While Scotland might not seem like the most promising place for a “warm weather” vacation when everyone is traveling south to the equator, it holds a special place in my heart.  During my junior year of college I spent the fall of 2009 studying in Edinburgh and had the most amazing time.  It’s so cliché to say you learned a lot about yourself, but I know that when I came back I had gained something that I couldn’t quite explain.

Last month during my school’s J-term break I finally had a chance to go back for a visit.  The heavens seemed to smile upon the Edinburgh for a short time and let the sun break through the ever-present drizzle, warming the pale and Vitamin D-deprived faces of Great Britain’s northern residents.  Anyone from the Midwest would jump at the chance to walk around in the dead of winter without looking like Randy Parker; the hardships of living through 22 rugged Minnesota winters have taught me how to value anything above freezing.

I mostly stayed in the Old Town area of Edinburgh, near the university.  It’s really old, intensely gothic and impossible to navigate, but I’d forgotten how much I love it.  The city has an amazing historically a dark past full of plagues, beheadings, and other rather unpleasant things that are easy to picture almost anywhere you are. 

The famous Royal Mile that was once one of the filthiest spots in the city.