A Harp and Some Kilts

Spring Break- where to start?

Well, I’ll stick with what I know best- football. On Sunday, Riley and I went to see Chelsea vs Newcastle at Stamford Bridge (big shoutout to Chip for the tickets). Given that Chelsea tickets are no longer for sale due to the sanctions placed on their current owner, I feel pretty lucky that I got to see a match. We were about 7 rows up and watched a game that was destined to be a tie flip the script when Kai Havertz scored in the 89th minute to give Chelsea the 1-0 win. A fitting way to end my first Chelsea match; I sure hope it’s not my last.

The next morning at 5:45 am Riley and I were on a train to Edinburgh; that’s what you call a quick switch of events. About 4 hours later, we arrived and were off. First mission: find a hostel. We found a cheap and amazing hostel right near the Castle of Edinburgh, which we’ll get into more in a bit. First though, we needed some breakfast, and I wanted to go to The Elephant House, where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter books. However, we found it was closed due to a fire in August when we got there (thanks for the heads up google). We found breakfast elsewhere and then headed to the castle. We met up with some of our other friends who were also in Edinburgh and headed in (only after I got a stylish Scottish jumper, or sweater, in the nearby shop). The view from the castle was exquisite and we saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, which, when compared to the English Crown Jewels, was like a doll house to a mansion. Still, it was fun to walk around the streets of the castle and see exhibits like the jailhouse. Honestly, I did not feel too bad for the prisoners there- they seemed like they were living lavishly based on their nice hammocks for beds. After the castle, Riley and I checked out the Royal Mile, their main street leading to the castle until dinner came around. And guess what: we had pie on pi day. I tried haggis pie and I actually quite enjoyed it. Then, to finish the day, a group of us took a ghost tour, which brought us to various sites before capping off in one of the old underground Edinburgh streets. It wasn’t very scary, which was just fine with me.

The next day, Riley and I headed down (literally) to the Princes Street Gardens, which sit well below the castle. It gave us some great pictures; foreshadowing the day to come. Afterwards, we walked to Arthur’s Seat, a hill overlooking the city (but what felt like all of Scotland). It was a hike to the top, and although we were almost blown off once we arrived, it was worth it 10x over. It was, and I can’t stress this enough, absolutely beautiful. No wonder it’s one of the most used places for a proposal. After trekking down the opposite way, we then bussed over to the shorefront on a nice, warm 50 degree Fahrenheit day. After collecting a few shells and a slice of pizza, we went back to the city centre, visited the National Museum of Scotland, shopped a bit more and headed to Greyfriars Kirkyard. Here, we saw the grave and statue of Greyfriars Bobby, a dog who protected his owner's grave for 14 years. There’s even a Disney movie after him. Additionally, we saw the gravestones of Thomas Riddell and other people who were JK Rowling’s inspiration for characters. Afterwards, we ate dinner at The World’s End pub, where the split between the rich and the poor was back in the day; truly the world’s end from the poor’s point of view. It’s here where I tried a scotch, and I am personally not a fan. I would recommend their burger, though. Well, there’s Edinburgh; time for Glasgow, an hour train ride away.

I met my friend Alex on Tuesday night in Glasgow, where we went to bed right away in a hostel we had booked previously. However, the next morning we had the best breakfast at a place called Singl-end, where I got bacon, egg, potato scone and some other thing I’m not even sure of on homemade English muffins. It was *chef’s kiss*. Afterwards, we walked around the city and saw some of the murals on the Glasgow Mural Trail before making our way to the Glasgow Cathedral. I know, another cathedral. And, yes, it was another cathedral: beautiful, with some fun facts about it and a burial of a famous person. This one was St. Mungo, Glasgow’s patron saint. Afterwards, we went to the Necropolis (the graveyard above the cathedral) for a view of the city, which is rather industrial looking. After a quick lunch, we headed to Pollok’s County Park via bus, where there are beautiful gardens, a stream, hairy cows and even a fairy house. It was quite calming walking through this large park. However, the highlight of the day was the evening. In our hostel, we met some great people and hung out with them for the night. I felt like the opener to a joke: an Irishmen, German, Nigerian and 2 Americans walk into a bar…and sing Mr. Brightside on karaoke night? I guess the punchline doesn’t make much sense. However, we had some wonderful conversations with them and it could not have been a better experience.

on Thursday, Alex and I chilled at a cafe after saying bye to our new friends. And before you know it, we were on our flight to Dublin. We stayed with Alex’s 3rd (or something) cousin and her dog Vinny, who won the waggiest tail in the park. However, we did not get to talk much with her before she dropped us off in the city centre, because, after all, it was St. Patrick’s Day. Temple Street was absolutely packed with people and Alex and I struggled to move through the crowd. Our first stop was the Temple Bar, where we ordered a Guinness (which I find disgusting, but it just felt right). We then attempted to part the crowd like Moses, although I imagine his task was easier, and found ourselves looking for a place to get dinner. We found a quick, un-authentic place and ate before meeting the same friends I was with in Edinburgh for an hour or two. The rest of the night involved Alex and I just walking through the city, meeting new people and taking in the St. Patrick’s Day environment. When we got back to the house, we talked with Alex’s cousin and played with Vinny before heading to bed.

When we woke up we had some lovely corn flakes for breakfast and then headed to Phoenix Park. Phoenix Park was one of the most unique places I’ve ever been- it’s home to the Irish president and the US Ambassador house, has a giant cross erected for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979, and has herds of deer that lack fear. I was able to go right up to the deer, some of whom had enormous antlers; I could never dream of doing such in the States. Then we walked down Grafton Street, saw some great buskers (street performers), had an even better salad, and craved some gelato on a nice and sunny day. Once we had seen enough, we walked to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Though a 1200 year old book is quite impressive, I enjoyed the Long Room (their library), even more. It felt, as Alex’s cousin put it, just full of knowledge. It had some amazing busts of famous academics, the oldest harp in Ireland and an original copy of the Irish Republic’s independence declaration. After filling ourselves with knowledge, it was time to fill ourselves with food at The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland (since 1198). I had some bacon and cabbage, which was essentially ham and cabbage, and it was delicious; I just had it a day late. After dinner, we finally got our gelato and walked around exploring more before calling it a night.

Our last morning in Dublin was taken up by the Guinness Storehouse tour, the #1 attraction in Dublin. It was basically a museum explaining how they craft their beer, but it was interesting nonetheless. The tour ended with a 7th floor bar, which gives you the greatest view of the city in Dublin. Dublin is also a relatively industrial city, but surrounded by mountains. After the tour, a free Guinness (still disgusting- I only drank half, but at least somewhat appreciated it this time), and some pictures, we were on our way to the airport back to London. As soon as we arrived, I had to hurry back to my room and change for the silent disco boat ride I had booked with some friends weeks ago. I truly must enjoy exhausting myself; I don’t know why else I’d do it. Anyways, the ride started and finished on the River Thames right by Tower Bridge, so even with the mediocre music, it was a lot of fun.

And now I’m back to school. I have 4 essays due within 8 days, 4 of which I’ll be spending in Athens, Greece. But that’s for another time. Sorry for the long blog, but it was a long (and fun) week.

Cheers