With it now being the last week of my experience here in Ireland, I’ve truly got a lot to reflect on. This past week was jam-packed, and there was a lot of cool stuff I was able to do. This weekend, we had a free weekend, and I was able to go to Edinburgh with Nathaniel. The flight was only an hour long, and I hardly remember more than 10 minutes of it as I was asleep for almost the entire flight to Scotland. When we finally arrived, we got settled into our hostel which was immensely better than the one we had in Galway. The place was called the CodePod, and instead of the layout being traditional open bunk beds, it had a pod style, and everyone had a privacy curtain that they could use to feel like they were almost in there own cozy home.
Our Hostel was located on the Historic Royal mile, which is a one-mile street that runs down Edinburgh and is located at the Center of Old Town. It features beautiful historic landmarks such as the Edinburgh castle, St Giles cathedral, and University of Edinburgh. After getting settled in on Thursday, I walked around the old town of Edinburgh and Explored all of the things that the royal mile had to offer. One of my favorite things that I did that day, and honestly one of my favorite things that I had done on this weekend trip, was hiking Arthur’s Seat. This mountain was located all the way towards the end of the Royal Mile and was located near a collection of other various mountains, which were much smaller. The Hike took around 30-40 minutes to reach the summit, and the views were truly breathtaking! From the top, I had a 360 view of all of Edinburgh, nearby hills, and I could even see the North Sea
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I decided to look at more of the History behind Edinburgh. I visited the National Museum of Scotland, located on Victoria Street, the Scottish Parliament building, and a couple of other notable places, including St. Giles Cathedral.
Aside from all the incredible places and landmarks I visited, one experience that stood out was a subtle but noticeable cultural difference, particularly when it came to accents. In Ireland, I was surprised by how easy it was to understand most people; their accents were clear and, at times, even sounded slightly American. In contrast, the Scottish accent was much thicker, and I occasionally found it difficult to follow. For example, while ordering a bowl at a fast-casual spot similar to Chipotle, I struggled to understand whether the staff member was asking if I wanted a certain topping. Despite these occasional language hiccups, the Scottish people were consistently kind and patient, and I never felt like an outsider.
As this week wraps up and I have finished most of the work for my internship, I can truly say that I regret nothing about coming here. Dublin has been a great experience, not only on a professional and cultural level, but it has served as a way for me to connect with some of my classmates who I only knew on a surface level before this trip. This is definitely an experience that I will never forget
A collection of phones at the National Musuem of Scotland
A view of the ceiling in the St Giles cathedral
A view from a terrace above Victoria Street, known as the inspiration for Diagon Alley from Harry Potter
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A meal I ordered at Edinburgh Street Food near downtown Edinburgh
Sounds like a great weekend Colin! I’m surprised you said understanding the Scottish accent was more difficult than in Ireland, because I already struggle quite a bit understanding a lot of Irish people. It sounds tough but I’m glad you were still able to communicate in the end!