Hello my fellow adventurers!
Hello from my home country of America!
So, what do you get when you take a senior in college from Florida, born and raised in New England, who runs her own travel blog, has currently been to 27 different countries, including a 5-month stay in Scotland, has a knack for all things adventure related, interior designing, photography, cooking and oh yah, of course playing with her dog…? Well I guess you get the current professional Disney intern working at Adventures by Disney in California!
‘Wait, What! Meghan, are you no longer in Scotland? What happened at the end of your study abroad?”
All great questions my traveling enthusiast friend! Officially as of May 26th my royal time spent at the University of Edinburgh came to an end. Now seeing as how the date of me telling you this is August 26th, a good almost 3 months post my departure date, I have to admit, since leaving Scotland my life has been (in the most positive way) moving forward at quite a fast pace, I left Scotland, moved back home to Connecticut (for only two weeks), flew to Florida (packed up my car and had it shipped on a flatbed), flew out to California, moved into a new apartment (sight unseen), with a new roommate (whom I had never met), and started a new professional internship at Disney, working as the Adventures by Disney Trip Development intern! 6 different countries, 5 different types of cuisine, 4 different languages, 3 different time zones & 3 states, 2 different jobs (student & professional intern) and 1 new apartment all within less than one month of leaving my UK Uni! So, to say at the very least, I apologize for writing this post so late, but as you can see I’ve been quite busy – nevertheless, without further or due I give you my last few days in Edinburgh as I bid adieu!
Since leaving Scotland in May, not a day has gone by this past summer where I haven’t thought of my time in the UK. It’s almost as though with each passing day I begin to feel myself missing the country more and more, for even though I plan on traveling the world throughout the rest of my life, returning to Edinburgh someday has now become a priority of mine!
I suppose you could say I got lucky, I had the world’s best flat mates, made some amazing friends from within my study abroad program, bonded with various classmates, traveled in total to 5 different countries, celebrated my 21st birthday, got to experience all 4 seasons in Edinburgh during my 5 month residence, visited literally every single thing there is to possibly do in Edinburgh, didn’t drive a car for 5 months, which yes in fact messed me up a bit when I returned to the states, I had to actually think about which side of the road to drive on and lastly, for my Outlander, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey fans, I got to physically visit many of their filming locations including a day trip to Downton Abbey itself, known as Highclere Castle in England!
From the food to the friends I made, I think it’s safe to say Scotland will always hold a special spot in my forever memories, hurray! Now before I go on, let me just clarify one thing, the entire time I was in Scotland I did not once ever try Haggis (for those of you who don’t know what that is, let me tell you my friend, I suggest you google the ingredients of it now and then decide for yourself if you too would actually eat it)! Haggis is one of those special traditional Scottish dishes that almost everyone in the country enjoys, so to conclude this little tidbit on food, let me leave you with this thought - Haggis is not sold anywhere in the United States due to the fact that it’s not FDA approved… let that just sink in for a minute, now go google it and you’ll understand why!
During my final few days in the city, if you’re a royalist fan like me, I’m sure you are aware that while I was in Edinburgh, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding was taking place! Not only was I just a few measly miles away from where the wedding was taking place (well maybe more like a few hundred miles as it was taking place in England, but hey I was still at least in the UK), but unlike just any other random morning, I woke up that day May 19th, turned on the TV and boy oh boy was every channel broadcasting the royal wedding festivities!
Now here comes the part where all you foreigners (non-UK citizens) become jealous of me… I’m assuming that if you watched the royal wedding from beginning to end, you probably had to wake up at like 4 in the morning (due to the time change)! Well, seeing as how I was in the UK, I work up at 8:00am, explored some more of the city (with my father who flew out to travel home with me), took in a tour at the Scottish Parliament building, and then proceeded to scour the Royal Mile for a nice pub to bop in for lunch and to watch the Royal Wedding! But before I go any further, to top off this little jealously paragraph, let’s not forget fellow adventurer that back in February I, Meghan Chayka, actually shook hands with both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (see blog post from February for all the details), so by this point, seeing their wedding live on TV not only made me feel like a proud Meghan myself to see a fellow Meghan getting married, but I couldn’t help but what wonder what happened to my invite to their wedding? Oh well, perhaps my letter to the wedding is stuck in somewhere in the post office right alongside my acceptance letter to the Hogwarts School of Wizardry…
To continue, the pub I watched the royal wedding at, to top off my stay in Scotland, was none other than The World End Pub! “Wait Meghan, isn’t that pub a famous place? I once heard the character on the tv show Outlander mention its significance, but what does the name of the place really mean?” Great question! Time for a quick history lesson my fellow adventurer!
The Worlds End Pub located about half-way down the Royal Mile earned its name back in the 16th century – to quote “Back in the 16th century the city of Edinburgh was a walled city. Parts of the wall still exist in the foundations of the pub and at the bottom of St. Mary’s street. The gates to the city were situated outside of the pub… as far as the people of Edinburgh were concerned outside the gates was no longer their world, hence the name The Worlds End” – the end (quote posted outside of the pubs entrance) :)
Now of course the wedding didn't last all day (or at least not on TV), following our little viewing session at the pub, my dad and I took a little trip over to none other then the Royal Yacht Britannia! So for those of you who don't know, the Royal Yacht Britannia is the Royal families yacht, famously known for being the honeymoon means for transportation last used by Prince Charles and Princesses Diana... now docked permanently on the shores of Leith in Edinburgh as a floating museum for tourists such as myself to visit!
To wrap up my final day previously filled with the morning wedding festivities, I spent my final afternoon drinking the UK custom high tea in the royal yachts dining room, a custom I greatly miss now that I am back in America, for I think every country ought to adopt this UK traition!
After a long day spent gathering in the last of the city, I spent my final nights meal at one of the cities best restaurants, The Tower Restaurant, located on top of the National Museum of Edinburgh! The perfect place to end my study abroad experience!
Following my final day spent exploring the beloved city of Edinburgh once more, the next day I woke up early, had my final Scottish themed breakfast, said farewell to the Sheraton Hotels doorman, climbed in my taxi and headed off to the airport…
So, there you have it my fellow traveler, my Slán Scotland (meaning goodbye in Gaelic)! However, this is not a goodbye, this is more of a farewell until next time, as I intend to return to Scotland someday (preferably in the summer this time) to roam the ancient streets once again, and who knows maybe I’ll attend grad school there someday! Who knows, the world is full of endless possibilities! For I’m young and my life is just getting started!
Until Next Time Fellow Adventurer…
Lady Meghan Chayka
WAIT - WHAT! - Yes, that’s right, Lady Meghan! Oh, wait did I forget to mention I bought I piece of land while in Scotland, thus granting me a small deed plus the title of Lady… :) I guess that will be another story to tell, so stay tuned my fellow adventurer for my adventures are just getting started…!
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