K... is for Kirk!

Kirk is the Scottish word for Church, and oh my, do they build them well here! As part of tourism, various volunteering activities, and just being poor because I'm a student, I've been to a lot of kirks here. Usually, they would have been built by one king or another queen, either for their own private prayers or as part of a celebration/coronation.
For example, St. Margaret's Chapel, which was probably a personal prayer house, is the oldest surviving structure in Edinburgh, having been built in the 12th century. On the other hand, built during the same period is the massive 'High Kirk of Edinburgh' or St. Giles' Cathedral. It was primarily built for public use and is also called the 'Mother Church of Presbyterianism'.
I've been to both... and while I've been to some other too, these two, visited within two weeks of one another brought out some stark similarities; the damp cold stones, the beautifully carved/painted ceiling, the quiet that is mildly perturbed by the whispers of centuries, the altar... very very imposing facades that house God in all his marvellous glory. I'm not religious at all, but because I went to a convent Catholic followed by a missionary Methodist school, I had my fair share of Jesus storied drilled into me.
Visiting kirks is, thus, a beautiful way to spend an afternoon here.

Stained Glass - St. Giles'

Ceiling - St. Giles'

Chapel at my school - it was a beautiful building wasted on a terrible school.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye, John o' Groats.

J... is for John o' Groats!

Again, this post comes at a strange time, for it will have to be updated next week!
John o' Groats is famous famous, as being the northernmost point on the UK mainland. It is not. That glory belongs to Dunnet Head, a peninsula that is close by and that actually is the northernmost point! This weekend, I'm going on a trip to hopefully both these places.
John o' Groats is only 2,200 miles (3,500 km) from The North Pole, a thought that is celebratory and humbling at the same time. It is named after Jan de Groote, a Dutchman who obtained a grant for the ferry from the Scottish mainland to Orkney, recently acquired from Norway, from James IV, King of Scots, in 1496.
There is nothing much to do there, what does one want to do at such a place, I wonder. The sheer feeling of being there, of being so far far away from everything else, everyone else must be so overwhelming. Anyway, as I said, wait for the update :)

Courtesy: Reasons to be Cheerful

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish, Isle of Skye.

I... is for Isle of Skye

Last weekend, I went on a three day trip to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye. The entirety of Sunday was spent in exploring the Isle. I loved it. It was an organised trip, so we had a lovely guide explaining to us what on earth it was that we were looking at, where it all began, and how everything was beyond pretty!
According to Wikipedia, Skye  is the largest and most northerly large island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillins, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. It isn't very tiny really, it's just that there's not much to do. The island is 67 miles long, there are 3 -4 small towns, and the total population is about 10,000. It is connected to the mainland by way of the Skye Road Bridge.
The scenery is stunning. It is dotted with bens (mountains) and glens (valleys). The hills are not very high (certainly for me, I have been to the Himalayas too many times), but they are older and more rounded, no spikes. And they get snow because of the latitude rather than their altitudes. It is also home of Drambuie, a fine Scottish whiskey liqueur. It is said that Bonnie Prince Charlie's supporters gave the recipe away to the islanders as a way of saying thanks for sheltering him and helping him escape after the Battle of Culloden (which, by the way, is the last battle to have taken place in the UK).
Most of the rivers are enchanted, they are dotted with the wee folk (faeries), and they glitter and gurgle. Skye is very very beautiful; all of you that have been expressing their wishes to visit Scotland should know that your visit would be incomplete without your footprints in Skye.

The River Sligachan

On top of the Old Man of Storr

Trotternish Peninsula 

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow, Hamish.

H... is for Hamish, the Hairy Highlander

I'm just back from the Highlands of Scotland and my head needs time to recover from and process all the beauty that I was bombarded with in the past three days. I'm scarred from the assault of sheer beauty and magnificence on my senses. Anyway, so for a funny one.
Hamish is a hairy coo. He is big, he is hairy, and he's pretty much the first thing you'll see in the highlands. He's also adorable and loves veggies!
He's really famous too; do a Google search and you'll find posts, pictures, forum - all for Hamish appreciation!

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge, Glasgow.

G... is for Glasgow!

Glasgow is to Edinburgh what groom is to a bride. He is west to her east, handsome to her pretty, strong to her fragile, imposing to her shy. Glasgow is the most handsome city I know. The gravity of George Square, the somber plaques that say Merchant City, the burnished dark gold of its buildings... they make you take it seriously. They speak to you in a gruff edgy voice.
It is big, busy, important, and fun. It looks like a proper city and it has the steepest streets; they seem vertical to me! I love Glasgow too, in a way different from how I love Edinburgh. I like the bustling-ness, I like how I usually can't understand a word Glaswegians say, I get excited at flyovers! (yep, no flyovers in lil' Edin).
I do not understand the sense of fashion though... if I had the money to spend and the option of shopping at Glasgow stores, I'd look fabulous! I'd look effortlessly chic, is what I think to myself every time I look at the windows of shops there... Scotland's pretty incomplete without good ol' west coast!

Winter evening, George Square

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh, Forth Bridge.

F... is for Forth Bridge

This is a strange post. I haven't been to see the Forth bridge, but it's been on my mind. Especially, I can spot it every time from M8 (that links Edinburgh and Glasgow). And funny thing is, I'm going to see it on Monday, I think it looks gorgeous! It goes over the Firth of Forth and links to Fife (you could literally pick out an F word out of those!).
I'm leaving you with a picture of the view of the Firth from Edinburgh Castle, and another of the bridge itself.
Once I'm back on Monday from my three day trip, I will update this post with one of my pictures :)

(Source: Boo Hewerdine's Blog Thing)

Iconic and marvellous, isn't it?
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Update: The Forth Bridge is so magnificent that I have no idea why anyone would rave or keep going on about the Tower Bridge in London. I have been there as well, and it isn’t half as impressive as this! Cantilever bridges are wayyy cooler. Anyway, this massive maroon beast is huge and beautiful. If you can, do go.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability, Edinburgh.

E... is for Edinburgh!

When I got here, I came via London. I had a nightmarish time at Heathrow, didn't have to get out of the airport, and flew on to here. I had no internet, no phone connection. I had a piece of paper with an address on what was going to be my flat. I took a cab.
It was sunny and windy. It was unreal. It was poetry in motion. It was so gorgeous, like nothing I'd seen before. I started Uni, started living my foreign life, got along brilliantly with my lovely foreign flatmates, and stopped converting currency in my head!
I  love this city to bits, love its people, its cobbled streets, its slow moving traffic, architecture, feel. I love the terrible weather, the occasional gorgeous sunshine. If I had my way, I would definitely never leave, or realistically, not leave for a very very long time. Some photos, all from Facebook...

Skyline

Hogmanay 2012 - 13

Old College, Uni of Edinburgh

McEwan Hall, this is where I'll graduate

From Wikipedia "Edinburgh is the world's first UNESCO City of Literature and the city's Old Town and New Town are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and regularly polls as one of the best places to live, having won more than 12 UK Best City Awards in 8 years to 2013. Attracting over one million overseas visitors a year, Edinburgh is the second most popular tourist destination in the UK and was voted European Destination of the Year at the World Travel Awards 2012."
I've written some more about my experiences here and here.

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This post is part of the ongoing A-to-Z Challenge. Previously, Aye, Berwick, Cramond, Disability.