I had planned for this travel section of my blog to be for current travel stories, but since that won’t be happening any time soon, I figured I’d use it to share memories of trips I’ve already been on!
My boyfriend grew up in a town called Peterhead, in the Northeast of Scotland. Back in 2018, I was invited to go with him when he went back home for Christmas. This is a little bit of a photo recap of that trip!
These were my first meals in Scotland. On the left we have Zanres fish and chips – it isn’t uncommon for Michael to announce “I wish I could have a Zanres right now!” And that beautiful disaster on the right is called a Munchy Box, which is basically a random assortment of foods thrown together into a pizza box. It’s actually quite a delicious treat to have at the end of a night out.
Oh, what are these? Just some photos we took while casually exploring a deteriorated castle that’s only a fifteen minute drive from where Michael grew up. You know what’s a fifteen minute drive from our house here in Canada? A shopping centre.
Anyways, this castle is called Slain’s castle, and it sits on the edge of a very windy cliff. Seriously, the wind was so strong I was a bit worried that I would get blown into the sea if I stood too close to the edge. But, it did make for some beautiful scenery! I never thought I’d be able to say I’ve explored castle ruins, but I can! And yes, it’s just as cool as you’d think it would be.
We went to a Celtic game in Glasgow, and it was such a cool experience. The atmosphere at a soccer game in Scotland felt so different to any hockey game or CFL game I’ve attended here. There was an area with superfans called the Green Brigade. They apparently attend all the games with drums and big flags, and they sing different chants throughout the game. I’ll admit, I spent a lot of the game watching these fans rather than the players haha, I was so intrigued! The fans there also felt a lot more invested in the outcome of the game, almost as if they were depending on the team to win. I know there are fans here who are just as invested in the success of their favourite team, but it feels like less of a big deal here if a team wins or loses. Or maybe I just don’t care as much as everyone else haha.
We were only in Glasgow for a day to attend the soccer game, but we got there early enough to do a bit of walking around and sight-seeing before the game. While walking around, I got to see Glasgow’s infamous Duke of Wellington Statue. Apparently when the traffic cone was first put on his head, they kept trying to remove it. But every time they did, someone would replace it. So now he just always wears a traffic cone hat.
After Glasgow, Michael and I took the train to Edinburgh for a few days. I absolutely loved the Christmas Markets – we went at least once per day (I think one of the days we actually even went twice!) It was the most festive place I’ve ever been to, and even though there were plenty of people there, I didn’t feel overcrowded at any point. There were stalls selling such a large variety of items, plus a section of food stalls – the halloumi fries were a hit with us! It felt so festive and cheery, I wish I could go back every year.
We got up early this morning, and on our way to breakfast the streets of Edinburgh were nearly empty. I actually managed to get some photos that weren’t crowded with fellow tourists! One of my favourite things to do when visiting another country is to just take photos of random streets – not of anything in particular, just the architecture. I like to try and capture each city’s general ambience so I can remember what it’s like to be there when I flip through photos later.
Our full Scottish breakfast – haggis, baked beans, mushrooms, tomato, sausages, back bacon, fried egg, toast, and a coffee with a Biscoff (AKA the best biscuit in the world).
Another day, another castle. If you’re going to Edinburgh and plan to visit Edinburgh Castle, I’d recommend preparing to spend at least half the day there! The actual guided tour itself isn’t very long, and then you get to just wander around on your own. But if you’re like me and want to really take your time checking out every aspect of the castle and read all the plaques, it’ll take you a solid few hours. They have a cafe there as well, so you can stop for a break partway through! We got some hot chocolates to warm ourselves up, and Michael got a scone while I got a millionaire shortbread (one of my favourite treats in Scotland).
After Edinburgh Castle we wandered on our way to see Greyfriars Bobby. This little dog has his very own statue because he is known for guarding the grave of his owner for 14 years. Dogs are seriously the best thing the world has to offer, we don’t deserve their kindness. After we visited Greyfriars Bobby’s statue, we went into the Greyfriars Bobby pub for some food and drinks – there was a lot of stopping in pubs for a drink and a snack, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
After Edinburgh we were back to Peterhead for Christmas, and then headed home to Canada a couple days later.
We were sad to leave Scotland, but lucky for us, we had made plans to return the following August before we even left…so stay tuned for another Scotland trip recap!
Until next time,
Nadine
nadinesnarratives.art.blog 
Great post 😁
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