Today I experienced spectacular food and spectacular views. I do believe that sometimes those are the only two things you need in life.

We arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland two days ago from London via bullet train, and I have to say that this has been one of the most unique and interesting trips I’ve been on! One, because England and Scotland are home to the Harry Potter series (both book and film), and two, because I’ve learned so much about these two countries in school. It is also quite funny that in the beginning of the summer we visited New England and Nova Scotia (New Scotland), and now we have traveled to the original Scotland and the original England.

Due to the fact that Scotland is a little country surrounded by the sea, the weather here in Edinburgh is bipolar. Today started out sunny, then it rained for twenty minutes, then it was sunny again. This pattern repeated four times. Scots are not even fazed from what Americans think is freak weather—they just whip out their umbrellas and hats like it’s no big deal.

The UK also seems a lot more ancient. Walking around Edinburgh’s Old Town, we saw stone buildings built in the 1000s that were still in use. We visited the Edinburgh Castle, which was built in 1066. I think it’s awesome how this castle is still standing in relatively sound condition after almost a thousand years.

There are also some disgustingly funny stories about the city. Authorities used to nail merchants’ ears to wells for 24 hours as punishment for cheating customers. After 24 hours, it was the merchant’s responsibility to get his ear out. The most common way was to just rip the ear off. That’s most likely where the term “rip-off” and “earmark” come from.

Want to know where the word “loo” comes from? In medieval Edinburgh people used to dump all their waste into the streets, but before that they always shouted “Gardez l’eau’ which translates to “Watch for the water. “L’eau” over time became “loo.” Haha.

On a completely unrelated topic, it is interesting to note these cultural differences between the UK and America. I almost got mowed down by a few vehicles because I was not used to people driving on the left side of the road. Aside from potatoes and eggs, a traditional UK breakfast consists of tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, something called “haggis” (ground up sheep parts), and something else called “bubble and squeak” (boiled potatoes and cabbage.) In America, we practically eat butter and sugar for breakfast; it’s elevator, not lift; restrooms, not toilets; and fries, not chips.

Although people say the food in the UK is not the best, I would partially beg to differ. Haggis is not the most appetizing thing for me, but afternoon tea certainly is! Afternoon tea can be found anywhere nowadays, but it originated from England.

We had our afternoon tea in The Colonnades at the Signet Library on the Royal Mile. I suggest going there when you are really hungry so you get the full experience, because even though it looks like tiny amounts of food, it actually accumulates to A LOT.

The setting of the place was very unique. We sat at a mirrored table surrounded by tall bookshelves stacked with ancient-looking books. The waiters and waitresses brought our each of our individual teas in beautifully crafted pots. Then they brought out tomato and lentil soup in cups smaller than the average teacup, with an even tinier silver spoon.

The main course was even fancier. A three-tiered tower was brought out with a variety of tiny dishes neatly placed on it. There were pies, mini sandwiches, mini koftas, and mini quiches. It reminded me of Tastemade’s Tiny Kitchen. As I worked my way from bottom to top I gradually got very very full from the rich savory flavors.

Dessert delighted my tastebuds, but it also made me feel sorry for my stomach. Another three-tiered tower was brought out, this time stacked with bite-sized chocolate raspberry cakes, puddings, macarons, and scones with jam and clotted cream. (Is it called clotted cream because it clogs your arteries? I don’t know. But it tasted good!) Each dessert was different in texture and flavor with varying tartness and sweetness. Hands down best assortment of desserts I have ever had.

If that does not sound like enough, in the very end a raspberry sorbet was brought out. A nice light refresher after our extremely heavy meal.

Aside from a bit of history, weird stories, and food, I want to talk about the huge influence Scotland has had on the Harry Potter series. More to come in the following post.

Katie