Wanderlust | Wrap-Up of Scotland

Whoops--time definitely got away from me here! I can't believe that a week has passed since I returned from Edinburgh. Sorry about the lack of posts! I had such an amazing time and a part of my heart has been left in Edinburgh (honestly by the time I return home I'll be stretched all over the world!). I had such a great time and I am blessed to have been given that opportunity, and I most definitely will return when I am able to.

For Day 3&4 of Edinburgh: Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, National Museum of Scotland, Souvenir Shopping




Queen's Gallery

No photos were to be taken of the exhibit unfortunately, but I promise that it was spectacular. Here, in the Queen's Gallery, they have an exhibit on Leonardo Da Vinci's work on human anatomy. They have hundreds of his drawings of specific parts of the body, and it is eerie how many of his discoveries were accurate--and lost in time. His drawings and notes got pushed away somewhere and his findings weren't mirrored by scientists until about two hundred years later. That is incredible, and so were the drawings.

Palace of Holyroodhouse

While I'm not sure I can say that this is my absolute favorite castle, I definitely enjoyed learning about the Scottish side of UK history. This one of the two palaces where HM the Queen resides while she is visiting Scotland (the other is north in the countryside). It is also the house where Mary, Queen of Scots lived for part of her life. So, this castle, more than some, integrates both the past and present, which I really enjoyed. My favorite wasn't actually the castle however, but the abbey attached to the back. If you've ever read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, which I strongly recommend if you haven't, I kept picturing myself inside the cathedral, for this looked like a decayed version of that. The roof was gone and the inscriptions on the stones faded, but the tall and pointed arches still stood proud, and old graves lingered on the walls and floor. I was absolutely enchanted, and, judging by the 100+ photos that I took, felt the need to document every part of the abbey. I think I will be returning to those pictures when I need help with writing.

PLUS the palace has a stunning backdrop of the volcano, Arthur's Seat. While it looked like it would be a worthy climb, our feet ached enough and I was ready to fall asleep. That is number one on the list though upon my return.

LOOK at this abbey. I am still stunned. It is beautiful.

Arthur's Seat

Holyroodhouse!

After this, we walked up the Mile and ate at Clarinda's Tea Shop, which was ABSOLUTELY adorable. Decorated plates and other trinkets lined the wallpapered walls, and we had to share a table with two elderly, delightful British women. I was absolutely enchanted by the place, and I wish there were other places that forced you to share tables, because it is such a pleasant, unexpected way to meet people.

National Museum of Scotland
T'was a very good museum if you have a lot of time and energy. This museum seems to have something for everyone, including pieces of the famous Lewis chessmen and interactive, Port Discovery-type exhibits for kids. Their main exhibit was of Mary, Queen of Scots which I thoroughly enjoyed (though of course no pictures). However, by that point we were pooped and just headed back to have dinner and hang out.


The rest are at the British Museum, which I've seen :P.

Souvenir Shopping
Last but not least, we certainly had fun shopping!! We were in the Royal Mile the whole time, which is the main hub for tourism, but since we were tourists, we didn't mind! There were bagpipers or other performers at every street corner, and little souvenir shops lined the streets. So much cashmere! So much haggis! So many clans! I loved it!


My trip to Scotland was phenomenal, and I can wait until I can go back. While the atmosphere was most definitely geared toward tourism, having never been to Scotland before, I loved it. The people were all very nice, the food delish, and the scenery brilliant. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a bit of enchantment in their lives. When I return I definitely want to climb Arthur's Seat and take a bus trip through the Highlands!


Okay, so I actually have to do homework now (and Downton Abbey is on in an hour...priorities, people :P), but I will DEFINITELY be posting soon about my trip to Brighton this weekend, and possibly tomorrow evening about some of my class trips so far (i.e. Hampton Court Palace, Ham House, and after tomorrow A Midsummer's Night Dream at the Globe! Woo!). I hope everyone has a lovely week, and a shout-out to my sisters who welcomed eight new girls this weekend! Yes!


Cheers xo