Pounds and Cheers

I'm sitting in the Edinburgh airport, waiting to board my flight to London, Gatwick and then home to Bordeaux. I've been in Edinburgh, Scotland the since Monday and my short visit to the United Kingdom has been jolly good.

University of Edinburgh

I stayed with my friend from back home, Sarah, who is getting her masters at the University of Edinburgh this year. My flight got in rather late on Monday so we didn't do much except get ready for exploring on Tuesday. We got an early start Tuesday morning and saw the sights. We walked from the flat she shares with seven other university students and walked around a little of University of Edinburgh's campus. Sarah told me Edinburgh is very much a college town and so most of the people walking around are either tourists or college students. It's very different from Bordeaux in that sense, which is definitely not a college town.


From the university we walked to Edinburgh Castle, a place in which I would LOVE to take up residence. Not only is the stone castle itself very impressive, because it is located on top of a large hill in the center of the city, the 360 degree views of the city are absolutely amazing. As poor university students already feeling the effects of the outrageous pound to dollar conversion, we did not buy tickets to go inside which makes me a little concerned that if this castle ever goes on the market it will be a tad out of my price range. Bugger.

Edinburgh Castle, my new home

View of Edinburgh from the Castle

View of Edinburgh from the Castle

After house hunting we walked up and down the Royal Mile and made friends along the way. We chatted with a bagpiper who serenaded us for a while and later sought refuge from the wind and rain in a kilt shop. The kilt maker was all too happy to talk to us San Franciscans about Scottish traditional garb and festivities. Turns out, he had a shop in downtown San Francisco a while back but got sick of commuting from Hayward each day so came back to the homeland. Can't say I blame him! It really is crazy how small the world becomes when you start talking to people across the globe.

The Royal Mile

Oink! (formerly known as Babe)

What kind of trip would it be if I ignored the traditional Scottish faire? Fear not, Sarah made sure we hit the big ones. We had pork sandwiches at a restaurant called Oink, which featured an entire cooked pig in its front window. We got pasties filled with meat and potatoes, and for dinner we went to a pub called the Old Belle and watched a football (soccer) game. I ordered the traditional haggis, neeps, and tatties but Sarah wouldn't let me in on what haggis was until I had washed my dinner down with some Ginger Grouse ginger beer for fear that I wouldn't be able to finish my meal once I knew what I was eating. There was no need to worry though, the sheep's liver, heart, and lungs cooked in sheep stomach was pretty appetizing, even after I knew what I was eating.

Sarah plays for the University of Edinburgh's basketball team so on Wednesday we headed to Durham, England, about 3 hours away to her game against Durham University. UK basketball is not nearly as competitive as US basketball but it was still so fun to travel with her team of Scotts and watch some them play. They ended up losing by 40 points but it turns out the Durham team is almost entirely comprised of former US college basketball players so it's no surprise the Scotts didn't stand a chance. One of the girls on the Durham team played at Baylor and was teammates with Brittney Griner for a couple of seasons! Like I said, it's a small world.

Which brings us to today, Thursday. Sarah and I parted ways this morning, she to class and I to the airport, but not before a traditional Scottish breakfast of haggis, fried eggs, black pudding, sausage, and hash browns, among other goodies. It was not a long stay in Edinburgh, but we took in a lot and besides the weather and the strength of the pound, no complaints! Got to go, their calling my flight to board! Cheers.