Finding Enlightenment in Edinburgh

Welcome to Scotland! Exploring the streets around my new Uni :)

St. Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile, a major thoroughfare through the city that houses most of the important buildings

A view of some of the surrounding slopes from Calton Hill, a preserved area of the city... thanks to Hume!

Well, I've arrived in Edinburgh. Greeted by chilly weather and a seemingly constant supply of drizzles, I moved into my new flat at Kincaid's Court two days ago and have been exploring the city ever since. As a Fresher I'm taking part in lots of orientation activities, from learning how to dance the Flying Scotsman at a traditional Ceilidh to taking a jaunt through the fabulous Writers Museum down by Prince's Street.

The city is alarmingly beautiful, even under cloudy skies. One of my favorite activities so far has just been getting lost in the closes (allies) that weave the fabric of the bi-leveled city together. Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, is divided into two halves: medieval Old Town and 18th-century New Town. My Uni is located in Old Town and became a center of the Enlightenment, so statues and mausoleums of the world's most famous scientists and philosophers abound. And as Hume is thus far my favorite philosopher, I've already visited his statue on the Royal Mile, Hume Tower on campus, and his hauntingly gorgeous grave at the base of Calton Hill. But with some great philosophy courses coming up this semester, he may have some new competition -- or so we can hope!

A casual rub of Hume's lucky toe

My flatmates are amazing-- I'm living with three first-years, from Ireland, Scotland, and London; and a third-year abroad student from Ireland. Aside from getting along fabulously, I love being surrounded by this symphony of different accents and vernaculars. Who knew that the words eraser, eggplant, and zucchini are totally foreign here? Haha! I'm entering a new world of learning with and from these women that is just so exciting.

Meet two of my flatmates! Mel, on the left, is from Aberdeen, Scotland; and Lily, with that gorgeous head of hair, is from Galway, Ireland. Here we are at a pub crawl, naturally ;)

That's all for now, folks, as I'm gearing up for tonight's Pirate Party in Teviot Place, our incredible students' union (with six bars and counting!). I'm missing having my daily routine back home, but I can't wait to return to the States with some new stories and memories to share.

Til next time,

Laur