Of Wet and of Wildness

The title for this blogpost came from the side of a wall that we saw in Edinburgh (I believe it was next to the Scottish parliament, but it was around 2:30 in the morning, so I'm not absolutely sure). This wall was full of bits and pieces of different poems. And one of them just happened to fit Scotland exactly. It's by Gerard Manley Hopkins, a famous Victorian poet.

What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wilderness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

Our weekend trip to Scotland was full of hiking in some of the most beautiful country I have ever set foot in. I've also never seen rain pour down quite so hard or quite so many times in the space of three days. Scotland was a love affair, kind of an enchanted memory--and I'd love to go back someday.

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Day 1:


We spent most of the day on the bus. You'd THINK there would be a nice highway to get to Edinburgh...there's not. We were on narrow, curvy, make-you-sick kinds of roads for a good part of the way. I tried to sleep as much as possible, so I wouldn't throw up. Good stuff.


On the way, we made a quick pitstop in Yorkshire to see Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Fountains Abbey is a monastery that thirteen monks founded in 1132. It was one of the richest monasteries in all of Europe. All that is left are ruins, but they're still fascinating. The Studley Royal is an AMAZING water garden that lies behind the Abbey. They were built in the 1700s. Also, as we were walking back to the bus, we stumbled across a little parish church--St Mary's Church. It was so beautiful. I'm really learning to appreciate all these little Gothic churches, thanks to my architecture class. Also, there's just something so blessedly simple about them compared to the grand, more impersonal cathedrals.

At first we thought "monks?!? in the abbey? how perfect!"
then we realized they were tourists.
like us.
but dressed up.

some more of Fountains Abbey.

the water gardens. and a view of St. Mary's Church.

Saint Mary's Church again. Charming place.

We had two hours to explore before we had to get back on the bus. Fast forward time...and pretty soon we were at the England/Scotland border. We were able to get off the bus once more and take some pictures. The scenery was breathtaking.

scotland ftw.

beautiful scenery...and brett being a ladies man.

We finally arrived in Edinburgh at around 9:30. We dumped our stuff in our rooms and then rushed to the cafeteria to eat dinner like nobody's business--we were so hungry. After dinner, we decided to hike Arthur's Seat. It offers a spectacular view of the city. And plus, the hike itself is a feast for the eyes.

group of amigos--right before the hike.

1. on top of Arthur's seat.
2 &3. beautiful scenery
4. brooke and me.

As we were sitting on top of this mountain,
we felt it deserved something epic. So
Brett gave a stirring rendition of Jabberwocky, which
then prompted a whole slew of poetry reciting.

we just sat in this spot for a while while we talked
and enjoyed the spectacular view.

By the time we got home, it was pretty late...and we knew the next day would be busy. So we called it good for the night and went straight to sleep. 

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Day 2:

I woke up as late as I possibly could (at the shocking hour of 8:00) and went to breakfast without even bothering to shower. Why? Well, I was going to go hiking in the Trossachs. AKA the mini-highlands of Scotland. AKA it would be muddy, rainy, and absolutely beautiful. 

It was a hike of four seasons. It would pour. Then sunshine. You would be hot. Then cold. Wet. Then dry. It was incredible. It probably rained four or five separate times, and after each time, the sun would come out. Furthermore, we were not hiking on a real trail. We walked through mini-rivers, fields of mud, and low underbrush and weeds. By the end, we were disgusting. Our shoes were probably the most disgusting of all. However, it was a hike of such incredible scenery. My breath was taken away so many times. Beautiful lakes and rivers. Such intense green as I have never seen before. Little wildflowers. Wild blueberries (which I ate, claro). Trickling waterfalls. Huge rocks. 

the trossachs mostly.
and jenny and i pretending to be something or other.

hiking is always infinitely more fun
when you're with great people...
and i was.
it was fun.

We got back to our accommodations around 5:30. I took a very very long, hot shower. And I tried to clean my shoes...unsuccessfully (I eventually ended up having to throw them in the washer). Then we were off to the Ceilidgh!

And if you didn't know, a Ceilidgh is a Scottish dance party.

Or as our Cambridge director said to us in an email...

"Ceilidgh! Oh .My .God. You are going to love this. It is the Haggis of dancing…"

It is. I'm ashamed to say that I was a scaredy-cat and never tried Haggis (I prepared myself for the thought of eating sheep innards, but the smell threw me for a loop. Couldn't do it.), but I'm pretty sure that Ceilidgh is about as Scottish as it gets.

And that's where I'll leave off for tonight, as it is getting rather late and I'm getting quite tired.  I'll get to the rest of Scotland soon. :)