This post is a little inauthentic, as it's coming to you from the U.S. of A., but I need to get all you loyal readers caught up on the tail end of my abroad!
So, after our exploits in Dublin, Scott and I weren't done yet, no siree. We had Edinburgh still to explore. We went to the historic and omnipresent Edinburgh Castle, viewable from almost everywhere in the city. The inside wasn't as impressive as the outside.
Having conquered Edinburgh, eaten all its Indian food, and gone to the majority of its museums, Scott and I ventured into the unknown: the Highlands. It was partially known, since I'd been before as is documented in this very blog, but to Scott, it was the mysterious unknown. Since we were a poor college student and unemployed recent grad at the time, we chose the free "Hairy Coo" tour to be our guides on our journey. The company runs through tips alone, so you don't have to pay as much. We went all over the Highlands, looking at the breathtaking views, listening to bloody tales of dismemberment and quartering, and how Braveheart is all wrong.
The highlights of the trip were visiting the castle where "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and part of the first season of "Game of Thrones" were filmed, and getting to feed the hairy coos themselves! The most interesting fact about the castle was explaining slash marks in the stone in one room. They're from cooks sharpening knives in the kitchen. Talk about convenient! Your sharpening stone is right where you cook. I also have a sneaking suspicion that I was able to stand in the tower where that little boy from "Game of Thrones" was pushed out the window. It was a big moment.
But how could anything top the hairy coos? We drove up the long drive way, filled with anticipation and we could see spots of orange on the horizon. Some people on our tour bus squealed. As our guide parked the bus, we received some very strict rules. We were not to get too close to the coos, or startle them, or get in their blind spots. They didn't want to hurt us, our guide said, but they might. He told us one girl got too close and the coo's head spun around and a horn knocked her right out. After this heartening speech, he handed us all pieces of bread as we got off the bus. I tentatively approached my first coo. They really are strikingly beautiful. Their red fur is shocking against all the muted green of the Scottish Highlands. Step by step I walked towards the fence where a coo was waiting for my offering of bread. Before I was ready, a hard, scratchy tongue darted out and curled around the bread and one of my fingers. I yelped in an embarrassingly high pitched tone and my fellow tourists turned to laugh as I cowered in front of the docile beast.
On our drive home to Edinburgh, we passed another coo, all alone behind a fence. Our guide told us that it was the oldest coo in the world. Years ago, when an outbreak of mad cow disease and all livestock were ordered to be killed, Hamish received a pardon from the Queen herself. But while I was researching for this post, I discovered that Hamish died a month after Scott and I saw him, at the age of 22. I'm honored to have had the privilege, Hamish.
Back in Edinburgh, Scott and I took a Food and Walking Tour, which took us all around the city, and I learned more that night than I did the rest of the semester about the architecture and history of the city. That might say more about me than anything else...I also showed him around the University of Edinburgh campus. We cooked some wonderful dinners (Scott's a much better cook than I am, so it was the first not-bland food cooked in the kitchen), and went out to delicious meals as well.
Our next adventure was to Grange-Over-Sands, a little town in England near the Lakes District. The town must have had an average age of 71, and I saw more nursing and funeral homes than I was comfortable with. We had the worst meal of our lives in that little town, and ended up buying cheese and crackers at the grocery store and taking them back to our little cottage that we rented for the weekend. We spent the weekend watching "A Very Potter Musical" and "Brave", which left us both crying, though neither of us would admit it. The best part of the weekend was taking a gorgeous hike up to a little look-out. We had to walk through farms and came into extremely close contact with a lot of different animals, and were almost blown away by the wind in the process. But it was a stunning view. I wish we could have made it to the Lakes District, but we had a lovely and cozy weekend in our little English cottage.
When Scott left, I only wished he could have stayed longer. His visit was the best two weeks I had during the semester and while he was there, I felt like I was home. We had so much fun and made lifelong memories. He brought me more joy than I could have found anywhere in the UK and I can't thank him enough for making the journey across the ocean. I can't wait to go on more journeys together.
Now for pictures!
