While attending summer classes at Birkbeck University of London in 1979, I took a weekend trip with a group of students to Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.
After being in London for several weeks, the contrast between this bustling, energetic metropolis and that of quaint, historic and slow-paced Edinburgh was pronounced and refreshing.
After being in London for several weeks, the contrast between this bustling, energetic metropolis and that of quaint, historic and slow-paced Edinburgh was pronounced and refreshing.
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It's funny some of the things I still remember as if they happened just yesterday: The rowdy young men from Scotland traveling with us by train. The inebriated older gent who stumbled out of a pub carrying a sack of potatoes. His bag breaking and the spuds rolling in the street. The four of us, laughing while helping him gather his potatoes, only to have them repeatedly fall back out. Browsing the shops along Princes Street, feeling the texture of the tartan and marveling at the endless colors and patterns. St. Leonard's Hall with its turrets and towers. The haggis celebration, the haunting sounds of the Scottish bagpipes. Redheaded men in kilts. The sky the color of lavender. The inspiring scenery. The castle edifice looming over the city and the North Sea off in the distance.
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We stayed in the Pollock Halls of Residence at the foot of Arthur's Seat, the main peak in a group of hills rising above the university. Holyrood Park, less than 1.5 miles, with its golden fountain and Ramsay Memorial, stretches out beneath the enormous castle rock and historical Edinburgh castle (est. 1058). The expansive castle defines the city. We toured the castle and walked The Royal Mile from castle rock to Holyrood Palace.
In the evening, we went to nearby hotel Oratavia for a banquet. There was also a show with Scottish music, dancing, and poetry readings. The haggis was ceremoniously brought out at the conclusion of Robert Burn's passionate "Address to a Haggis." Being a vegetarian, and a rabid Monty Python fan, I thankfully had cause to decline. I quickly whispered to my girlfriend some lines from Monty Python's "Horace" poem and she did likewise.
Not until everyone else had taken a bite did our host recite the indelicate list of ingredients* contained in that boiled sheep's paunch (stomach).
*spices, oatmeal, minced heart, liver, lights (lung).
It's funny some of the things I still remember as if they happened just yesterday: The rowdy young men from Scotland traveling with us by train. The inebriated older gent who stumbled out of a pub carrying a sack of potatoes. His bag breaking and the spuds rolling in the street. The four of us, laughing while helping him gather his potatoes, only to have them repeatedly fall back out. Browsing the shops along Princes Street, feeling the texture of the tartan and marveling at the endless colors and patterns. St. Leonard's Hall with its turrets and towers. The haggis celebration, the haunting sounds of the Scottish bagpipes. Redheaded men in kilts. The sky the color of lavender. The inspiring scenery. The castle edifice looming over the city and the North Sea off in the distance.
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We stayed in the Pollock Halls of Residence at the foot of Arthur's Seat, the main peak in a group of hills rising above the university. Holyrood Park, less than 1.5 miles, with its golden fountain and Ramsay Memorial, stretches out beneath the enormous castle rock and historical Edinburgh castle (est. 1058). The expansive castle defines the city. We toured the castle and walked The Royal Mile from castle rock to Holyrood Palace.
In the evening, we went to nearby hotel Oratavia for a banquet. There was also a show with Scottish music, dancing, and poetry readings. The haggis was ceremoniously brought out at the conclusion of Robert Burn's passionate "Address to a Haggis." Being a vegetarian, and a rabid Monty Python fan, I thankfully had cause to decline. I quickly whispered to my girlfriend some lines from Monty Python's "Horace" poem and she did likewise.
Not until everyone else had taken a bite did our host recite the indelicate list of ingredients* contained in that boiled sheep's paunch (stomach).
*spices, oatmeal, minced heart, liver, lights (lung).
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