A Sassenach in Scotland
Week of October 20
Hello, hi, good morning! I am currently writing on a wobbly table in my Edinburgh hostel, one foot clamped on the table leg to keep it level. This hostel once was a courthouse, and I may or may not have spent the night in a converted holding cell. Mysteriously, most of the women who stayed in the 8-bed room were also jobless wanderers, which we found a hilarious and exhilarating coincidence. We would all cheer when there was a new arrival who had also quit their position to travel.
After arriving on Monday for 4 lovely days here in the capital city, I am headed today (Friday) to Culross, a tiny town about a 50 minutes drive from here (or 2+ hours if taking one train and two buses). For almost the same cost as public transit, I’m treating myself to an Uber! I will be there for one night, and then I am headed to Auchterarder for two nights, which I too have no idea how to pronounce. I wonder if Google Translate works for Gaelic…?
Scotland, Oh Scotland
In these few short days, Scotland has stolen my heart in what has felt like a very welcome homecoming. It is very similar to where I live in Tennessee, which is surprising but also perhaps explains why so many Scots-Irish chose the Appalachians as their new home in a foreign land: rainy, misty hills and valleys, everything covered in green.
In addition, I have Scottish ancestors who left for America during the Clearances, a period of history when landed gentry forced tenants off their lands in the late 1700s to mid-1800s. With few options, my relatives left on ships for New York, with what I imagine were heavy hearts. My return to Scotland - from none other than New York..! - is completing a circle, left open and jagged for almost 200 years. I have never been here, but Scotland still feels like home.
The weather has been nearly perfect, with only two half-days of rain. My hostel was in the best possible location in Edinburgh - right in the center of the Old Town - and it made my explorations very easy. I wandered around the city, exploring castles and palaces and gardens, starting each day in a different cozy coffee shop with a delicious homemade pastry.
Thursday, I hiked to the top of Arthur’s Seat, which - let me tell you - was a very difficult hike. It had rained the day before, and the trail was sloppy. If you have hiked Chimney Tops in the Smoky Mountains, you will know what I mean when I say this trail was roughly 1 mile straight up, ending with rock scramble at the bald peak. It was tough, but the views were incredible.
Sabbatical Savvy
Regardless of my best packing abilities, I had to mail home a package with clothes - again. This seems to happen every trip, somehow? On Friday, I mailed home two pairs of shoes - one pair gave me blisters, the other pair weren’t good as shower shoes - as well my one “fancy” outfit for nice dinners. Scotland is extremely casual, and I expect that when I leave Edinburgh for the rural Highlands, fashion will matter even less. Plus, now I have more room for souvenirs, like a scarf I bought today, made of Scottish lambswool. Maybe by the end of this year I will have my packing optimized?
The main lesson here is try your shoes out before you pack them to avoid blisters - even shoes you have had for years. Somehow my boots shrunk, maybe the leather dried out, and I had to buy a new pair in NYC.
Short and Sweet
In the interest of getting out there and living life, I kept this one short - I will cover Culross and Auchterarder next week even though they were part of this week’s adventures. Here is a sneak peek:
Follow my Instagram @going_westbound for a more detailed look into my travels between newsletters. Hope you are having an amazing October, sending you love.
Life is short, have fun!
Alicia xx