I’ve mentioned this once or twice – I had never flown on an airplane before this International Media excursion. The flight from Manchester to Edinburgh, Scotland was a short one on a small plane and I couldn’t help but to picture this small, rickety aircraft that we would be piling onto. I cried on takeoff and was anxious upon landing at Edinburgh airport.
Scotland has always been a dream of mine, and I MADE IT.
During the semester, I did an obscene amount of research on the Royal Mile, a famous stretch of road in what is known as the Old Town, for a paper and presentation for this class. I have a wee bit of Scottish in me. I was so excited for this part of the trip.
The layout of Scotland was the opposite of the mainly flat areas of the UK that we’ve seen. It’s as if this area was built into mountains, with significant inclines and many steep stairways connecting the streets. Climbing them has potential to present some of the most amazing views in the world.
We scaled multiple flights to get to our cultural experiences of the day.
First stop, Edinburgh Castle.
I got to see the Scottish Crown Jewels – the crown, sceptre, and sword of state used in the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots. I ventured into the Royal Apartments that had walls donned with Royal Scottish lineage. I saw medieval prisons with graffiti hundreds of years old.
I was completely immersed in the history around me. I wished my dad were there with me.
Next was a tour of the Royal Mile. Our tour guide was extremely Scottish and full of history. I was so entranced during the tour. To do so much research about the Royal Mile and then to actually see it for myself, hear stories that I could probably never find in a Google search, just to be there – it was everything to me. One student will publish a report of the Edinburgh Tour for our website and I encourage you to check it out.