London and Edinburgh (Oxford to come!)

Dearest readers,

 

It’s been quite awhile since you’ve heard from me, so I thought I would resolve that today. It’s a scorching day in Oxford (almost 90 degrees!) which isn’t a big deal when there’s air conditioning. Unfortunately, the beautiful City of the Dreaming Spires is significantly lacking in the a/c department, but being the relentless and resourceful Texan that I am, and very aware of the benefits of a well ordered air conditioning unit, I have tracked down I think the only pub in all of Oxford with a/c and am currently comfortably waiting out the worse of this mid-afternoon heat with a pint in hand. I’ve set myself the task of bringing my travelogue at least marginally more up to date, so here it goes:

 

When last I wrote, I had just returned to London from Paris (oh, how I miss the City of Lights!), and was gearing up to go to Scotland (and Edinburgh, more specifically). The trip to Edinburgh was, like most train trips, rather uneventful, if louder and longer than I would’ve liked. I arrived in Scotland on a cold, wet, rainy day—completely expected for the North in summertime. After finding my AirBNB and dropping off my luggage, I set out to explore the city, trusty umbrella in hand.

 

The Royal Mile of Edinburgh stretches from the Holyrood Palace to the Castle of Edinburgh at the top of the mile. There are shops, pubs, museums, historical attractions—basically anything you could with for on the Mile. I ended up exploring for several hours. I couldn’t visit the Palace since it was being used—the Queen was in residence!—but I was able to walk up the mile. I stopped at Deacon Brodie’s Pub for a late lunch. The pub is named after the criminal who served as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s character Mr. Hyde from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It was a nice, old pub, very steeped in history, but also very, very touristy. After a bit more exploration, I ended up back at the AirBNB to do some laundry and recoup. Finally, I had dinner at the Safari Lounge, just a few minutes’ walk from the apartment. The food was excellent! The first good tacos (really spicy) that I’ve had in the UK. The next day, I went to the Real Mary Queen’s Close, a tour through the intricate network of underground streets in Edinburgh called the “closes.” Very cool concept, although my tour guide was not that engaging, which made it a bit less interesting than it could have been. After this, I went to a restaurant called Howie’s for lunch. I had received an extensive guide to Edinburgh from my friend Clint Wilson, a former student at the University of Edinburgh, so finding good places to eat wasn’t an issue—the main thing was trying to fit in everything on his list!

 

Howie’s was amazing! A blend of traditional Scottish food and cutting-edge French cuisine. I tried haggis for the first time (excellent!) and toffee pudding. A bit more wandering; I visited the Walter Scott Monument, the National Gallery of Scotland, and tried to take in a bit more of the city by participating in a Sandman’s Free Walking Tour, which I highly recommend! I have so many stories about the city now (if you ever want to know about Maggie Dixon or Jenny, let me know—fascinating stories!) The tour guide was not actually Scottish; she was German! A linguist completing a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. I don’t think I’m overselling it to say that this was the best tour I’ve ever taken. She was amazing and knew so much about the city and its history. In the evening, two friends who I met at my Church in Houston (but who live in Ireland) met up with me. They were also on a trip to Scotland, very providential timing, and so we were able to catch up and get a drink. We also made plans to hike Arthur’s Seat the next day.

 

Arthur’s Seat is a beautiful hill (I want to write “mountain,” because to my Texan eyes, it appears massive) right at the base of the Royal Mile and adjacent to Holyrood Palace. It was a beautiful morning to hike the hill. My Irish friends (Justin and Elle) and I made it to the top, took some beautiful pictures, and then went for a quick coffee. Afterwards, we split up since I had lunch planned with Sheila, a friend I had met in London. She’s originally from Scotland and live sin Edinburgh now. When we met at a pub in my neighborhood in London, she told me to let her know if I made it up to Scotland, and when I sent her a message saying I was there, she asked to take me to lunch. It was lovely catching up with her! She’s a truly beautiful person, and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon chatting with her. 

 

After lunch, I walked around a bit more, did a bit of thrifting (it was really cold, and I ended up buying myself a sweater). Then I went to Sandy Bell’s (another rec from Clint) to listen to some traditional Scottish music and taste some Scotch. After this, I went to an evening service at St. Columba’s Free Church of Scotland, a Church recommended to me by both the pastor of my Church in Houston and the pastor of the Church I’ve been attending in London (such a small world! Apparently, they both used to go to St. Columba’s and they actually know one another!!)

 

It was a lovely service! Finally, back to Safari Lounge for some more of those tacos (yum, yum!) and then up early the next morning for my train ride to Oxford, where I’ve spent the last week. The tales of that train ride, of meeting an American on the train (and our mutual exchange of “Fourth of July” greetings), of my first night in Oxford playing trivia, and all the other adventures I’ve had to this point, more later. Now, I’m just trying to relive for a brief moment the chill of the Scotland air in the midst of the Oxford heat! Until later!

 

~Nina