Studying Abroad in Edinburgh

Surprise, surprise, I am currently not in the USA, but in Scotland! I applied to study abroad at the University of Edinburgh for a semester last fall and was incredibly excited to find out I had been accepted. By the time this post goes up, I will have been in Scotland for a fair couple of weeks already. It has been a blast and although I miss home, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. 

This excursion has meant that I have been forced to leave behind all of my beloved books, save the five I managed to stuff into my overweight suitcase. But don't worry, I would never sacrifice my reading habit. Sadly, I am a hopeless addict. There is no saving me now. Libraries do exist in Edinburgh, as well as eBooks and audiobooks, which I have started listening to on my walks and bus rides around the city. So far, so good. But I will likely read just as little as I do in every other school semester (unfortunately) due to the amount of work I have. However, this semester I will also be giving up reading time to traveling. 

So far, I have explored Edinburgh to great detail, although there is always more to see. I hit all of the major Harry Potter related sites during my first week here, including Greyfriar's Kirkyard and The Elephant House cafe. The castle is breathtaking, as well as Arthur's Seat. Both locations offer incredible and expansive views of the city due to their high locations. My favorite things so far: the tea (and abundance of cafes), the accents, and the history. Every building resembles a castle, I swear. We don't even have castles back home. Plus, Jelly Babies are just divine and Irn Bru (the national Scottish soda) is like a delicious cross between orange Fanta and vanilla. 

My brother, who is studying abroad in France, paid me a visit already. We traveled to a small village called Pitlochry, where we hiked to a waterfall, toured a whiskey distillery, and appreciated the country air. Pitlochry holds a gorgeous river and accompanying dam next to the little burgh, which is the definition of quaint. I had such a wonderful time and certainly recommend visiting. You will feel like you were transported into a postcard or a Ghibli film.

For now, I am adjusting to my new school and my new home. I have made some fantastic friends already who are every bit as nerdy as I am. We are going on an organized trip to see the Harry Potter locations in the highlands in early February. My boyfriend, who will be visiting in March, and I will be heading to Inverness in the north to see the highlands, the cows, and the infamous Loch Ness. I have so many plans and so many places I wish to go. I can only hope to visit a handful of places on my extensive list, such as France, Germany, and England. There is so much to do in so little time, but I am just endlessly grateful for this opportunity. Go check out my bookstagram (@the.book.archive) if you want to see snapshots of Scotland. I also posted a video of my first week in Edinburgh, mostly for family, but if you fancy a watch, click this link here. 

Where do you want to travel to?