On the last full day of our international adventure, we decided to take an approach that we’ve taken with this entire trip… just go with the flow and see what happened. We had breakfast plans to visit the birthplace of Harry Potter known as The White Elephant.
Before this trip I knew the bare minimum about Harry Potter. Truthfully, I still don’t know that much about Harry Potter. However, I’ve seen how enthused and invested so many people are in the franchise and that’s an incredibly powerful thing to witness, regardless if you’re apart of the culture or not.
After breakfast, our plan was just to wander around and enjoy the most of Edinburgh that we could before our 4:30 pm meeting time. We went to another Harry Potter store and while everyone bought their unique souvenirs, I just explored the store and tried to understand as much as I could with little knowledge about the franchise.
To get away from the area we’ve explored more places other than than Victoria Street and took a stroll down to the other side of the Edinburgh Castle. We found the Princes Street Garden. With the Edinburgh Castle peering over us, it was one of the most picturesque moments I’ve ever experienced in front of me.
Scotland is not real. If you’ve taken anything from this blog, I hope it is that I will never be convinced that Scotland is real.
At 4:30 pm, we were called to the hotel lobby to meet for our final group meeting at the French Embassy. It made me not only emotional, but feel extremely bittersweet. Hearing everyone’s memories of the trip and talking about what will stick with us after the trip, was a humbling and welcoming feeling.
Our group dinner was a lovely farewell and came at the best time after our meeting. It was nice to just be in everyone’s company for one more time before we go our own ways.
Then we embarked on our haunted Edinburgh tour. I’m scared of everything so it wasn’t the best time for me. I left without mascara on my face from crying, but I’m glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to at least TRY it.
If I’ve learned anything (aside from professional advice), it’s that fear is just a concept, and a concept is nothing other than a platform without a voice.
Tomorrow we embark on our flight home. I’m sad to leave Europe, but I know this won’t be the last time I’m here. I’m sure of it.