole the Stone of Destiny, and attempted to bring it back to its rightful place in Scotland. After a series of obstacles (including dropping the 150kg stone, breaking it in two) they were able to get the stone into Scotland. The best part of the story, though? It turns out one of the four students who stole the stole was actually English (just studying in Scotland), and was a direct descendant of Edward I (his 21st great-grandson), the very man who took the stone in the first place!
It was a great three hours. After
finishing, we headed back to the hostel to check-in and take a quick nap before
heading back out into Edinburgh to fill in some of the gaps from the tour.
Apparently Walter Scott (who I, unfortunately, had never heard of) is pretty important
to the Scots, as this massive monument is visible from almost anywhere in the city!
We walked to the New Town (whose buildings are actually
older than the Old Town due to a recent renovation), where we did a little
shopping, checked out the very gothic and very impressive Scott Monument (to
the poet Walter Scott), walked past many great street performers, by some
museums, up the Royal Mile (Edinburgh’s famous pedestrian street), and into a
couple churches (the largest and most significant of which being Giles
Cathedral), before making it back to the hostel around dinner time. We ate at a
nearby pub known for their buffalo burgers (which Mackenzie has been craving
all semester), before heading to a brew pub to test out some more local (and
tasty) craft beer.
The beautiful interior of the National Museum -- reminded me a lot of
the Musee d'Orsay in Paris!
Our second full day in Scotland was quite overcast, so after
sleeping in and making breakfast, we headed to the National Museum of Scotland,
known for its natural science, history, and culture exhibits. This museum was fantastic, and we spent over 4 hours
there. In fact, we actually had to be asked to leave because the museum it was closing time. Not only was the building beautiful, but it was filled with room after
room of great information with a focus on science and history (the two things
Mackenzie and I love most). It was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
View down the Royal Mile, Edinburgh's main street, much of which is pedestrian only
From the museum, with
weather improving, we walked once more along the Royal Mile and through the
heart of Edinburgh towards Edinburgh Palace, from where we walked up Calton
Hill. Atop the hill, we were rewarded with both great views over all of
Edinburgh and a number of interesting monuments. Most iconic is the
Dugald Stewart monument, not because Dugald Stewart is incredibly iconic, but
because the monument is perched on the edge of the hill overlooking Edinburgh,
and it creates a really picturesque scene.
Also on Calton Hill is the unfinished National Monument ("Edinburgh's Folly"), which almost exactly resembles the Parthenon. Designed during the height of the Enlightenment in Scotland, when the Scots were trying to emulate the great minds of ancient Rome and Greece, the monument unfortunately ran out of money partially into construction, and now stands unfinished.
Looking down over Edinburgh which the Dugald Stewart monument in the foreground
Also on Calton Hill is the unfinished National Monument ("Edinburgh's Folly"), which almost exactly resembles the Parthenon. Designed during the height of the Enlightenment in Scotland, when the Scots were trying to emulate the great minds of ancient Rome and Greece, the monument unfortunately ran out of money partially into construction, and now stands unfinished.
The very unfinished Parthenon -- so much for "Athens of the North"!
We walked down from the hill and once more through the Royal
Mile and back to our hostel, from where we grabbed some dinner and called it a
night.
Up close and personal with the Edinburgh Castle
On the final day of our trip, we awoke to see the final icon
of Edinburgh up close: the Edinburgh Castle. After packing up our belongings,
we took the couple hours we had before needing to head to the airport to walk
across town and up to the castle. On the way, of course, along the Royal Mile,
we stopped to admire the multiple bagpipe-playing street performers showing off
their national instrument. After a quick look at the castle, we headed
back to the hostel, where we grabbed out things and went to the airport.
Finally beautiful weather on our last morning in Scotland!
My plane back to Copenhagen left at 3:45, and Mackenzie,
who, unlike me, had already finished school and was in complete vacation mode,
had a plane to Porto in Portugal leaving 2 hours later. We said our goodbyes
and I landed in Copenhagen a couple hours later, and was in Lund that evening,
ready for a whirlwind week of projects, presentations, and exams.
As I’m typing this, I’m sitting in my room at Lund on the final night of my stay here. Tomorrow morning I get up early to take a plane down to Spain, where I will meet up with Mackenzie and her family to spend a week exploring the southern coast of the country, before flying to Greece (with a day-long layover in Romania to briefly explore Bucharest) for a week with my parents. From there, it’s homeward-bound back to the States for me! Oh, what a semester it has been, but it’s not over yet! On to Spain!
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