A Wee Adventure: Exploring Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle

When traveling to a foreign country for the first time, the opportunities for exploration and discovery are seemingly endless. This quarter, A&E columnist Maryrose Kulick stepped off American soil to study abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. Every other week, Kulick will highlight a different destination from across the United Kingdom – follow along and get a taste of a new culture.

The first step to survival in a new country is correct pronunciation.

For me, I had to learn to say “Edinbur-ah,” rather than the Americanized “Edin-burg.”

Even so, my accent sticks out quite conspicuously in Edinburgh, Scotland – the city where I have chosen to spend the next three and a half months studying and living abroad.

Despite my foreign demeanor, the moment I set foot on the cobblestone streets interwoven between spire-top buildings and centuries-old cemeteries, I knew my heart would fit in just fine.

Edinburgh is, in essence, a snapshot of medieval history amid a bustling metropolitan city. And perhaps the most evident relic of this fact is the castle that resides in the city’s center.

Towering over the town on top of an extinct volcano, the Edinburgh Castle is one of the most famous landmarks in Scotland. It houses the memory of past human civilizations – monarchs were born there, monarchs were killed there, battles were fought and raged – all before North America had even been discovered by European explorers. This, in all honesty, made me feel quite tiny. Like an ant, where time is the smelly foot about to crush me.

However, it also made me curious. It was fortunate then that the castle was my first tourist destination upon arriving in Scotland.

After walking up the Royal Mile – a touristy street lined with kilt shops, pubs and the occasional street bagpiper – we reached the entrance to Edinburgh Castle. Already struck by its magnificence, I had my camera out, snapping away frantically while my group of fellow study abroad-ers and I were ushered inside.

Once within the outer walls of the castle and a series of rather ominous gates, we were able to walk freely around a village-like courtyard decorated with Scottish emblems, flags and defensive cannons. Most of us decided to start our exploration of the castle with a guided tour.

While laying out a brief history of the castle, our guide led us past numerous landmarks of interest – dungeons where prisoners of war were kept, the building that houses Scotland’s crown jewels and St. Margaret’s Chapel, the longest-standing building in Scotland.

Afterwards, we were set free to discover each building’s interior; however, the most striking aspect of the entire visit was the view of the surrounding city.

Every major metropolis seems to have its own summit. Whether it’s the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Empire State Building in New York, people can always find a set of stairs to climb that’ll open up a 360-degree view of the surrounding skyline. Edinburgh Castle is Edinburgh’s highest point.

Luckily, the notoriously gray and drizzly British Isles gave us a day of sunshine on our trip to the castle, providing us with breathtaking views of the adjacent estuary and the scattered spire-top architecture that initially caught my eye.

As the wind whirled around, swishing the Scottish flag back and forth on its post, the rest of Edinburgh was laid out ahead of me, with an invitation to see what else it and Scotland have to offer.

Directly below me was just one city, but outstretched to the north were the Highlands, over 2,000 more castles, lochs that may or may not be home to mysterious monsters, and so much more.

I’ve never been more excited to call a new place home.

– Maryrose Kulick

Where have you always wanted to go in the United Kingdom? Email Kulick at [email protected].