After several flights and a long layover I finally landed in Edinburgh! I was welcomed by Alex (my co-volunteer/flat-mate) and Laura (the site manger) they took me to our flat to get settled. We had some pizza for dinner and talked about what the next few days would look like. My first day at Bethany wasn't till a few days later and Alex had her days off so she suggested we go into city center to start to get familiar with the area and see some of Edinburgh.
We ended up going to Princess St. and into the Princess St., Gardens. While there we got a spectacular view of the castle and Ross fountain (left picture). Throughout the garden there are lots of different monuments the one pictured center above is of a tribute for men and women of Scottish blood and sympathies in the United States of America. The finale picture is of the Scott Monument. Alex then showed me around some of the other spots and shops on Princess Street. We also went over the best ways to get back home and which busses would get us there or close, which was extremely helpful!
Over the next few days we went to the Royal Mile, pictured above. Alex and me are both big book fans so she made sure we walked past the major Harry Potter sites. The first few pictures are of the inspiration for Diagon Alley (Victoria Street), the café where JKR started writing the books, and one of the gravestones where she got names for characters. We also visited some of the historical sites as well. Pictured above is the statue of Greyfriars bobby, the statue outside St Giles' Cathedral, and the David Hume Statue.
I was very grateful for Alex's knowledge of the area and how quickly I was able to acclimated with the area. Edinburgh has really started to feel familiar while still being an exciting new place to explore.
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