Edinburgh, Scotland

So the past weekend a group of us traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland for the long weekend. Today was our travel day back via train which took us through the countryside of lush green valleys, big trees and lots of brick houses. Overall Scotland was a fantastic country to visit. There’s a few funny comparisons we noticed between Edinburgh and London. In London, we visited the Tower which had lots of Crown Jewels in different objects, rigid structures and stories featuring prisoners, royalty and presents from far away like elephants and other exotic animals. The relationship between England and other neighboring countries was very present in their gift giving and the people that visited the Tower. Edinburgh’s castle told a different story. For starters, it was not in the city center itself and instead high up on a cliff overlooking the city. The structure was very rounded in design as paths within the walls circled around in the open air. The Crown Jewels were one scepter and one crown, minus the jewels which were locked in a vault. That showed the difference in wealth and value in Crown Jewels that England has over Scotland. Furthermore, the castle was built mostly for protection and defense. Cannons were lined up on the outer wall pointing down the hill. Exhibits featuring stories from battles with England, WW1 and WW2 were smaller and more humbling. There was a greater concentration on the lives lost and involved in the war over the technologies created that caused mass destruction. It was apparent that, compared to England, Scotland was less involved with the World Wars and felt they took a hard hit in losing so many citizens and that is what they chose to dedicate museums, monuments and memorials to. Other differences in these countries would include transportation, fashion and formality. There’s no tube system or underground traveling in Scotland. There were double decker buses but everything we wanted to see was in a walking distance. The city itself is smaller so traveling on foot (with less crowded and wider sidewalks) was very accessible. We still logged 15,000 steps each day, but we saw a lot more above ground. Fashions were different, as nations differ in their trends and uniform. Tartan, the fabric pattern usually fashioned into kilts, was everywhere. It’s like a wider plaid and interweaving multiple colors at once. Scarves of lamb wool and cashmere (fibers from a specific goat) were sold in every third shop down the Royal Mile. We saw a small scale factory where tartan is produced and make into kilts, dresses, coats, scarves and other apparel. That was one of my favorite parts to see, an outfit one can identify with the country and to see the country so proud of their fashion that’s more than a trend, it’s historical and modern dress. Formality is a term I’m using to describe the way people treat one another, appearance of locals and overall feeling. Edinburgh felt a lot less formal than London. Fashion was more functional and laid back. Part of that may have to do with it raining the whole time, but we felt almost overdressed in our London clothes. People felt more authentic and down to earth. We had some awesome waiters when we went out to eat. One travel mate tried to order haggis and she was concerned he would waste his money and not like it, so she had the cook prepare two little patties for our table to try complimentary with our meal. Side note, it wasn’t horrible, a few of us really liked it. Another told us to relax, put our phones away and to enjoy our time together. He also jokingly put 500 pounds in the billing machine as opposed to 50 pounds and waited for us to notice. His laugh was the best, you could tell he really loved his job and valued us coming for tea. Formality was even lessened in the streets. The whole left side versus right side of walking continued, but you felt less pressured if you were on the wrong side and people just passed by without muttering comments. Also when crossing the streets, cars yielded to the pedestrians and stopped when we approached the cross walks. It was nicer than avoiding motorists, cyclists and the fear of being clipped by standing in the wrong spot even at the right time. So overall Scotland was a beautiful, vast, down to earth country that really values their citizens, tartan, history and culture of their people. It’s a country I cannot wait to go back to someday, as three days wasn’t enough to soak it all in.