Catch the moments as they fly

When I arrived in Edinburgh on December 23, my friend Jenai met me at Waverly Station in the pouring rain. We took a moment to marvel at how our paths have crossed over the last ten years, from visiting King's College as prospective students ten years ago, to attending Brooklyn College for our graduate programs, and now living in Europe. We walked up and down the winding cobblestone streets in Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-burda in Scotland) to find the Airbnb apartment where I stayed which was just down the street from where Jenai lives in student housing. 

I dropped my bag off and we went to have an early dinner. I tried haggis, of course, and ate bangers and mash. I would mention that another reason to travel is the food, but everyone already knows that's one of the best parts of traveling. So instead I'll mention that traveling helps you realize how amazing it is to have people in your life who have known you for a long time. It warmed my heart to spend time with a good friend for the holidays.

 We spent Christmas Eve exploring the Edinburgh Castle. I learned about the royal family, particularly Mary Queen of Scots whom Jenai is distantly related to! Inside the castle we visited St. Margaret's chapel, saw the Crown Jewels, the Scottish National War Memorial, and the Prisons of War. I found the Prisons of War the most interesting because during the American Revolutionary War, American prisoners were considered pirates and treated more harshly. There were wooden doors on exhibit that had names, dates, and pictures that prisoners had carved. One door had a ship with an
 American flag carved into it.  

 There was much more to see at the Castle, but the wind was out of control so we opted to take cover at The Elephant House for some soup and coffee. The only thing that is special about The Elephant House is that J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone there (i.e. the food wasn't anything special) and they have very good heating.

 After that I ventured to the National Museum of Scotland and saw Mary Queen of Scots' harp, among other things. Then for Christmas Eve dinner, I went to Wedgwood with Jenai and several of her friends from the University of Edinburgh. We enjoyed shredded beef salad, ratatouille, and scallops for dinner followed by chocolate tarts and coffee with baileys for dessert.  One of Jenai's friends, Evy, had her parents visiting for the holidays. Evy's parents gave me the best Christmas present by paying dinner. I felt so grateful for their generosity!
A Christmas tradition in the UK is to wear Christmas crowns! 

Between the appetizer and entree, we had a raspberry aperitif. It was delicious and refreshing.

There's nane that's blest of human kind,
But the cheerful and the gay, man,
Fal, la, la, &c.

What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
What his share may be o' care, man?
And use them as ye ought, man:

Believe me, happiness is shy, 

And comes not aye when sought, man.

                     Here's a bottle and an honest friend! 

Then catch the moments as they fly

-A Bottle and a Friend by Robert Burns

On Christmas day I went to church with Jenai. After the service, I told Jenai I felt full singing together with other people in English. Afterwards we made pancakes, bacon, and mimosas for brunch with Jenai's rommate Ines. We skyped with our families back home and watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

In the UK December 26th is Boxing Day so a lot of places I wanted to visit were closed unfortunately. But it was a beautiful day with clear skies, which is rare, so I took advantage of the lovely weather and walked all over the city.

One place that was open, however, was the Scotch Whiskey Distillery. I took a tour and tasted some Scotch whiskey from the Highlands. They have one of the largest collections of whiskey bottles in the tasting room. 3,500 bottles of whiskey on the wall . . .

Here are a few of my favorites plus the haggis flavored chips I ate at the bar.

 

I also climbed up Arthur's Seat, a mountain that overlooks the city. I was left breathless, from the climb as well as the view.

That night I went to the Christmas market.

We met up with my coworker Leslie, who was in Edinburgh with her boyfriend David, to ride the ferris wheel.

On our way to a bar we walked down a street that reminds Jenai of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.

They even have a joke shop like Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!

My last day there, we had breakfast at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. I ate mincemeat pie for the first time and it tasted like Christmas. 

I spent five days in Edinburgh which was the longest I stayed anywhere over the Christmas holidays. Since I've returned to Madrid, friends keep asking which place was my favorite to visit. Because I had the most time to explore Edinburgh, I think it was my favorite city. But because of a cancelled flight on my way to Berlin, I didn't have enough time to explore all it has to offer. More on that next post!