Since I last posted I have traveled to various places in Ireland as well as some other European countries. Being able to say that I spent the weekend in Scotland and Rome makes me feel as though I must have done something unbelievable in a past life but the fact of the matter is that if you are in Europe weekend getaways are as easy as going home from Philadelphia for a weekend (ok maybe not THAT easy but you get my point).
I'll start with Edinburgh, Scotland, a city that I fell in love with almost the moment I saw the cathedrals and castle. The city is so often overlooked by travelers but honestly it was my favorite trip so far. Aside from the colder than expected temperatures, we really lucked out weather-wise. Edinburgh offers a "Free Walking Tour" around the city which was really awesome. I the history geek in me (that i have courtesy of my father) was like a kid in a candy store on that tour and I have decided that not only should Irish history be studied more in America but so should Scotland's history. Scotland has such a cool, rebellious teenager-like history that made me fall in love with the Scots. Now I have many geeky alter-egos but anyone who knows me well knows that I am the biggest geek in the world when it comes to Harry Potter so alas I must set aside an entire paragraph for Harry.
As some of you may not know (and to be totally honest with you I was ignorant to this fact as well), J.K. Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potters in Edinburgh. She wrote in many cafes including "The Elephant House", which is where I obviously insisted we eat lunch. The Cafe is great. Great atmosphere, great food, and amazing views of Edinburgh castle. Again, being the that geek I am, I decided to buy a pen from a nearby souvenir shop and write on a napkin the same way J.K. allegedly did when she first began writing the most epic series I've ever read (yes I know... it's probably the only book series i've ever read but go with it). To attempt to be even more authentic I even walked around the graveyard with my friends to find character names the same way my idol found her name inspirations. While doing so we found the graves of "Tom Riddle" and "Professor McGonagall" It was truly a tacky-tourist to the max experience that I loved every minute of (and my travel mates were good sports and went along with it).
When I get another free moment i'll fill all of you in on some of my other adventures. Miss you all!!
