As the title of this post implies, I have safely made it to Edinburgh! I actually arrived three days ago, but with jet lag, exploring the city, and making new friends, moments to write are a bit sparse. However, curled up with a newly purchased blanket from Primark and a cup of tea, I’m ready to take a short break from adventuring and talk a while about this wonderful place I can now call home.

First, let’s take a moment to reflect on the journey here. I have discovered I do not enjoy long plane rides. Especially ones that include sitting next to noisy and rude Russian ladies. I’m not hating on the Russians; I love them, they are my people. I am just hating on this one particular lady who, because of her consistent chattering, prevented me from sleeping the entire eleven hour flight.

Other than ‘Miss Rude’ the flight was overall pleasant. On the other side of me was the most adorable elderly German woman named Gretel and her British husband Ray. They happened to also be flying to Edinburgh so we all talked about our plans for the city for most of the flight. They even helped me complete my transfer in Amsterdam, which turned out not to be difficult or something to stress over at all. I think that because my visa is one for the UK, Amsterdam did not count as a first port of entry since it is still in mainland Europe. Not having to deal with customs was a very pleasant surprise.

When I finally touched down in Edinburgh at 12:45pm local time, I was exhausted. I had literally been awake for almost 24 hours, and every muscle in my body ached from sitting for so long.

“You want to know what it’s like to be on a plane for 22 hours? Sit in a chair, squeeze your head as hard as you can, don’t stop, then take a paper bag and put it over your mouth and nose and breath your own air over and over again.” -Lewis Black

Nevertheless, I powered through it and waited at the airport for a few more hours before meeting up with some other girls at my program; Claire and Karen. We shared a cab ride to our apartment, which is flawless, and then waited around for the rest of our housemates to arrive.

The apartment is just as cute as I hoped it would be, and then some. As I described in a previous post, I have a two story, four bedroom flat in New Town. The location of the flat is so nice. A big supermarket/shopping center is across the street, and we are close to a lot of nice cafes and restaurants. The actual setup of the flat is great as well. My room, that I share with my housemate Genesis, is nice and cozy and has a good sized closet big enough for us two to share.

The following thee days have been filled with eating, exploring, and meeting the people of the program. All the fellow interns are so nice and funny, and I think all of us will get along great. Even though we all just met, I have an inkling that some lifelong friendships are in the making: I’m talking to you Hannah! The program staff, Hilary and Fraser, are wonderful as well. It was so nice to meet them and put faces to the people I have been corresponding with for months on end.

The drought didn’t reach Edinburgh

However, going back to the eating and exploring bit: It is so hard to try and capture just how much we have done in a mere three days. Within 72 hours, I have eaten at seven different places, been to a pub, explored Royal Mile, toured Edinburgh Castle, walked and shopped Princes Street, gotten a go phone, visited the Scottish National Gallery, gone grocery shopping, gotten lost, gotten found, and so much more. Edinburgh is such a walkable and overall incredible place.

The Scottish National Gallery: Home of many, many paintings with naked people

It is also the most beautiful city I have ever been to; from the architecture, to the greenery (there is no drought here), to the people: the more I see and experience the faster and harder I fall in love with this city. My entire being is transforming into a network of cobblestone roads, tartan, and the sound of Scottish accents. I know that it’s just the beginning, but I already see this as home and I don’t want to leave.

Cheers,

The Travelsmith