Great Scots!

Hello fellow readers,

Have you seen the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Did you know some of

 the castle scenes were filmed in Scotland? Neither had I until my tour guide told 

me! Now, as promised, I am continuing my Europe trip quadrilogy and today is 

Scotland! 

With EF Ultimate Break - the tour group mentioned in my Ballad du Paris post - I 

spent 3 days in Edinburgh (pronounced Ed-in-burrow or Ed-in-brah) staying in a 

hostel with 5 other girls from the group, walking distance from the Royal Mile. The 

first day in Edinburgh my tour director walked us along the Royal Mile and pointed 

out several potential activities we could do. During our free time a small group of us 

walked through the Writer’s Museum then had a quick bite of lunch before we 

climbed Arthur’s Seat in light rain. Arthur’s Seat, if you haven’t looked it up already, 

is an amazingly scenic hillside just outside of Edinburgh. To make things more 

interesting - and to fight the jetlag - we climbed Arthur’s Seat while it was drizzling. 

In the evening we all took some much needed hot showers and got ready for a 

welcome mixer where we got to mingle and eat with everyone on the tour. During 

this mixer, I was the first brave soul to try a Scottish delicacy called Haggis. It 

definitely tastes better than it sounds, so I highly suggest you try it while in Scotland, 

unless your allergic to pork.

 PC: Sydney's mad selfie skills

Location: Atop Arthur's Seat 

 

Our second day we had a guided walking tour around Edinburgh where we got to 

see the café where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter (The Elephant House), walked 

through Greyfriar’s Kirkyard (a graveyard with various tombstones displaying 

famous Harry Potter names), and saw the Edinburgh Castle. For our free time, 

three of us explored the Palace of Holyrood - Mary, Queen of Scots used to reside 

there - where we had a blast taking photos in the garden before heading to a 

pub for lunch/dinner. For the evening, my best friend and I convinced a majority 

of our tour group to join us on a ghost tour. While waiting to meet with the group, 

we found a beautiful owl named Hazel who we got permission to hold and take 

pictures with (for £5, of course) - she even has her own hashtag: #hazeltheowl. 

We then went on the eccentric ghost tour which took us back to Greyfriar’s 

Kirkyard at dusk and then the vaults - a tunnel system that is no longer used. Luckily 

for us (or unlucky depending on your point of view), we had no paranormal 

experiences. To end the night, a handful of us went to a nearby pub and had some 

famous Scottish whiskey.

 Location: The Royal Mile (Edinburgh, Scotland)

#hazeltheowl

 PC: Friendly Fellow Tour Participant 

 

Our third, and last day, was a bus trip through the high and lowlands of Scotland. 

We had an hour to explore the beautiful Stirling Castle where we got to play 

dress-up and look out on a wondrously green landscape. We then stopped at a 

quaint little town called Aberfoyle for lunch where they had a well-trained border 

collie herd ducks around an obstacle course, which was so cute to watch. Our tour 

director, being as kind and accommodating as he was, found a way for us to feed 

some hairy coos - yes, you read that correctly, hairy coos; they are the most 

adorable creatures only found in Scotland that look like a mix of a cow and bison 

with scraggly hair. After feeding the hairy coo, we drove to Loch Lomond - loch is 

a Scottish word for a lake - and hiked up a hill to a beautiful view then down to an

extravagant lake. When we returned to Edinburgh, a few of us went to eat at a place 

just off the Royal Mile called Bertie’s, which had some yummy seafood. We finished 

our last night in Edinburgh drinking at a pub where they had an open-mic night. 

The pub, interestingly enough, was filled with mostly Americans and a few other 

tourists. For instance, I met someone who was traveling from Italy; you never 

know who you’re going to find!

 

Hairy Coos!

All in all, I had an amazing time in Scotland and so did a majority of my tour group. 

We often reflect on the trip and how beautiful everything was. Scotland can truly take 

your breath away. Therefore, if you’re looking for a place to travel, I highly recommend 

adding Scotland to the list. There are so many castles, lakes, and pubs to explore! Check 

out the song Loch Lomond by Alastair McDonald, the introduction explains what the 

song entails, and it was one of the songs we got to learn as a group!

 Location: Atop a hill at Loch Lomond 

Thank you for reading all the way through and I hope you will join me next week for 

my post about England!

 

Live every day to the fullest.

Love, Damaris

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