Edinburgh: Harry Potter Heaven

This past weekend was absolutely amazing! Sarah, Liz, Erin and I went to Edinburgh, Scotland and had an incredible visit! We stayed in the High Street Hostel which is right off the Royal Mile (the street that has the Edinburgh Castle at the top and at the bottom is the Queen's official residence in Scotland.)

Most popular tourist attraction in Ireland! J.K. Rowling had a view of this castle while writing Harry Potter 1 & 2! It's built on a cliff like Hogwarts! 

As soon as we arrived from our quick little flight thanks to Ryan Air we had dinner at a restaurant right down the street. I had the Potted Hough, which was beef on bread with some cranberry/apple spread. Yum! When we returned we headed out on pub crawl sponsored by the hostel. We went to six different pubs and ended at a night club--what a great first night. The pub crawl (my first!) was amazing because we got to meet so many people throughout the night who all lived in our hostel or the one up the street. We befriended Australians, French, Canadians and Germans and spent time with them throughout the weekend! The pubs were all very different and included one traditional pub, a posh modern pub, an Aussie pub, a Frankenstein pub, a heavy metal pub and a sports pub. When we finally got to the night club we were all ready to hit the dance floor!

Pub crawl with some of our new friends: Aussies and a Canadian! They enjoyed their new kilts a little too much.

The hostel itself was wonderful and the best first hostel experience I could have asked for! The building was from the 1500's and was a famous resident's house. So cool! My favorite part, besides the friendly people, was the complimentary Cadbury's hot chocolate that was provided in the kitchen! I now refuse to drink Nestle or Swiss Miss--it's Cadbury's or bust. All of the beds in the hostel were named--mine was Indus! Staying at the hostel felt like camp because of all of the people, relaxed community and bunkbeds!

Throughout the weekend we visited the National Museum of Scotland, hiked Arthur's Seat (mountain/hill/cliff that overlooks the city/ocean with stunning views), toured the Edinburgh Castle, visited two smaller towns (Linlithgow and Stirling) to see other castles, took a free city walking tour, awed at St. Giles Cathedral, took a torture and ghost tour of the vaults underneath the city where people once lived in poverty/when they had the plague/while running from the law, ate traditional food (but no Haggis for me), had full Scottish breakfast at a tea room and followed it up with homemade pastries, drank lots of tea and tried Irn-Bru (Scotland's other national drink--an orange soda described as cream soda on crack), saw where Robert Burns once lived, drank a 'Shandy' (half lemonade/half Tennets), and met amazing people from all over the world.

Down in one of the city's old vaults where people lived and fought to stay alive during the plague and while living in poverty/running from the law.

Yum.

When we visited Linlitihgow and Sterling I was enchanted by the magnificent castles that were inhabited by some of the most noteworthy British rulers! My favorite castle was the one in Linlithgow which was only comprised of the oringial stone structure. It was essentially a stone playground that we could explore without hindrance. I could see where old fireplaces, doors, windows and rooms used to be, and there was something really enjoyable about imaging what had once been there.

This was so Hogwarts. It was such a playground and the four of us definitely got lost from each other while exploring!

The city itself was majestic, to say the least. The architecture was stunning, the kilts and cashmere were in abundance and being in the same places as royalty like Mary Queen of Scots and the King James' lived was incredible. I will give you fair warning...the next part may cause some of my readers to fall over in severe fits of envy, and I honestly don't blame you. If you are a Harry Potter fan, read on at your own risk...this is almost too good to be true.

My favorite part, however, was being able to sit in the same spot as J.K. Rowling where she wrote the first two Harry Potter books at The Elephant House--an adorable cafe. From her view, Ms. Rowling (who I met this summer when I sneakily spotted her at SeaWorld while working) could see Edinburgh Castle built on a cliff and the George Heriot School--the school that Hogwarts is based on. To make the weekend more of a Potter pilgrimage, I saw the grave where Thomas Riddle is buried--the inspiration for Tom Marvolo Riddle (I am Lord Voldemort when unscrambled!) Whenever I was in a castle or the graveyard I hummed the Harry Potter theme song under my breath...it was only appropriate! However, on my last day I was walking along Calton Hill looking at old monuments and viewing the city and I heard another man singing the same tune! Yes! I'm not the only insane one around here!

No caption needed :)

Outside the George Heriot School...this school inspired Hogwarts! I'm in heaven.

I took a walk to the castle on the last night (one of our two non-rainy evenings!) and simply admired the moonlit view of it and the George Heriot school. It was a moment I'll never forget and one that I felt so calm and at peace (I'm feeling that a lot since I've been across the pond.) I only saw a few other tourists around, and for a few several still moments I took in the beauty of something that has inspired something so incredibly meaningful to my childhood. I tried to leave the spot where I was standing three times, but I suppose some kind of spell held me in captive awe.

Irish House Party

American house parties mean having people over when parents go out of town, Irish house parties mean having people over when parents go to South Africa. 


Welcome to my Saturday night in Port Laoise (Port Leasch)! Last weekend my friend Paddy had fifteen of the American students over to his house for a party! We took the Luas to the bus station and hopped on a coach to take us to the midlands. Upon getting there we grabbed dinner and slowly Paddy's friends from home trickled in. It was such a great experience to see my Irish friend in his element with his pals from home--it was just so authentic! There's something wonderful about being in a home when you're away from your own, and Paddy's was just delightful! It made me think about my high school friends and how nice it would be to go home and see them more often than just Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's definitely the difference between Ireland and America--here it's very common for students to go home on the weekends. Irish students think it's crazy that I travel five hours to school which is how long it would take to cross their whole country!

Paddy's house!

I left with a few of the Americans and Paddy's friends to pick up some provisions for the evening, and it was my first time riding in someone's personal car (not a taxi) while over here! I'm still adjusting to what side of the road people drive on--initially I'd look over and see a child in front seat and think they were the driver. Scary thoughts!

During the night we danced, chatted and sipped (we are in Ireland, afterall.) The Irish were really keen on playing electronic music/techno, and the Americans were all about hip-hop and Top 40 pop. Sarah Oldham and I mixed it up did the shag to "Carolina Girls." Boy oh boy do I love North Carolina, and goodness gracious do I ever love Ireland!

Friends!

While the last champs were finishing their beverages I claimed a couch for my bed in the family room. Paddy's older brother Fergus was there watching Sky (the ESPN equivalent over here) and we chatted for a really long time which was so great! He goes to Trinity (extremely prestigious school in Ireland/the world) and I got a lot of his insight on what it means to study there. He is majoring in history and was a great resource to help explain the Irish history/politics that I've been learning so much about!

The next day I had my first taste of a "hot chicken roll" which was delicious! We got them at Spar, or Centra, one of the convenience stores, and loaded them with cheese, and "salads" which means any kind of topping, essentially. The difference between convenience store food here and in America is that here it's more like a deli and surprisingly fresh. Mmm. Yum. That's not the last time I'll have a hot chicken roll here. 

After returning home in the late afternoon a few of us went to a pub to hear music at Tradfest (Traditional Irish Music) fest. During the weekend I saw a few different groups, and on this particular night I listened to two guitar players who did a lot of great covers. I even bribed my friend with Cadbury's chocolate to request my personal favorite, Galway Girl. A special guest who is a Bono impersonator came on stage near the end and sang a U2 song--ahhh to be in Dublin and hear U2 is music to my ears--literally. The best part of the evening was seeing how so many people from so many places were all unified by the same songs that we've heard for all our lives. I watched a barstool for an adorable Irish couple who kept getting up to buy drinks and we chatted between songs. They were so friendly and, like all the Irish people I've encountered, excited to know that I'm studying here and embracing this amazing culture! 

Derry: A Whole New Meaning of Civil Rights

The second day of our trip to the country of Northern Ireland was by far one of my favorites. After waking up and having a full Irish breakfast (loving the eggs and steamed (?) tomatoes), we headed out to the bus and drove all along the coast to Derry. I am completely and utterly mesmerized by water, as I've mentioned before, and smiled the whole way as we drove. The bus ride was at least two hours and I was treated to sights of calm bays, herds of sheep and rolling hills. It was quintessential Ireland.

We took two stops along the way to Derry, both dealing with water! The first was a rope bridge that spanned the Irish Sea and took us to a small island! Standing on that island was one of the most serene moments I've had in...forever, maybe? The weather was mild--not cold, however not sunny. The sea breeze wrapped itself around us as we watched the waves crash into the cliffs and span farther than we could imagine. I was at peace, and boy did it feel good.

The next stop was to the Giant's Causeway. The Causeway was formed 50-60 million years ago and includes about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. It was formed by a volcanic explosion, but legend holds that an Irish warrior built the Causeway to get to Scotland to fight his opponent. I really liked this trip and had fun climbing on the rocks! I may or may not have slipped three times and left the Causeway with soaking feet. It's totally fine though because I love water, and WHY NOT get wet if you're at the sea? Waves were meant to be touched and tasted, and I did both of those things.

Following a delicious lunch and sleep coma on the bus, we arrived at our hotel in Derry. The evening was epic, and included dinner, followed by rousing games of Mafia in a hotel room. Let me tell you, college kids know how to play a good game of Mafia! I was only the doctor once, and never anything else, so at times I was a little bored/peeved that I kept being accused of murder! It wasn't me! I was innocent!

The next day was where the historical/culture content took place. We had a tour with a lovely gentleman who showed us the significant areas of this second largest city in Northern Ireland. Derry was the first planned city in Ireland and was granted a charter by King James I in 1613. The city is still completely enclosed by walls that were built by the Irish to keep out English insurgents, and these walls since continued to serve as a reminder of hostility between Protestants and Catholics. What Derry is most recently known for is Bloody Sunday, an awful day when 13 un-armed Civil Rights protesters and bystanders were killed by the IRA during  "The Troubles." Only slightly more than ten years ago did the British Army finally leave Derry, which is an indication of how conflicted this area has really been. In order to commemorate what has happened in Derry and to advocate for peace, there are murals on buildings all throughout "Free Derry," the area where the British Soliders were never allowed to enter. Some of these murals are very disturbing and feature scenes from Bloody Sunday and show IRA members with gas masks, but they also send a message to all who view them. From now on when I hear the term "civil rights" I will no longer immediately think of America in the 1960's, bur rather the struggle of Irish/English discrimination in Northern Ireland will resonate in my mind.