So, this weekend, I checked off a bucket list item and saw the world's best rugby team, the New Zealand All-Blacks, play Scotland's home team in Murrayfield Stadium here in Edinburgh.
My friend Chase, an abroad student from Vanderbilt, agreed to join me and very graciously suffered through my aggressive cheering throughout the match :) On the way to the stadium, we met a group of New Zealand college kids who had flown to Edinburgh just for the game. Decked out in their team garb, head to toe, they teased us for wearing the wrong colors and gushed about how beautiful our city is... before getting kicked off the bus for carrying solo cups and open beer bottles. Ha, whoops.
 |
| Edinburgh Castle and Arthur's Seat peeking over Murrayfield Stadium for a view of the game :) |
I've been wanting to watch a professional rugby match for years, and if I could choose the ideal game I would select these two teams. We sat up in the student section alongside 67,000 other rugby fans, and the energy in the stadium was just incredible. Even though Scotland lost, we put up a valiant fight and executed some amazing plays. Watching New Zealand was an experience itself-- truly, rugby at its finest. Way to go, men.
 |
| Celebrating one of Scotland's three tries (essentially, touchdowns). |
It was a truly great afternoon of Scottish pride and sportsmanship. On the walk back to Uni, Chase and I passed countless men wearing kilts and playing their bagpipes for the sea of pedestrians flooding out of the stadium. Something about highland music matches the aesthetic of this city, and I find a heartily-played bagpipe deeply moving. These four months in Scotland are flying by, but I'm so thankful to be able to make the most of this adventure with afternoons like these.
And now, enjoy some video clips from the game, including the oh so famous 'Ka Mate' Maori War Dance:
I'm certainly not about to go out for the women's rugby team, but rugby (and its players) certainly hold a special place in my heart :)
Laur
No comments:
Post a Comment