SCOTLAND- A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

For the last three months I have been working as an intern at the Scottish Parliament. I can honestly say that I have learned more important lessons while living in Scotland then I have learned in my 3 full years of college.  Here are three of the lessons I have learned:

*A smile goes a long ways- As a tourist in Scotland and through Europe I have learned the importance of a smile. A smile really can get you a long ways. I have learned that when in doubt (especially in countries where there was a language barrier) a smile can get you through any situation. For example, when my wife and I were lost in the Paris Metro we had to ask a local for directions. We had heard that everyone in Paris speaks English, but we were still a little uncomfortable and embarrassed to ask a random person for directions in English. The first person we approached completely brushed us off, turned his back, and walked away. We figured it was most likely because we were American and assumed he spoke English. I then approached another woman and decided I was going to put a huge smile on my face and ask her the same question in English. I could tell that she recognized the smile as a warm gesture, and she was very kind. This is a very small example of when a smile got me a long ways

* Not doing something because you do not feel comfortable is a very bad excuse. If you do not go out of your comfort zone, you will not ever have the unique experiences that life has to offer.  On one of our last weekends in Scotland, my wife and I decided that we wanted to go to Ireland. We purchased plane tickets and flew to Ireland for four hours. We were able to see the beautiful country and have an incredible experience. We felt very out of our comfort zone, but we are very grateful that we had the experience. We found this concept to be very true as we traveled through Europe.

*I feel very blessed and lucky to be from the United States. I love to travel. I love to see what life has to offer. I love seeing new things and experiencing new cultures. One of the biggest reasons why I love all of these things is because it helps me remember how blessed and lucky I am to be from the United States. I love my country. I love everything about it. I love the political and social freedoms that I enjoy as a citizen of the United States of America. As great as it is to travel, one of my favorite parts is touching down at a United States airport.

 I really do feel so amazingly blessed to have had the opportunity to live overseas and have the experiences that I was able to have. I was able to visit ten countries in the last three months, and experience so many cultures. This experience has opened my eyes to the world, and all that it has to offer.

The following pictures are a compilation of some of my experiences as an intern in Scotland and my travels through Europe. I hope you enjoy! 

The People's Story Museum & Rosslyn Chapel

This is a compilation of pictures from touring around Edinburgh, Scotland after going to the People's Story Museum. There are pictures of the legendary Edinburgh Castle, the Dalmahoy Manor(where Kim and I were able to stay), a mannequin from the People's Story Museum, and other pictures that reminded me of what I learned about at the museum. My stay at the 18th Century Dalmahoy Manor took me right back to 1725, and I felt like I was actually living in the era. It was an incredible experience.

The other pictures in this post are from Rosslyn Chapel. It was an incredible experience to see the very historical chapel and all of the symbolism it has inside its walls.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Edinburgh, Scotland

Brussels, Belgium

Edinburgh, Scotland

Paris, France

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Dungeons/Ghost Tour

            On September 19, 2010 I went on the Edinburgh dungeons and ghost tour. It was a very thrilling evening. The tours are one of the greatest attractions in the gothic city of Edinburgh. The tour lasted a couple of hours, and proved to be one of the scariest and most entertaining things I have ever done before.

The first part of the tour consisted of the tour guide taking us to a couple of different sites about ground, and giving us a brief history. During the eighteenth century there were many witch trials in the city of Edinburgh (A lot like what was going on in the United States at the time). She explained the process of how the citizens of Edinburgh would accuse witches while we stood in the middle of the old graveyard in town. She explained that there were many different tests that were performed on people accused of being witches. One of these tests was that they would nail their thumbs to their knees and throw them into the ocean. If the person floated then they were a witch and if they sank then they died a witch. Many of the tests that were run were very illogical, and it was very interesting to hear how people used to think.

The highlight of the tour was being able to go underground to the dungeons. This underground set of caves was used in many different ways throughout Edinburgh’s past. At one point it was used to keep all the criminals, and later was used as a place where the homeless could live. In the great Edinburgh fire of 1824 over one hundred people died in the caverns bellow the town. All of the stories that were told were meant to scare the people on the tour. The tour culminated with the boys and the girls being separated and placed in one large part of the cavern. The tour guide turned her flashlight off and it was completely dark. She began to tell us that the part of the cavern we were standing in was the most haunted of any other part. After about ten minutes of hearing ghost stories a couple of people dressed as witches jumped in to the room we were standing in and scared everyone. There was mass chaos with the girls and guys all running around in the dark. It was a horrific moment.

The ghost tours of Edinburgh are one of the largest attractions in Scotland. So much of the culture in Edinburgh revolves around a dark gothic theme. It was incredible to get a glimpse into this side of Scottish culture. 

Arthur’s Seat Hike

 

            On Saturday, October 9, 2010 I hiked Arthur’s seat with my wife. It was an amazing hike. There are many different ways to reach the top, but we decided to take the easiest; the east end of the hill where a grassy slope rises about Dunsapie Loch. Although we fell a few times walking up because of the slippery grass, we were able to successfully make it up to the highest point of the peak. It took us a whole afternoon to complete the hike. We were not hiking the whole time; we stopped at the top to take pictures, relax, and enjoy the views.

            Arthur’s Seat is the main peak in a group of hills right behind the Scottish Parliament. From where I sit in my office, I can see the trail up to the peak. Many people claim that the name of the hill comes from a myriad of legends pertaining to King Arthur. The hill was formed by an extinct system of volcanoes from the Carboniferous age. This means that Arthur’s Seat is approximately 350 million years old.  The elevation of the hill is 823 feet. It was incredible to be able to be on top of the hill looking down on the city and the ocean.

            From the top of the peak my wife and I were able to point out all of our favourite places in Edinburgh. From pubs that we enjoy, our apartment, the Scottish Parliament building, the football stadiums, and shopping centres we could better orient ourselves with where we were walking every morning to get to these places. It was incredible to be able to see what the beautiful city of Edinburgh looks like from above.

            Hiking Arthur’s Seat with my wife was one of the best experiences I had during my time in Scotland. Living in a working city can sometimes get overwhelming. It was very nice to be able to be above all of the chaos observing peacefully on top of Arthur’s Seat.