Travel Journal: Scotland
After a few more uneventful weeks in Glasgow, Ellie and I decided to enjoy London over Thanksgiving weekend. If we couldn’t be with our families for the holiday, we might as well do something awesome, right? After comparing prices and travel times, we decided that taking a bus overnight was our best option. We boarded the bus on a Thursday night and arrived at 6:30 on Friday morning. We did some walking and saw the sun rise over the River Thames.
Again, in London, we saw all of the iconic sights—Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower Bridge. All of these were marvelous to see. It’s hard to pick a favorite out of those. A few other highlights of the trip included going to Harrods—Europe’s largest department store, which has over 300 departments! Ellie and I indulged in a little bit of window-shopping and Godiva desserts while we were there. Another highlight was the Christmas market that we stumbled upon. We had delicious food and drinks, and found a “Bavarian Village” with a dance floor. It was an unexpectedly fun evening! We also went to Camden Town because of a recommendation from our flatmates. We shopped the underground markets and experienced the “punk” side of London. Ellie and I also got Garra Rufa fish pedicures—something I never thought I would do, but found surprisingly enjoyable! Overall, it was an amazing weekend in London.
After spending Thanksgiving weekend in London, we had our own Thanksgiving the following weekend with our flatmates. Ellie and I successfully cooked our first turkey along with sweet potato casserole, creamed corn, gravy, corn bread, green beans, brownies, and chess pie. It was such a great night because we shared an American tradition with our new friends abroad. Everyone had a blast and loved the food. They even asked for the recipes so they could make some of the foods for their own families! Even though it wasn’t on Thanksgiving Day, it was still a time for all of us to realize how thankful we were for our entire experience in Glasgow.
My last adventure of November was in Edinburgh. I woke up one Friday morning after classes ended and decided that I wanted to visit that city. So, I went to the bus station, bought a ticket, and went! I took a map with me and did some exploring. I visited the Edinburgh Castle and explored the Royal Mile. I saw both Old Town and New Town. It was really cool to see the capital of the country that I've been living in for the past three months.
After a very eventful November, I'm looking forward to a December filled with more trips, studying for finals, and savoring every last moment I have with my new friends in my new second home.
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