At World's End

I just got back from a trip to the end of the world... Scotland, that is. My roommate Jean and I decided to make a weekend trip up to the capital city of Edinburgh since neither of us had ever been to Scotland.
Scotland, to this American, is simply more interesting than England. Perhaps because it's so far away from everything, but also because I've always been rather exposed to English culture with movies, books, and history classes. Scotland just seems like a different world. And it really is. It's much more similar to Ireland than it is to England, probably since they are both celtic.
On the train ride up to Edinburgh, we rode along the English coastline once we passed Newcastle; and from Berwick-upon-Tweed (the border city) it was a straight ride up the Scottish coast. While I'd put the all three Irish coasts that I saw just one notch above it, the coast of Scotland it breathtaking.
Upon arrival in Edinburgh, we immediately heard bagpipe music. We exited the train station and saw a bagpiper playing right outside Scott Monument, a massive structure built in honor of Sir Walter Scott, the poet.
From there, we hiked up to Calton Hill, the highest point in Edinburgh. We were able to see the entire city from here, including the coast it rests upon.
My buddy Jean (who is quite the shutter-bug, might I add) loved the view, especially looking down at the "lovely city," in his words.
St. Giles Cathedral was a quick stop, but a fantastic building nonetheless. Next to this church was a statue of Adam Smith, the father of modern economics. I had forgotten that he was from Scotland. He is on the British 20-pound note.
Our next and biggest attraction (along with being my favorite) was Edinburgh Castle. Cardiff Castle looked magnificent from the outside, but I didn't go in. Here, I chose to fork over the quid and tour this historic attraction.
This was the home of the famous Mary Queen of Scots, and the birthplace of her son James VI of Scotland, who, after the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, became James I of England. Ever heard of the King James Bible? Yeah, it's that King James.
On our tour, we learned that this castle is first and foremost a military base that is still in use today. In fact, it is the Royal Army's headquarters in Scotland. There were three military museums in the castle that we enjoyed perusing, along with a Scottish whiskey shop. Our red-headed tour guide showed us all around this historic castle, even toward the nineteenth-century jail cells where they kept the Americans.
Another thing about Scotland worth mentioning is the sun. I have never seen the sun so low and bright in my life. Since we were dangerously close to the Arctic circle, the sun was close to the horizon at "high noon" and was set around 4:00! The sun's lowness and blazing luminosity made it terribly difficult to take satisfactory pictures that weren't full of squints or shadows, but we managed to take a few good ones.
If you ever find yourself in Edinburgh overnight, I recommend staying at the Castle Rock Hostel. Of the three hostels I've stayed at (New York, London, and here), it was by far the best.
After our full night's sleep, we stepped out into the 100-foot shadows outside and walked down the "Royal Mile." This, the most famous street in Edinburgh, starts at the Castle, goes down past St. Giles Cathedral, Scottish Parliament, and many other important cites (all the buildings look the same in this city!), and ends at the Palace of Holyrood House. This is where the royal family stays when they visit this end of Britain.
Holyrood Park was quite a sight as well, with grassy knolls that turn into clefts as your eyes travel upward.
Leaving the Royal Mile behind us, we boarded the train back to Cambridge. This train, however, took us a different route. Instead of descending down the same coast, we cut through the interior of southern Scotland, and saw pastoral sheep farms, small mountains, and gorgeous glens. This route took us much longer to get back to Cambridge, but it was definitely worth it.
I've never been to the end of the world before, and you know what? It's not a bad place to be! It's far enough away to get London out of your lungs, but not far enough away that the air freezes said lungs. It's amazing how different Scots are from Englishman. They're friendlier and more talkative, so long as they're not talking to an Englishman.Scotland has a rich history, a beautiful landscape, and is worth exploring. And the bagpipers? They're starting to grow on me.