Caerlaverock Castle and Dumfries

I’ve officially been in Edinburgh for two weeks. I survived Burns Night! And I still haven’t tried haggis… I’ll get to that eventually. Maybe.

Robert Burns – Scotland’s National Poet

Yesterday, (Saturday the 28th) I went on a trip with the International Student Center to the town of Dumfries and Caerlaverock Castle. Dumfries’ claim to fame is that it houses the Robert Burns Center which is basically a museum of Burns life. I learned he was the author of the Auld Lang Syne: a long established feature of New Year celebrations in every corner of the world. The Globe Inn is also in Dumfries where Burns died in 1796. We were in Dumfries for a couple of hours then moved on to tour the ruins of Caerlaverock Castle. It was very beautiful and interesting. The only problem was that I was freezing. As usual. Nevertheless, I managed to snap about 100 photos. I won’t post them all…

Surviving My First Week in Edinburgh

Ok, so technically I have been here longer than a week but most of the pictures are all from the first week. It feels more like a month! Things I have learned:

• You can cross the street when the sign doesn’t say walk; if you wait for the walk sign you will never get anywhere on time.
• Arkansas’ cold is not Edinburgh’s cold… in short, I’m constantly freezing!
• The expression “top up” is used for everything from pre-paying your cell phone bill to filling up your glass.
• Don’t go to Banshee Labyrinth. Period.

On my first day (Sunday) we went to orientation and were greeted by a bagpiper. Which was really cool.

From Arkansas to Edinburgh

Friday the 13th, I left home and began my journey to Scotland…

Me, Mom, and the pups… saying our farewells

 It took 3 planes and almost a full day of travel, but I’m finally here in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. Today, the 16th, is my 3rd day and I am beginning to feel more settled. I walked around the city a bit the first night to get a feel for the area, and these are some things I saw…